So, I took a lab course last semester with the worst professor ever. Because of the nature of the course and how it’s a research lab based course it’s guaranteed that if you do all the work you’ll get at least a C. The thing is, in the beginning of the course I only missed two of the lecture portions and not the lab and she was threatening to fail me because of those two absences even though we didn’t really even do anything during those two lectures and I talked to her about how it was for mandatory doctor’s appointments i couldn’t reschedule and that I hate notes for and that it wouldn’t happen again. But she was being very unreasonable and I said that I’m a senior that needs to graduate so couldn’t retake it the next semester, and I had been completing all the work. At the end of the course she provided the grade distribution and it was all As, Bs, C,s and one D. And of course, I got the one D. But the thing is you need a grade of C- to get credit for the course, so i can’t get credit for it. So because of her unreasonableness she is screwing up my graduation timeline. I think that I deserved a C so my advisor said I should talk to her about it and even she thought it was ridiculous that I got a D just for those absences. I’m on the verge of tears because of this and I wanted to know how to best discuss this with her because she is a scary lady and the most unreasonable professor I’ve ever met before.
I think the first thing you really should do is calm down. I totally get where you’re coming from and understand why you’re frustrated, but blowing up at her or copping any kind of attitude isn’t going to do well. If you have this mindset that she’s unreasonable, that she’s scary, or that she’s a monster then it’s likely that might come off when you’re talking to her (even if you don’t mean to be intentionally rude) and she might ‘shut down’ so to speak. Likewise, try not to come across as demanding or entitled; I wouldn’t start in with the whole, “I’m a senior and I HAVE to graduate” stuff either since it’s easy for others to see that as, “I’m a senior and I’m too important to follow your silly rules!”
Since you’re basically asking her for a favor (that is, you’re asking her to bend her rule about absences) your best bet is to be as polite, conciliatory, and apologetic as you can muster. Smiling helps, and try to empathize with her position (something like, “I know how important it is for me to attend every lecture…”). In my experience, people tend to be more willing to see things from your perspective if you try and see things from theirs; if she thinks that you think that she’s unreasonable, she’s might double down.
(Treat it more like you’re asking her for this huge favor – like you’re asking her to drive 50 miles out of her way in the rain to pick you up from the airport at 4:00 AM in the morning after your flight got delayed. If you were asking a stranger for that kind of favor you’d be really sweet about it, right?)
I hope that helps!
I thought this sounded familiar. Went back to check the OP’s previous posts and found this thread from 4 months ago
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1698496-have-the-most-ridiculous-unreasonable-professor-ever-help-p1.html
in which another poster delved a little more deeply and found these -
OP was given plenty of good advice before and it appears that she chose not to follow any of it. Looks like she just likes to vent.
Damn it, I need to start checking post histories. I could have copied and pasted my advice from that other thread and saved myself some time.
Anyway OP if you do want to square things away with your professor your best shot is the “honey, not vinegar” approach I (and others) have described. I get that sometimes your needs can clash with official policies but there’s not much you can do other than politely ask for some lenience.
If you’re just venting, then that’s OK too but you can always get a diary instead.
Beat me to the punch, pats.
patsmom you already posted that, how would it be helpful at all to post a series of past questions that have NOTHING to do with this question? i’m asking about this question, not past ones. what is the point in bringing up unrelevant past questions? and i’m not just venting otherwise i would have no reason to post just to ‘vent.’
Great entertainment today @patsmom, kudos to you and the original “investigative poster” that put together that history. Excellent work. 
What did the syllabus say? Did it give an allowed number of absences? Did it have an allowance for excused absences? Did those have to be approved ahead of time?
The answers to those questions will probably give you a good indication of whether you have a case or not.
I think you need to go back and read the very good advice you have been offered. I don’t see any disrespectful posts only here a reminder that you have already asked this question and people have taken the time to give you good advise.
If you address your teacher with the same threatening tone you used in your last post, I can see why you are having problems.
Good Luck getting your situation resolved!
Wow, this is why I tell kids not to come into the parents forum. It’s a tough crowd. @estara89, yeah that was an unnecessary post up there, many links were just a kid being a kid, and were pretty tame. No need to publicly humiliate someone.
