Q: I believe that my math professor may dislike me. He seems to be displeased with everything I say, what should I do?

Anton Barlow sociology major

A: There are a few things that you should take into consideration while the judging a professor before you permanently file their well-refined knowledge as junk mail.

The first and foremost fact is that this instructor has worked for several years in order to fulfill the colossal amount of prerequisites it takes to be a college instructor.

That being said, your professor’s primary objective is to distribute knowledge to students, therefore, a professor’s opinion of a student should not parallel the student’s ability to learn.

The unfortunate reality is that most young adults seek approval of others due to lack of confidence.

Professors serve as role models for students and guide them throughout their educational career. When a student sees the professor’s behavior toward them as negative, this can reinforce insecurity, presenting conflict.

Although this conflict can greatly reduce the acceleration of academic drive, it can also be taken as merely bumps in the road. All people should learn to deal with conflict constructively at some point in life and it should be sooner than later.

If students can temporarily suspend their ego (or lack thereof) in a classroom environment where this conflict is present, two independent lessons will be learned.

The first lesson would be the subject matter of the day, but the second, more relevant lesson is that if information can be received objectively, the professor’s personal opinion of the student will hold no relevance. On top of that, it’s hard for a professor to dislike a student driven to learn, unshaken by personal conflicts.

A good majority of faulty student-teacher relationships stem from academic apathy, so a driven student with an open mind and a closed mouth can greatly sway a professor’s opinion. Give it a try, it won’t hurt a bit.