There are a few things that need addressing but first and foremost is the simple matter of our schedules. UF class periods are 50 minutes long, with 15 minutes between each class. This is the university-wide agreed upon schedule. That means that a two period block does not a two-hour class make. Two consecutive periods is an hour and forty minutes. By the same token, three period blocks should actually only last two and a half hours. You would think university professors would be able to grasp this concept.

This brings us to my next point. The only way a three hour block can actually last three hours is if we are given breaks that add up to that extra half hour. But of course, most people prefer to just power through it and get out early. The only reason a teacher ever gives for wanting to take breaks is that they can’t lecture for three hours straight. That’s pretty preposterous alone considering your line of work. But allow me to point out: as students, we don’t take three hour classes if we can’t sit through your boring lecture for three hours. So if you know you can’t lecture for that long, then don’t teach those classes!

Next is tests. Another important part of your job description, besides lecturing, is to administer and grade tests. For some of you, the work ends there. There are plenty of classes that just have three or four tests a semester and that’s it. Now, we understand that you’re supremely busy with your other classes and your research, but we would like to know our grades to our last test at least before our next test rolls around. There’s absolutely no excuse for it to take so long to grade a scantron test, because all the grading is done for you. And if you think it’s a drag to post up the individual grades on e-learning, that’s what TAs are for.

I’m not one to complain without proposing solutions so here is a simple way to keep your students informed of their scores by doing the bare minimum amount of work. Let us take our tests home and put up an answer key. If you do that, you can take as long as you wish grading our tests, because we’ll know how we did as soon as we finish. Sounds simple right? But you and I both know, you’re never going to do that for the same reason it takes you so long to put up scores in the first place: you’re a lazy bastard and you use the same test every semester and can’t be bothered to change them.

So shape up! We're not allowed to be lazy, why should you be?