My name is Tiffany Martínez. As a McNair Fellow and student scholar, I’ve presented at national conferences in San Francisco, San Diego, and Miami. I have crafted a critical reflection piece that was published in a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education and Council for Opportunity in Education. I have consistently juggled at least two jobs and maintained the status of a full-time student and Dean’s list recipient since my first year at Suffolk University. I have used this past summer to supervise a teen girls empower program and craft a thirty page intensive research project funded by the federal government. As a first generation college student, first generation U.S. citizen, and aspiring professor I have confronted a number of obstacles in order to earn every accomplishment and award I have accumulated. In the face of struggle, I have persevered and continuously produced content that is of high caliber.
I name these accomplishments because I understand the vitality of credentials in a society where people like me are not set up to succeed. My last name and appearance immediately instills a set of biases before I have the chance to open my mouth. These stereotypes and generalizations forced on marginalized communities are at times debilitating and painful. As a minority in my classrooms, I continuously hear my peers and professors use language that both covertly and overtly oppresses the communities I belong to. Therefore, I do not always feel safe when I attempt to advocate for my people in these spaces. In the journey to become a successful student, I swallow the “momentary” pain from these interactions and set my emotions aside so I can function productively as a student.
Today is different. At eight o’clock this morning, I felt both disrespected and invalidated. For years I have spent ample time dissecting the internalized racism that causes me to doubt myself, my abilities, and my aspirations. As a student in an institution extremely populated with high-income white counterparts, I have felt the bitter taste of not belonging. It took until I used my cloud of doubt and my sociological training to realize that my insecurities are rooted in the systems I navigate every day. I am just as capable if not more so than those around me and my accomplishments are earned.
This morning, my professor handed me back a paper (a literature review) in front of my entire class and exclaimed “this is not your language.” On the top of the page they wrote in blue ink: “Please go back and indicate where you cut and paste.” The period was included. They assumed that the work I turned in was not my own. My professor did not ask me if it was my language, instead they immediately blamed me in front of peers. On the second page the professor circled the word “hence” and wrote in between the typed lines “This is not your word.” The word “not” was underlined. Twice. My professor assumed someone like me would never use language like that. As I stood in the front of the class while a professor challenged my intelligence I could just imagine them reading my paper in their home thinking could someone like her write something like this?
In this interaction, my undergraduate career was both challenged and critiqued. It is worth repeating how my professor assumed I could not use the word “hence,” a simple transitory word that connected two relating statements. The professor assumed I could not produce quality research. The professor read a few pages that reflected my comprehension of complex sociological theories and terms and invalidated it all. Their blue pen was the catalyst that opened an ocean of self-doubt that I worked so hard to destroy. In front of my peers, I was criticized by a person who had the academic position I aimed to acquire. I am hurting because my professor assumed that the only way I could produce content as good as this was to “cut and paste.” I am hurting because for a brief moment I believed them.
Instead of working on my English paper that is due tomorrow, I felt it crucial to reflect on the pain that I am sick of swallowing. My work is a reflection of my growth in a society that sees me as the other. For too long I have others assume I am weak, unintelligent, and incapable of my own success. Another element of this invalidation is that as I sit here with teary eyes describing the distress I am too familiar with, the professor has probably forgotten all about it. My heartache can not be universally understood and until it is, I have to continue to fight. At this moment, there are students who will never understand the desolation that follows an underlined “not.” There are students who will be assumed capable without the need to list their credentials in the beginning of a reflective piece. How many degrees do I need for someone to believe I am an academic?
At this moment, I am in the process of advocating for myself to prove the merit of my content to people who will never understand what it is like to be someone like me. Some of you won’t understand how every word that I use to describe this moment was diligently selected in a way that would properly reflect my intellect. I understand that no matter how hard I try or how well I write, these biases will continue to exist around me. I understand that my need to fight against these social norms is necessary.
In reality, I am tired and I am exhausted. On one hand, this experience solidifies my desire to keep going and earn a PhD but on the other it is a confirmation of how I always knew others saw me. I am so emotional about this paper because in the phrase “this is not your word,” I look down at a blue inked reflection of how I see myself when I am most suspicious of my own success. The grade on my paper was not a letter, but two words: “needs work.” And it’s true. I am going to graduate in May and enter a grad program that will probably not have many people who look like me. The entire field of academia is broken and erases the narratives of people like me. We all have work to do to fix the lack of diversity and understanding among marginalized communities. We all have work to do.
