Professors share their student pet peeves 

We all have that one thing that gets under our skin, and our professors are no exception. Many find certain student behaviors to be consistently irksome.  

I contacted almost 300 professors and associate professors via email asking what their biggest student pet peeve is. 47 professors responded, with seven professors declining to share answers.  

Three professors said they had no pet peeves, adding that they love their students and prefer to turn pet peeves into opportunities to develop student learning.  

As for the 36 professors who shared their pet peeves, here are the top five categories of complaints professors made: 

1. Communication conundrums  

The number one complaint professors mentioned was communication, or lack thereof. Three professors in particular find it frustrating when students don’t communicate when they need help.  

Professor of anthropology Minette Church wrote: “I do not want you to do poorly in class because there is something going on that you need help with, or you just feel overwhelmed.  You are not alone … learning to ask for help should be an integral part of the college experience. Everyone needs help at times — I guarantee you [that] faculty all have at some point, too.” 

Two professors dislike it when students do not respond to emails or messages checking in on their progress. Similarly, one professor said he wants students to communicate more, not just when they are struggling — many professors want to build relationships with their students.  

Another professor wishes students who asked for letters of recommendation followed up with a thank you and an update about the job. 

Lori James, Chair of the Psychology Department, wrote that some students come straight to her when they have an issue with a professor or class. She says it is always beneficial to go directly to the professor first before reaching higher up.  

2. Not checking the syllabus 

Seven professors’ biggest pet peeves had to do with students asking questions that can easily be found in the syllabus or Canvas shell. Specifically, five professors find it excruciating when students ask for information on assignments that is already answered in the syllabus or assignment description.  

One professor also expressed displeasure with students who ask to submit late work despite the late work policy being clearly listed in the syllabus.  

Another professor hates to read “Let me know what I missed” in an email from an absent student as though the assignments are not already posted. 

Jennifer Kling, associate professor of philosophy, wrote, “I get it, ’cause who’s got time to read? But I wrote the syllabus for a reason, I promise! Just check there before emailing me.” 

3. Attendance-related issues 

Five professors want students to up their game when it comes to missing class. First, show up on time to get the best out of your learning. Second, if you miss class, save the useless questions.  

Two professors said tardiness was their number one pet peeve (a few other professors also mentioned a disdain for tardiness, although it was not their chief complaint).  

Three professors could do without the questions, “Are we doing anything important while I’m gone?” “Did I miss anything?” or “Am I going to miss something important?” To professors, the answers to these questions are clear: obviously, you missed something if you weren’t there, and if it wasn’t important, it wouldn’t be a part of the class.  

Teaching professor of English Kacey Ross wrote, “Of course you missed something! You missed 75 minutes of instruction!” 

4. Engagement shortcomings 

Three professors had a total of four different engagement-related complaints. These pet peeves include things students do that hold them back in their learning.  

One professor said he always notices sloppy work. Even though he understands his class may not be top priority, he knows students are capable of doing better.  

Another professor wrote that students stunt their own learning by not bringing their unique life experiences to discussions. He also said — while noting this wasn’t exactly a pet peeve — that he wishes students were less afraid to fail and more willing to take risks for their learning. 

English associate teaching professor Nathan Price could do without being asked for extensions. He wrote, “I’m not even sure what an ‘extension’ is (I think we used to call it ‘turning in work late’). I think the reason it bothers me is the request could be phrased ‘Can you change the due date just for me?’ which then defies the definition [of] ‘due date.’ Sigh.” 

5. Tie: Classroom behavior and AI usage  

Three professors discussed bad classroom behavior, and three professors loathe the surge in AI-generated work. 

One professor’s biggest pet peeve is students talking over her lectures. Two professors hate it when students spend time on their phones in class, especially “trying to read their cellphones under their desks pretending not to be reading their cellphones while I’m lecturing,” as psychology professor Frederick Coolidge wrote. 

Three professors want students to stop using AI-generated text — especially without editing it —  as raw AI text is still plagiarism.  

Teaching professor of sociology Lori Gusta wrote, “It’s quite obvious when ChatGPT has been used, so it’s become extremely difficult to grade students’ assignments and provide constructive feedback of late!” Chelsea Lawson, teaching professor of English, described raw AI usage as “lazy and dishonest.” 

Niche honorable mentions  

Some professors had stand-out pet peeves that no other professor mentioned.  

Associate teaching professor of philosophy Colin Lewis despises what he calls “casual bigotry.” He wrote, “I count casual bigotry as any sort of action or remark that treats marginalized persons or groups as ‘lesser.’…[It can take] the form of behaviors like talking over female-identifying classmates, habitually misgendering classmates or mispronouncing classmates’ names, inequitable distribution of labor in group assignments, challenging/complaining about course policies on ableist grounds, etc.” 

American Sign Language professor Ida Wilding wishes students stopped using the sign for “I/me” interchangeably with the sign for “my/mine,” or “you” instead of “your.”  

Sociology teaching professor Zek Valkyrie desires respect, especially after a student told him they wouldn’t follow his instructions since he doesn’t make enough money to be respected.  

Professor of sociology and women’s and ethnic studies Abby Ferber doesn’t like the phrase “back in the day.” She wrote, “Which day? Where? When? A decade ago? A century ago? The phrase lumps together all of human history prior to one’s own birth.” 

Photo from The Scribe Archives.