Thank You to MY Professor Umbridge
To MY Professor Umbridge,
I have had bad teachers before. That was nothing new. But all the teachers that I have had never prepared me for you. You were your own breed of terror that spawned from my own personal hell. You reminded me of someone initially, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then there was that fateful day and the terrible outfit that solidified the connection. The day you showed up to class in an outfit made entirely out of pink tweed (not even joking about that, it actually happened) sealed your fate. You were a Professor Umbridge turned to flesh, and a terror all my own. For that entire semester, you made my life awful. I was nowhere near the person I was, and it tore me apart.
However, I am not here to bad mouth you. Nor am I here to trash talk you. Surprisingly, I am here to thank you. Despite the hell you put me through, you have taught me a few things.
Thank you for showing me that I deserve to be happy and to trust my gut (it’s usually right). Suffering every day because I feel like I should “man up” and push through is not right. I started out my senior year with dual majors in English and Education. Then I dropped my education major one semester away from graduation. Though everyone thought I was crazy, it was the best decision for me, which leads me to the next lesson.
My health, both mental and physical, should always come first. I love who I am, and feeling not like me was the worst. I was crying every day, not eating or sleeping, nauseous 24/7, and quiet. After I left the program, I felt instant relief. Now when that happens I know that it is time for me to make a change.
You made me realize that I need to stand up for what I believe in. That sitting back and waiting for someone else to make a change isn’t going to change anything. Also, there is no point in fighting a losing battle. It is a much better use of your resources to fall back, regroup, and prepare to win the next one.
I realized that the opinion of others doesn’t matter. I am great with kids and would have made a great teacher. However, I fell out of love with teaching, which taught me another lesson. You have to love what you do. If you love it, it doesn’t feel like a job and you will enjoy going to work every day. That’s what everyone should strive for. Happiness in your career.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, I realized that being the bigger person is hard. Letting go is hard. Honestly, I am still working on these. I still get angry when I hear your name or when someone asks me why I switched my major. Whenever I think back on that semester, I get angry. It is something that I am still working on and someday will conquer. It starts here, though.
Thank you to MY Professor Umbridge. You have taught me some valuable lessons. Hopefully, sometime soon I can forgive you.
