“Awll dight, clahss, lhet us beegihn. Durn to pahge tventee tvo. This was the line of conversation in a classroom last week. This particular conversation had to do with a certain professor and the heavy accent the professor carried; it consisted of, unfortunately, blatantly making fun of the professor’s accent.”
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Awll dight, clahss, lhet us beegihn. Durn to pahge tventee tvo.

This was the line of conversation in a classroom last week.

This particular conversation had to do with a certain professor and the heavy accent the professor carried; it consisted of, unfortunately, blatantly making fun of the professor’s accent.

Vy yoo not lissening? Yoo asvleep ovah dere?

More laughs. More conversation. More disrespect.

If this sounds like you, then you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

The professors at the University of Akron come from quite a few different countries and cities.

Many of them have come with backgrounds with nothing; in third world countries decent meals are twenty-five cents, and five thousand dollars per year sounds like an amazing salary.

In some of those countries, you can’t even walk down the street without wondering if you’ll be the victim of a coup d’etat.

Yet, through their own intellect and passion, they were able to make a decent life for themselves here, and rise above all other obstacles.

They had to learn a new language (ask any foreigner – English is not an easy language to learn), adjust their own worldview to the American dream and live for months, possibly even years, without seeing their families.

They gave their lives to come to America.

And yet so many of us have the indecency to simply laugh at professors with an air of disrespect because they speak, look, or act differently than we do.

This is not about giggling at certain mannerisms professors carry.

But there’s a difference between laughing at a funny mannerism and being so bored that you have nothing else to do but degrade someone who is far more accomplished than you.

That difference is respect.

So the next time you maliciously joke around with your friends about your professor’s different taste in clothing, or complain that your failing grade in a class that you find challenging is due to your professor’s accent, remember that you could probably never accomplish what he or she has done – and act accordingly.

Appreciate all the long hours that a professor – both foreign and American, for that matter – dedicates to your education.

Remember that a professor’s salary viciously rivals that of a well-paid truck driver; surely they deserve more from your than your blatant disregard for civility when discussing them.

Student Appreciation Day was less than a week ago.

Now let’s try to appreciate those who have given their lives in an honest attempt to make us successful and intelligent – our professors.

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