Academia needs work.
TIFFANY MARTÍNEZ 
Writing is a piece of your innermost thoughts and is most certainly precious. Even if it is for an assignment, it is something you generated totally and fully to express your thoughts or relay information of your choice.
Having grown up in a town with a variety of different groups of people, I too was alienated. Laying it out straight, I appear white in descent and lived in a small town in California where I was probably the only white kid in a class and thus constantly bullied because of it. Beforehand, I never knew about race or ethnicity and assumed that everyone who had the structure of a human were all the same. Skin color still does not matter to me. In fact, I hardly regard it because I have been regarded poorly because of my skin color.
This being said, I commend your courage for attending a place where you feel you don’t belong. I attended Oklahoma University where everyone looked the same as I do. Even so, because I had enriched my life with different backgrounds and spent time with people from different countries, I did not fit in at all. Out of everyone on campus, the only difference between me and them was the fact that I was older by a few years and I was unafraid of associating with foreign exchange students. I spent a while living with a German family in the area and I grew accustomed to spending time with all kinds of folk. But because of the narrow-mindedness of my peers, I was often ridiculed and isolated.
I tend to enjoy writing as a hobby and have submitted countless essays and reports. I cannot tell you the hesitation and anxiety I felt when I turned in a paper with my thoughts throughout the page. Sometimes even after I finished writing, I dreaded proofreading, afraid of how my writing would sound in my head. It took a lot of practice before I felt comfortable reading what I’d written. Whenever I do start writing, I’m self-conscious about people reading over my shoulder and I’ll alt-tab to another window. I understand the excitement of receiving your well-crafted paper fully critiqued by a professor. I remember being let down as well by not meeting their standards. It was something you worked hard for and if they quashed your ideas under a blue pen of disappointment it was like they crushed a part of you too.
With both these experiences in mind, I can understand the heartache. But one thing that gets me still is the phrase, “This is not your word.” Why would they write that if it wasn’t theirs either. I highly doubt THEY created the word, ‘hence’. It is a word we adopt into our language bank. When we learn a language, it can become ours if we speak it, write it, or even read it. It is something our mind processes, understands and stores later for use. Language is used to convey and express. And if they do not want you to express yourself then they have a personal problem that should be sorted before they rend your work. People like this professor demonstrate the same narrow-mindedness which is stirring up old issues. People like them need to realize that we are all individuals with different experiences, memories, and upbringings. People like your professor lack inner peace and seek to injure the tranquility of others because it is something they do not have.
Despite what this person has communicated, I believe you’re a bright, thoughtful individual with a keen mind and good sense. I hope that this incident does not tear your hopes and dreams asunder. Higher education is a battlefield of cunning and tenacity. Fight well, Tiffany!
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Please hold him accountable. He works for you. Contest his remarks. The sign of a scholar is someone who questions others words or actions and seeks the truth. His display is unacceptable in the workplace and in the classroom. Fight for the future students and fight for yourself.
It is heartbreaking that you have to experience this. I know I have.
How could this young Mexican farm girl with a learning disability get a 100% on her Structural Analysis exam….more than once or when my friend,Tara and I were taking a Wastewater civil engineering course where the professor wanted to accuse us of cheating. We were two of seven women in the course and two of the three woman of color in that class. He said to me that he couldn’t accuse us because we were in two separate buildings when we took the exam. Why was it so hard to believe that we couldn’t do well on our own or have what it takes to successful.
Do not let one man’s actions or words dictate what you can and cannot do or accomplish. If I had, I would not be who I am and I am proud of who I am: an Engineer, a Teacher, a Mother, a first generation high school and college graduate and a Latina. Remember always knowledge is power and your words are your strength.
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The ‘professor’ is racist and undoubtedly breached college behaviour protocol. Take it further. Calmly take up your rights and use them against this person.
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I would say you should request a meeting with this bigoted professor, but he/she might be even more abusive in private. What he/she did is a form of abuse. I hope you file a formal complaint with the university ombudsman or Dean of Academic Affairs. Do NOT let this go by without filing a formal complaint. There are bigots and fools in academia as well as elsewhere. You have been unjustly accused of dishonesty, based on someone’s prejudices, not on any evidence.
