While I had some outstanding professors, there were a few who exhibited bizarre behaviors … Here are the notable three:
1) all students seeking teaching certification had to take speech. If not successful, there would be no certification. Neither Tom Brokaw nor Barbara Walters would have passed in those days … speech impediments were verboten. Initially, my speech class appeared rather typical … half girls, half guys. Additionally, we had three African fellows. By the end of the semester only the females and the Africans were still enrolled. Rumour had it that our prof had propositioned each of the White guys and they dropped out. My story isn’t quite as exciting. It turned out that I wrote and delivered pretty decent speeches. I carried an A from the beginning to the end of the semester. So, you can imagine my surprise when a great big B appeared on my transcript. Knowing it had to be an error, I went to see Prof. Speech Dude. He told me that there was no mistake. Why, asked I … Are you ready? He said that while all my speeches were As that I didn’t improve. He was compelled to give me the B. While he was not invited back to teach the next semester, that B remains on my transcript today. It wouldn’t have been such a stunning turn of events had I not dug such a huge hole for myself first semester.
2) Then there was time that I had to leave just before the exam in a course. My beloved Uncle Joe had died suddenly and I needed to be home for two days. It wasn’t a big deal with the college nor the prof. When I returned to school, I got in touch with the professor regarding a make up exam. He offered to give it to me at his apartment. I declined. I took it in his office. When I returned at the appointed time to get my grade, I had a choice of grades. With a lascivious look and an equally provocative statement, he told me that I had fallen directly between the A and the B. He offered me my choice. I took the B.
3) When I was ready to graduate with my Masters in English, my department Chair, always a cordial and kind man to
me turned cold and angry when I told him that I had accepted a position at the U of Buffalo. When I inquired why he was so upset with me, he said, “We thought you would stay on at Albany, get the doctorate in English and teach with us.” This was the first of many times in my life that there was an expectation of clairvoyance. I had absolutely no idea … had I, it would have changed virtually everything about my life and career. I believe in angels. I have to think that they moved me … move all of us around … but why?