Two Students’ Term from Hell
Our latest story of academic disappointment comes from two students, upset by the supposed favoritism and capricious behavior of educator Juanita Deveraux, professor of their SPAN 303 class. According to these two students, the fall term turned out to be a harsh display of what it means to be personally victimized by their professor’s unpredictable mood swings. These two students have opted to be anonymously quoted while speaking on the topic.
The biggest complaint from these two students was Deveraux’s abrasiveness at helping students or clarifying questions they might have about the work assigned to them. Student A describes their experience with Deveraux as a professor, saying, “The first time I approached her, I asked a simple question about homework. I got yelled at. I could tell she was overwhelmed by something, but she took it out on me. I have never had that experience with a teacher before.” Student A goes on to say that throughout the term, she was met with hostility whenever she went to talk to Deveraux or ask a question. Student A said, “It was hard because I had a great experience with my 200-level Spanish classes at the U of O. My teachers were always supportive, and it was okay if I made mistakes. Learning a new language is about trial and error. With Juanita, she made me feel like a failure if I wasn’t perfect at Spanish, which just made me more hesitant to answer her questions in class.”
According to these students, the teacher would cold call during class, and any small mistake would be met with a negative attitude. The two students emphasized that they had no way of knowing how the class would go every day they walked into class. They weren’t sure what Deveraux’s mood would be and whether or not they would fall under her harsh scrutiny and abrasive attitude.
The relationship between teacher and student should fall under the common goal of fair education and encouragement, especially when learning a foreign language. Spanish 303 is an upper-level Spanish class taught almost entirely in the language, so it’s not surprising that there would be room for miscommunication regarding the assignment guidelines and expectations of the professor. However, students should be able to ask questions and get help if they need it, especially from the person grading the work themselves.
Another gripe the students had with Deveraux was her supposed favoritism toward certain students. Student B described their experience with the professor as follows: “From the start, Juanita seemed open and excited to talk with some students, especially the native Spanish speakers in the class. As non-native speakers, when we tried to talk to her, it was like she was annoyed by us.”
This favoritism is reflected in her rate my professor reviews. Deveraux has a 5/5 on rate my professor, but recent reviews of her teaching do not reflect this sentiment. One review states, “I am honestly surprised by all of the positive reviews. Juanita is a very difficult professor and can be extremely harsh to her students. She has some positive moments for sure, and can be funny, but she is extremely impatient. It is very stressful going into class because you never know what mood she is going to be in.”
Most of Deveraux’s negative reviews come from the last year, yet she still has a misleading 5 out of 5 rating. But who knows: Is this case an outlier, or have other students experienced the same thing? Take a class taught by Deveraux, and you might just find out which side of the coin you fall on.