Talk with Professor Styles

You knock on the door to Professor Styles’ office. Through the frosted glass, you can barely make out her getting up and opening the door.

“How’s it going, Alex? Everything going well?” she asks.

“Yes, great!” you say. “How about you?”

“Putting together some questions for your midterms,” she says. “I was doing a bit of thinking after our conversation earlier. There’s some tough questions that I’m on the fence about. Should they be on the test?”

“Well, if you want my professional opinion, I would say that you should exclude them,” you grin.

“Color me surprised,” your professor smiles. “Come in, have a seat. If you can give me a few good reasons to not include them, then I could be convinced.”

You spend a moment thinking. What’s going to convince her?

“You don’t want to fail your students,” you say. “That’s a bad look. If a bunch of us drop out of the major because the class is too hard, then there’s got to be bad consequences for that. Isn’t that how the chemistry department’s funded?”

“You’re right about that,” she nods. “It’s possible that we’d have less money for hiring and research in the future if the major became smaller. But I only teach one class out of dozens. I don’t think it’s a big worry.”

“Then here’s another reason,” you say. “If you give us really tough questions, students are going to complain. That’s going to show up in your student reviews. What happens when you go up for tenure?”

“You’re quite familiar with the games that we have to play,” she smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I’m surprised you didn’t appeal to your own interests.”

“What, like getting an easier A?” you say. “I’m here to learn the material. I’ll know it the same whether the test is hard or not.”

Professor Styles laughs.

“I didn’t peg you as a teacher’s pet,” she says. “Though I suppose, you are here working in my lab.”

“That’s only because you asked me so nicely,” you smile. “Besides, there’s a much more important reason to get an A on that test than learning itself.”

“What’s that?” Professor Styles asks.

She leans in, interested, and you get a good glimpse of cleavage as she does so. But you’ve got to focus. You look her straight in the eyes instead.

“Have you heard about Burn Night?” you ask her.

“Maybe a thing or two,” she replies, her eyes twinkling. “Is that something you’re excited for?”

“You kidding me?” you laugh. “Why do you think I show up to Intro Psych?”

“I never thought much about that,” she says. “I suppose it does give you students an incentive to try in every class.”

“Yes, and just think about all the misery that you’d cause if you asked us those difficult questions,” you say.

“Why, I’d be the biggest cockblocker on campus,” she laughs, shaking her head. “Funny, how some things can change. Well, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll give a few more hints on these questions. That should make them more manageable.”

“That’s much appreciated,” you say, and she smiles knowingly.

“Of course,” she says. “Now, you came in here for a reason. What was that?”

“Oh, yes! I forgot, I just had a question on the project we were working on…”

Styles +10