I was born and raised in the US, but I wear a hijab and speak Arabic with my family. Most people are fine with it, but every now and then, I get one or two jerks.

On the first day of the college semester, I’m in class, and I see another student staring at me wearing an annoyed look. My heart sinks, but I decide to just ignore her unless she says something. Both of us stay after class to talk to the professor, and I brace myself when she turns to me.

Girl: “By the by, this has nothing to do with anything, but your outfit is seriously awesome. With all the different shades of blue, you look like a Disney princess!”

I start laughing, I’m so surprised.

Girl: “Huh? I… thought it was really pretty…”

Me: “No! It’s… it’s not that. You were staring at me earlier, and I thought you were angry or something.”

Girl: “Staring at y— Hang on. Was I making this face?”

She lets her expression drop, and her face immediately slips back into the “I will break your nose and laugh” expression.

Me: “Yes!”

Girl: “Sorry I freaked you out! I was just zoning out, and I have chronic resting b**** face. I promise I wasn’t glaring at you!”

Both of us were laughing by that point, and we finished up and left happily.

I’ve had two classes with her since then, and she’s turned out to be pretty awesome. We passed Calculus I and II with flying colors after studying together, she loves the same kind of horror movies I do, and we’re totally planning on taking neurobiology together next semester so we can keep studying together.

I’m the author of this story, and since there was interest in my story, I thought I’d share a story from my friend about the same professor who reported me.

[Friend] has ADHD and university accommodations for said accommodations, and she took a class with [Professor] in undergrad. [Friend] asked [Professor] for accommodations in regard to an upcoming test, as one of her accommodations was access to a classroom to do her test in separate from the rest of her classmates. To be clear, professors are legally required to comply with these. When she approached him, this was the conversation they had through email, pretty much verbatim.

Friend: “Hi, [Professor]! I just wanted to confirm that I’ll be using my approved accommodation to take the midterm in a separate room through the Testing Center.”

Professor: “Hello, [Friend]. I really prefer that my students take the exam in the classroom like everyone else. It creates fewer complications and keeps things fair. You need to try your best to focus in class; that’s part of the learning process. Please plan to take the midterm in our regular classroom.”

Friend: “Just to clarify — this is an official accommodation through Disability Services. It’s not a request based on preference; it’s a legally protected support. I’ve used it in almost all of my classes, and the process is already handled through the university system.”

Professor: “I understand that you’ve gotten ‘used to’ these accommodations, but in the real world, people don’t get to step into quiet rooms every time they’re distracted. Part of college is learning how to adapt. I need to keep this consistent for all my students, so you will be required to take the exam in our regular classroom.”

Friend: “Again, I want to be clear that this is a required accommodation, not a matter of preference or convenience. It was approved by Disability Services and is protected by federal law. I’m simply trying to use the tools I need to have equitable access.”

Professor: “Frankly, I think this is being blown out of proportion. I’ve had plenty of students with ‘distractions’ who did just fine in my classroom. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I really don’t have time to manage all these special arrangements, and I don’t think it is necessary.”

[Friend] pondered this for a day or two while contacting the disability center to make sure she was in the right, which they confirmed that she was. After getting confirmation, she responded again to [Professor], indicating that she had included the program head (a different one than the one I dealt with) in the conversation.

Friend: “Hi again. I’ve copied Dr. [Program Head] for documentation purposes. I just want to make sure I’m understanding correctly: are you officially stating that I am not permitted to use my legally approved accommodation for the midterm?”

Professor: *Obviously backpedaling* “Thanks for reaching out again! Of course, you are permitted to use your approved accommodations. My apologies for the confusion. Please proceed with the Testing Center, and let me know if there’s anything else I can do to support you.”

This was not the first time, nor the last, that he gave students issues with disability accommodations. However, he was way better about ADHD accommodations, specifically, from then on. I guess she put the fear of God in him?

Related:
You’re In Big Trouble… PSYCH!
Thanks To ADHD And The ADA, You’ve Been HAD, Part 2
Thanks To ADHD And The ADA, You’ve Been HAD

Back when I was in school (over a decade ago now), we got a new chemistry teacher. She was in her first year of teaching, she was super nice, and we all adored her.

One time in class, she made a demonstration of a flour-dust explosion. The setup for this required her to blow into one end of a long tube to stir up the flour in the container at the other end in order for the small explosion to happen.

[Classmate], “works” (aka volunteers) for our pupils’ magazine.

Classmate: “Ms. [Teacher], is it okay for me to film the experiment?”

Teacher: “What are you going to use the video for?”

Classmate: “I thought it would be cool to show photos of the experiment in the pupils’ magazine.”

Teacher: “Oh, sure! That’s a great idea. I’d love to see the pictures when the next issue of the magazine is published.”

He proceeded to film the experiment, and one of the frames from the video did end up in the next issue of the pupils’ magazine. It showed [Teacher] still blowing into the tube while there was a fireball at the other end.

The flavor text read: “Ms. [Teacher], a fire-spitting dragon.”

She took it in good stride when [Classmate] showed her the article and claimed that was the coolest she was ever going to look.

I am a therapy dog handler, and my canine partner and I volunteer at a couple of local schools.

Baldur, if I may be permitted to brag, is a stunning eighty-pound German shepherd with a magnificent black and red coat. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone wants to take a picture of him, and I’m used to him getting a lot of attention when we go out.

One of the schools in town is designated as a sort of conduit for the children from recently arrived immigrant families who do not speak much English yet. They improve their language skills with bilingual teachers, and they are mainstreamed into other district schools when they’re ready. 

We started there last fall, and after the first session was over, the two of us began walking across the playground to where I had parked my car.

The playground was teeming with kindergartners, and as we passed, they parted like the Red Sea in front of Charlton Heston, all of them bouncing up and down, pointing and chattering in Spanish — a language I do not speak. Their excitement was palpable, and I admit that I was basking a bit in Baldur’s reflected glory — although it was unusual that none of them were running up to pet him.

It wasn’t until the next week that one of the teachers pulled me aside and informed me that the children thought they were seeing a wolf.

Related:
May There Be Many More Doggie Pats In Her Future
When They Only Like You For Your Dog
Swoop And Squat And SCURRY AWAY!
It’s Not Baldur’s Fault He Has No Thumbs!

As I was giving a lesson to a group of roughly fourteen-year-olds, we had a more informal moment. Some students were discussing music taste.

Girl: “Teach, can I give you a list of songs I’d recommend so you can let me know what you think?”

I told her that of course she could do that, but that I doubted our tastes would align as I prefer classical music.

Girl: *Earnestly* “Okay, I’ll add Coldplay on the list for you, then.”

I generally find teaching keeps me young, but d*** did I feel old then. I was well into my twenties when Coldplay formed.