Professor doesn't preach

The Professor's Challenge

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Emma had never been one to shy away from hard work. As a diligent, top-tier student, she prided herself on her commitment to her studies. Her life was organized, her goals clear, and every task on her to-do list meticulously checked off. But none of her planning had prepared her for Professor Alexander Reed.

From the very first day of his course, *Modern Literary Theory*, he had a reputation for being the toughest professor in the department. Stern, unapproachable, and demanding, he expected perfection. Emma had heard horror stories from other students, warning her that Reed was merciless with assignments, docking points for even the smallest mistakes.

And now, after just two weeks into the semester, Emma was already drowning under the weight of his impossible expectations.

“Five research papers in a month?” she whispered to her friend Claire as they walked out of his lecture hall one afternoon. “Does he want us to sleep at all?”

Claire shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know how he expects us to get this done on top of everything else. It’s like he doesn’t even care that we have other classes!”

Emma bit her lip in frustration. She didn’t understand why he had to be so cold, so unforgiving. The worst part was that he never seemed to offer any guidance—just handed out the work with a dismissive tone and expected them to figure it out on their own.

But Emma wasn’t one to give up easily. She worked late into the night on his assignments, despite how much she dreaded his class. Every time she submitted a paper, her stomach twisted with anxiety, knowing he’d tear it apart with his red pen.

One afternoon, she received an email that made her blood boil. *"See me in my office after class,"* it read, curt and to the point.

“What now?” she muttered to herself. She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? She always handed in her work on time, even if it wasn’t perfect.

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Later that day, Emma found herself standing outside Professor Reed’s office, nervously knocking on the door. His deep voice called her in, and she hesitantly entered the room, bracing herself for whatever lecture was coming.

“Miss Carter,” he said without looking up from his desk, where he was marking another paper. “Sit down.”

Emma did as she was told, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she waited for him to speak.

“You’re an excellent student,” he began, still not meeting her gaze. “But your last paper was subpar. I expected more from you.”

His words hit her like a slap. Subpar? She had worked tirelessly on that paper, pouring hours into research and crafting her arguments.

“I... I don’t understand,” she stammered, her voice tinged with frustration. “I did everything according to the guidelines.”

He finally looked up, his dark eyes narrowing. “And that’s the problem. You’re too focused on following rules, Miss Carter. I don’t need you to tell me what you think I want to hear. I need originality. Insight. Push yourself beyond the basics.”

Emma’s frustration bubbled over. How could he criticize her for following the guidelines when he was the one who made them so strict in the first place?

“You’re impossible to please,” she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

Professor Reed’s expression remained unchanged, though a flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Perhaps,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “But if you want to succeed in this field, you’ll have to learn to deal with criticism.”

Emma clenched her fists, hating the way he seemed so unaffected by her frustration. He was rigid, controlling, and completely unfair. As she stormed out of his office, she vowed to keep her distance from him as much as possible.

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Weeks passed, and though Emma worked harder than ever, her dislike for Professor Reed only grew. His constant demands and unrelenting critique grated on her nerves. Every time she saw him striding through the halls with his stern expression, her mood soured.