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There is an affliction some teachers suffer from. I don’t know what to call it but it’s what your teacher did to you: made assumptions, found errors where none existed. If a student in an essay makes a claim that something “needs work” then the student should support that claim with specific supporting details or examples. So when your teacher writes “Needs work” he or she should back it up, too, by showing exactly where your writing needs work–especially constructively.
It would be interesting if your teacher marked ‘blind’ that is, if she did not know who’s work she was marking. Then she would not be able to make comments like, “This is not your word,” which, if you think about it, is not constructive criticism at all. It’s just an unsupported claim. My advice is to talk with your teacher and tell her you feel misunderstood. Ask her if she would like all her facts before making statements like that in the future. You may not get an apology but don’t demand one. Just know she is suffering from an affliction where it’s important for her to be right, and she probably learned this behaviour from an English teacher she once had. Oh but I’m making an assumption myself! So ask her, “What kind of comments did you get from your English teachers?” Did they write things like, “Needs work” and “This is not your word”?
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The ‘professor’ is racist. Treat them so. There will be a conduct code at your college. The professor breached it. Stand up to them and take this outrage to their employer.
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Your words are strong and clear and your professor is, frankly, full of crap. As a reader, I was moved by your words. As a professional writer and editor for more than twenty years, I’m impressed by your clarity, style and intelligence. Please do what you can to get this person sanctioned for inappropriate behavior. I understand that you’re tired of fighting, but the world, especially right now, needs you.
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Are you defined by your standards or your circumstances? I suspect you generally are not. I understand the emotional nature of your very well presented case. However, that emotion can be productive or destructive. What it shall be is a matter of your choice. While I am not an academic, I, too, have suffered discrimination in my workplace due, not to race, religion or creed, but to competence. Those who felt threatened or challenged by my capacity and capability ultimately took it upon themselves to oversee my destruction. In the end, those adversities became opportunities to build perseverance, patience, and determination and have since caused me to redirect my career to greater endeavors than I initially thought possible. I am pleased because I choose to be. My outcome was never in the hands of those who felt diminutive in my shadow. They never had to feel that way. I never lorded over anyone and always responded positively to requests to help, train up or assist. That is who I chose to be and remain. Choose for yourself what your future looks like and do not be deterred from it. You have every reason to expect adversity. Deal with the pain quickly and privately and keep looking forward. You will eventually build callouses. You clearly have a bright future, and I suspect you will never be the people who have railed against you because they have now shown you what not to be. That is the reward of your pain if you refuse to succumb. Do you want to be different? Continue to define yourself by your values, morals, and priorities and only those. Reject the negativism. That is your choice and, I believe, your obligation. I am certain your future success will be assured by your efforts. But in this, you will never cease to draw the attention of detractors since they abound and are often equally determined in their malice. They do not like to see their light diminished by the glow of another’s success. But the strength of your light is established by you and cannot be externally altered if you do not allow it. Never allow it. Live your own life. Only you are responsible for the outcome. Never give in. Never give up. I believe in you.
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The “professor” who made the handwritten observation is most likely a WASP (White Anglo Saxon Pendejo). I’d like to see this comment get back to him. Asshole.
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In his autobiography, Rue Cases-Negres, famed Pan-Africanist Joseph Zobel writes of being accused of copying/plagiarism by his teacher, another brown-skinned Martiniquan, when he submits a brilliantly written essay on his life in rural poverty. In the film version, Sugar Cane Alley, young Zobel is shown running away from the school, where the teacher eventually comes to apologize.
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As an adjunct professor, I sometimes receive papers containing hints that students have cut and pasted material without properly attributing it. If I suspect this, I search for the original material. If I find it, and if it indeed has been cut and pasted without attribution, I link to it and then confront the student with the solid evidence. But I do this in writing, and privately. I would never simply assume someone cheated because of the writing style, and I would certainly never have that conversation in front of other students. The latter in particular is nasty, unnecessary, and, in my opinion, completely unprofessional.
My only other suggestion here, and I say this respectfully, is to refer to your professor as “he” or “she” rather than “they,” which implies a group. This would also underscore he fact that this is ONE person’s–and only one person’s–assessment of your work. Please don’t let one person’s flawed and unfair opinion dominate your worldview!