You’re young, you don’t have you’re act totally together. I suggest you try and talk to the teacher, maybe bring the advisor in. If this one grade D vs C- is keeping you from graduating, hopefully you can work it out. Or at least let you walk the graduation and take the course in summer.
However, let this be a learning moment. This stuff won’t fly out of high school. If it doesn’t work out, you need to think about how you can prevent this in the future.
And I, for one, do understand the difficulty and loneliness of coming to a new school senior year and not knowing a soul. Cliques are established and it can seem very unforgiving. Just keep your chin up and try to get it straightened out. Good luck.
OP a good part of the college experience is learning to take accountability. Instead of hoping the professor would take pity on you and "give " you a grade they do not feel you deserve, maybe you need to take the responsibility of asking if you could EARN extra credit to bring up your grade.
After college it will be bosses or boards of directors…whatever and none of them will want to hear excuses. this is a good time and place to start.
Good advice @singersdad!
So you failed and didn’t graduate, correct? What do you do now? You have to retake the course before you can graduate. You can try talking to an adviser or someone else in department. It may be easier just to retake the course rather than trying to appeal the grade.
Maybe @patsmom was right.
You didn’t answer (or even acknowledge) my post. What did the syllabus say? You have no chance at an appeal if it was spelled out in it what would happen when classes were missed.
well i had excuse absences with doctors notes, and it was missed lecture not lab. so wouldn’t she not be allowed to not acknowledge them?
@estara89 Why do you keep posting and deleting what you post? See Post #7 and now #14
@estara89 I hear what you are saying and I understand your anger.
There is a famous quote from Stephen Covey “Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.” Try and stay with me… and I will use my DS’s 2nd year in Pharmacy school as an example.
Last year he earned a D in Organic Chem 2. For him it was a watershed event. When we discussed why things went wrong and considered ways to make it right he started with excuses. I did all the problem sets, I studied for hours every week. He had all kinds of excuses. After the semester was over and he received his grade we urged him to drive back to college and consult with the professor, the question he asked was WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE TO EARN A BETTER GRADE?
With that question everything changed. He made a plan with the professor. DS did extra reading, he showed up weekly for office hours and earned a B when he took the class again. Most importantly he learned to understand what the professor really wanted by engaging collaboratively with him.
I hope for you, whatever the outcome is, that you engage with your professors, bosses etc. Never be afraid to ask what you could do better, all of us can improve. Free yourself from the crippling habit of making excuses and find the power in commitment, positive thinking, and determination…
OP. You are in for a hard life with this attitude. Ask your professor to adjust the grade as nicely as possible, offer to do extra work, etc. Or, do not graduate, take your lumps, and make up the class. I don’t believe a professor will be required to adjust your grade even with a dozen notes. And on a going forward basis, change your attitude and approach your obligations with fervent dedication.
If you feel compelled to constantly complain and play the victim, perhaps you need to pursue some counseling to figure out why that is the case.
So, in the beginning of the course you missed not one, but two lectures (in a lab course) due to Dr’s appointments and you feel these should be excused because the doctor signed notes each time. When was the professor made aware of these doctor’s visits?
I think it looks fishy (dr’s notes can be faked) or irresponsible (like you didn’t respect her or the lab) if it was not in advance of your absence… or perhaps immediately after the first absence if it was the result of an unanticipated condition/situation.
Unless you were in the emergency room? I would imagine you had an appointment for these doctor visits and knew the appt conflicted with your lecture and you would have to miss the class. In that case, you should have been in contact with the professor IN ADVANCE of your absence to alert her to your situation and to understand the repercussions of those absences. Appointments presumably could have been re-scheduled at times that didn’t conflict with classes, or if you are seeing a doctor who is difficult to get in to see and that is the only reasonable time to see them alerting your professor of your situation in advance serves several purposes: It shows your respect for her time, your commitment to and concern for the lecture that you would miss and it would allow your prof. to provide you with access to the information that would otherwise have been communicated during this lecture (and possibly prepare you for the lab to follow if that is how this class was set up). The purpose of the lecture in a lab course may sometimes be to ensure that you understand what equipment/materials you are working with so that you can work with them safely. Your tone in the original post implies that you considered the lectures not important. Your professor may feel this is very far from the truth.