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And I agree: “Needs work” is not constructive criticism. I hope you have an advisor with whom you can file a complaint.
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Dear Tiffany,
your well spoken and heartfelt words moved me deeply as I know exactly how you feel, albeit in your case there is the added dimension that you are also a woman in a male-dominated world. Fortunately, many here have come to support you and to add words of encouragement and share their stories with you. I’d be happy to do so as well, but likely you’re already overwhelmed at present with the many stories of others.
Like you, I pursued a PhD and all along my journey I experienced hurdles, even to this day. The one piece of advice I wish to impart upon you is to never allow someone to say “no, you can’t” to any of your inquiries. What you make of your life is your own doing and nobody can shape it better than you can nor ever take your successes and brilliance away from you. This incident will likely not be an isolated one in your life, so learn from it, adapt and continue to conquer life! And in this process take heart with yourself and realize that it is they who is at fault and not you. Their job is to share their knowledge with you and to engage you in a fruitful debate and to teach you how to learn. The truth is that they failed because your introspective openness in this situation shows that you have already mastered all that you need from this person, so move on to the next and continue on your great and wonderful journey!
Un abrazo.
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Please not: The professor has an error in her comment. It should say “Where you cut and pasted” (not “paste”). Perhaps the professor is the one whose English writing abilities are lacking–not you!
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I agree! Professors often do not like to be schooled by students. This professor may believe the student has not paid her dues yet even though she is well-spoken and writes well.
Is it possible an intern, assistant or someone else corrected this paper?
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Sorry, hence was not her word, there. Therefore is the word she should have used and any professor who wants to actually earn his or her pay by doing tther job, which is to correct you when you’re wrong so you’ll do it/write it correctly next time, will correct you when you improperly use a word. Hence means from this point on… therefore means because of this.
Hence was not her word because it’s not the word that properly expresses what she’s trying to say.
Pulling her to the front over it might have been a dick move, but that doesn’t automatically make it racial.
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Sorry–you are incorrect. “Hence” is a perfectly acceptable word to mean “therefore” — here is one standard dictionary definition of HENCE: “1. as a consequence; for this reason.
‘a stiff breeze and hence a high windchill’
synonyms: consequently, as a consequence, for this reason, therefore, ergo, thus, so, accordingly, as a result, because of that, that being so
‘the amount of traffic—and hence the amount of pollution—will be reduced'”
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If you’re going to be a pedant and a jerk, at least be right. But you’re not right:
> Hence means from this point on…
No it doesn’t. You’re thinking of *henceforth* . “Hence” means, well, Karen already explained what it means. Yours was the dick move.
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I feel for you — can’t feel all of it, because mine was never about race, but I’ve been the only girl in the physics class, the only American in the group of British editors (Americans can’t write proper English, you know), and the only one with a Southern accent in my California grad school department, and in all of those situations, I got the you-don’t-belong-here, you-can’t-do-it, this-isn’t-for-you message. I know how it chimes with any doubt you may actually have, doubt put there by a lifetime of news stories and images and sermons and God-knows-what —
I’d like to correspond with you, if possible. WordPress will show you my email address when you get the comment, right? Or else comment someplace on my blog — it’s dormant at the moment, but I still respond to comments.
The professor…almost unbelievably out of line, but you know that. Hang tough, and know you’re better than they are.
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That professor seems like a complete douchebag!
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Hi, I had a friend who suffered the same thing and never fought back. He ended up dropping out. I think that what you are doing is important not only for yourself but for others who are living with similar prejudice.
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That professor needs to be removed.
I am white, but I’ve also been viewed as a lessor person, therefore I know something of your pain. My grandmother lived through the suffragette movement to earn the right to vote. She was proud to vote and never missed an election until the day she died at 104 years. I suspect if you were a man, that professor wouldn’t have done that to you. It needs to change as you say. But since we, as women, have made human progress in rights, parenthood and education, I have faith that it will change.
Nancy
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I know this won’t work, but in my fantasy, you circle the comments and write “These are not your words, please indicate which privileged, prejudiced, grad student made these comments.”
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Tiffany, your words hit home with me. As Native American woman from a western state i too struggled in academia. In my master’s programs and in pursuit of a PhD I regularly encountered professors who made me feel inadequate. I would be happy to participate in any research you conduct in the future.
On the positive side, there are academics out there who value the voices of “others” and encourage us to keep sharing.
Stick to your dreams.
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Tiffany —
This is discrimination, pure and simple. Don’t put up with it. As Gene Myers suggested in his post, look up the rules on acadwmic dishonesty, and the process and protections afforded to students who are accused. Go to your Dean of Students and complain. Show them your writing — not just the paper that was wrongly assumed to be plagiarized, but work from other classes, so that they can see the consistency and quality of your work. Make a stink. If the professor is doing it to you, he or she has probably done it to others, and will continue to do so.
Any reasonable professor would realize that, as a successful senior, you have learned the language of academia. That this one simply assumed that you hadn’t — that you weren’t capable of it — demonstrates his prejudice. And that he attacked you in front of yor class is even more appalling.
Further, there are computer programs available to academic departments that examine students’ papers and compare language. The use of such a program in your class wouldn’t leave the professor with a leg to stand on. I went back to college several years ago to work on a second degree; in my chemistry classes, all lab reports had to be uploaded to one of these programs and examined before it could be turned in. This is clearly a useful tool for departments and for students.
Don’t let the bastards get you down. Hang in there.
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I hope you get past these feelings and confront your professor. My friend would go at it with her professors regarding her work and her grades. If she was wrong she accepted it, but if she was right, it was on. You have had your moment to feel bad. Now it’s time to get mad and have a discussion with the professor. You are a student and your presence makes it possible for this person to have a place to come to and earn a living. Don’t care that they are having a bad day. Don’t care if this how they treat all students. That is unprofessional and cruel. Even if your paper needs more work that was uncalled for. They should have spoken to you after class. Talk to the professor and if it doesn’t help and you end up with a grade that you do t feel you deserve put in a grade appeal to their Dean.
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Wow, thats ridiculous! I had an experience somewhat similar but also different. In High School we had a multicultural day. I went to see other exhibits, but i didn’t take part in creating my own. My background is from Argentina and Uruguay, however i was born and raised in Canada. My english teacher asked me why I didn’t take part in “The other Mexican or latin exhibits”. I told her that although they speak the same Language, the cultures in so many different latin countries are all different and that being boring and raised in Canada, it is the culture that I identify with most. She looked me up and down and said, “you’re not Canadian” and that i should of been involved with the other exhibits. So i used the example of how the cultures between England, South Africa, and Australia are all very different even though they all speak english….
anyway it was a crazy experience. I hope you keep pushing and reach every goal you set out for, don’t let other peoples ignorance get in the way 🙂
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Born and raised*** not boring and raised lol
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Be a light for those who come behind you. Shine!
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Tiffany you are more than any man can ever conceive. Your value is written in the stars, your days have been designed by God almighty. No man, woman or entity can redefine the worth and treasure God instilled in you from the days while you were still in you mothers womb: God says in Jeremiah 1: 5 knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Don’t let the enemy steal your destiny. Ignore the bad and keep what is good.. Let God deal with the rest you just move on in your calling. And be a light who come behind you! Shine!
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Dear Tiffany,
Thank you for writing this!! I had a very similar experience as a freshman in college. Thank you for so eloquently expressing the hurt that so many of us feel when a professor judges you on your gender or ethnicity instead of the quality of your work. You inspire, keep fighting!!
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Stand strong and continue to believe in your dreams. Do allow anyone to define your divinity which the creator has given onto you, and/or confine or demarcate your boundaries. You are the only one who has the power and authority to define your limit,not anyone else.
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You showed much more class by not naming him on your blog, but he surely deserves to be ‘recognized’.
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This nincompoop [and, yeah, that’s my freaking word] doesn’t deserve to be teaching anything in any higher education setting. If he had any shame he should immediately resign his teaching assignment and get an education.
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You have every right to insist that your professor qualify his/her comment in detail citing evidence of where and how that opinion was reached. I suspect this throwaway remark is more of an indication of their state of mind at the time of writing than anything else and you would be quite justified in raising merry hell to ensure you are treated fairly. (make the bugger think twice before expressing ill informed opinions again) for that is all that they have, opinion.
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Don’t let it get the better of you. Remain focussed. If someone can’t see your abilities and sincerity, that’s their shortcoming. I do hope he/she has the generousity and is humble enough to apologize to you, also in front of the class.
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This is so heartbreaking, belonging to a developing nation I never thought of people having such attitude in a developed nation. From now onward I will be viewing it differently. Your success and your hard work are your strengths. Never give up on that , it will definitely be paid back. Such a shame for the professor.
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Your words touched and reflected on me. Thanks for taking your time to write it
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Hi Tiffany, Your story was shared with me on Facebook by someone who knows me well enough to guess correctly that this would really get me steamed. They were right. I am not an academic, I am a businessman in a Canadian west coast city, however I have been involved in ethnic advocacy for many many years, and specializing in how words can wound. All I can suggest that whoever marked your paper was probably having a bad day, and did something very unprofessional – by underestimating your use of language in a very prejudicial way. Just try and have enough kindness to remember that even profs are human and make mistakes and act badly sometimes. Having said that, one of the issues that has been occupying my thoughts lately, concern a prof. in a South Alberta University here that “has gone rogue.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_James_Hall His 9-11 and Holocaust denial conspiracy activity have spilled over into his job so badly that the university has suspended him without pay and banned him from campus earlier this month.
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If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, eventually people will begin to think that it’s true.
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Tiffany, if I were you, I would print out this blog post, staple it to my original paper and hand-deliver it to the professor in question.
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Reblogged this on A A O N E X O and commented:
What a shame. Bias, prejudice, etc.. many of us have had the experience. There are many educated idiots out there impressed with their degrees. I hope this encounter will be your motivation for success. Unfortunately, you’ll have similar experiences at different points in your life.. btw, some of the smartest ppl I have encountered in my life have never even attended college. Keep on keein’ on! xo
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This is abhorrent and I am sorry you have to deal with this. I am sorry this is your reality.
In the article where I originally found your story, I saw that you have received a number of comments from people who have faced the same kind of prejudice. Since you’re studying sociology, this might be a great subject to focus some research – talk to others from either side and try to dissect it? As an academic, you’re in the perfect position to use your skills to TRY to make sense of it all and to better educate others about it… Just a thought.
Your writing is brilliant. Hence, you’re brilliant 🙂
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Tiffany, your professor publicly shamed you in front of the class, it only seems right that you publicly name the prof here.
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Tiffany, as a former English teacher, I am appalled that one in my profession could be so thoughtless and uncaring! Please accept my apology on behalf of teachers everywhere! That professor is NOT a teacher! S/he deserves to be stripped of his/her credentials!
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My systems analysis professor accused our project team, and me as their leader of “stealing” our ideas for setting up an inventory system for a Pharmacy. How could students, lead by a woman in a technology course possibly have developed this system in 1982? Because everyone brings their own culture and background when passing judgement. We stood up to his bias and met with him, he agreed to change our grade when we shared the logic and background for how we developed the system.
His Bias: we were a mostly female team, with a minority female member among us. The men in the class didn’t want to team up with us. How could we know that the professor’s expertise & consulting in inventory systems for corporations was highly sought after? Those details weren’t in his bio. As an Asian male, I’m sure he had his own challenges – which may be why he agreed to meet with us?
Don’t let it go unchallenged.
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Thank you for sharing your heartfelt story. I am sorry that bias and prejudice exists in our world. Until people experience it themselves it is hard for them to relate to. You are a strong woman. Good luck in your career!
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As a TRiO staff member (SSS, not McNair), I am saddened to see your account . I do hope it motivates and even angers you to keep the fire you possess and maintain the path you have chosen. I look forward to seeing you grace the stage of an NEOA or COE event in the future. My best to you.
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Speaking as someone who has been teaching writing for 15 years, two things you never do are:
1. Publicly accuse a student of plagiarism even if they’re guilty.
2. Privately accuse a student of plagiarism until you have more certain evidence than your perception of the student’s style.
Style sometimes does raise legitimate suspicions, especially when it varies from one paragraph to the next, but that is what turnitin.com and Google and database searches are for.
But as someone who has been teaching writing for 15 years, I also know that I need to get the instructor’s point of view before I can be sure of my response to or opinion of the situation.
What you’ve described sounds horrible. I am so sorry. Every student deserves better treatment than that, even ones that did plagiarize.
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Educators must be aware of their own biases.
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I’m back and forth about assuming it was racism. It certainly could be. It could also be a prof. having to grade too many papers and wanting her students to write in their own voices. That’s good pedagogy. I see students trying too hard to sound like someone they’re not all of the time — be simple, clear, and direct first, and then we’ll work on more complex sentence structure.
But of course reading this blog, the writer is clearly fairly advanced, and any word she uses is indeed her own. The instructor’s assumptions were mistaken either way.
And saying what she said in front of the whole class rather than privately to the student is inexcusable.
I have to say that student and instructor perception of these interactions are also usually very different, and you may get a different impression if you spoke with the instructor.
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I would go to your University Ethics Committee on this, or whatever appeals/complaint process is in place. I remember when a prof treated me unethically and I did nothing about it. I would give anything to go back in time and empower myself to file a complaint.
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I am sorry you went through this, Tiffany. The painful experience described in your reflection paper validates what has been historically perceived as deep-seated bias, stereotype, and racism institutions of higher learning and other sectors of our society hold against minority students. Under this cultural deficient model, no matter how competent one is, no matter how hard one tries, no matter how knowledgeable and eloquent one is — it is never sufficient — minority students are traditionally perceived as different, intellectually deficient or limited! My advice to you: keep fighting, never give up on your dream, keep the torch burning and pass it on!
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Same thing happen to me, however, in a different context. I am born and raised in Hawai’i; I am of European descent. I speak with a strong Hawaiian Creole English (Pidgin) accent, yet this accent does not reflect in my writing. I am able to employ “code switching” (i.e., I am a mesolect), whereas I can write anywhere between the upper and lower boundaries of the creole continuum–I attempt to always employ an American Standard English acrolect when writing.
My English professor had the tenacity to fail all my assignments because “I don’t write how I speak” (insinuating I must have used someone else’s work or paid someone else to write for me). I told her she’s welcome to take all my esays and enter them into the anti-plagiarism search engines and/or check my email/phone for evidence this work was not entirely my own. She replied, “I dont need to because I already know you didn’t write this.”
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This angers me. How did you resolve the situation?
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So, this is ALL that you have to whine and complain about? Seriously? My goodness!
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Benjaminbc, you’re a jerk!
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Wow, way to be a d***, benjaminbc. Presumably you’ve been unjustly accused and publicly humiliated about something you didn’t do? As a former university instructor who’s caught actual plagiarists red-handed, I can tell you it’s a serious charge. To level it, openly in a classroom, against a student whose only crime is being a good writer is a lot like randomly punching someone in the face in a crowded movie theater. Then a hair-for-brains troll like you comes along and throws in a swift kick for good measure. Have you nothing better to do with your time? Get back under your rock and stay there.
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Tiffany, you are correct in the usage of this word! And the appalling professor, their words are the one’s who have no place in our human race to utter such bigotry. That is shameful abuse! Abuse of position and power, not of good nature or supportive discipline; which means to teach.
We have an expansive world, many of us are not racists! Please hear those words, and through your life you will find the great people who will support you, never see your colour or presume a negative thought due to your last name. David Amerland shared your post on G+ and with gratitude I am able to write you.
Please understand, those such as your professor will not linger in your life. They have affected many people of all colours, race, cultures, names etc. This does not diminish you feelings, you are not alone in this battle for equality, I offer my support, being white and at times privileged, also shamed and reviled.
Walk on, Walk forward, You have talent and skill, focus on these great attributes
Sincerely MicheleElys
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As a professor I am appalled by that prof’s comment and way of delivering it. First it reeks of disrespect, bias and social aggression. Second it fails to have helped educate, instead undermining that goal for you and the whole class. Third it may violate your university’s policies for the handling of accusations of academic dishonesty. At my university it would fail. Look up the process required by Western Washington Univ. You should be able to find it in the WWU catalog appendix containing policy on academic honesty. Note the process protections it affords students suspected of violations. In your future career as a professor you might want to propose such a policy where you work…. Or do so now if Suffolk does not have one.
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I had to look back to see if you described yourself because I was not sure of your race. I am going to assume from your last name Hispanic. As a Texan who is literally surrounded by people of several kinds of Latin descent every day, find his attitude preposterous. Where does he get off?
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