A Penn State University English instructor reportedly posted a student’s assignment online ( but in an undisclosed manner ) with his criticisms and corrections written in red ink earlier this month.
Never mind that Thomas Joudrey used a red pencil because, let’s face it, it sticks out, despite using the best pen in the least amount of time ( I’m joking, I usually use red ink because it sticks out ).
Undergrad reading has become so terrible. Glance what one of my pupils submitted, Joudrey wrote on X. ( And yes, that’s exactly how he wrote it. )
” Netizens quickly expressed their disapproval, arguing that the professor was inappropriately mocking the student on a public platform” , , University Herald reported. ” Many people made the point that teachers shouldn’t treat their kids disrespectfully, especially in public. One customer questioned whether the professor had gotten permission from the individuals to share their work.
But how can there be any “humiliation” if the creator of the project isn’t known? Joudrey clearly blotted out the student’s name on his tweet ( below ). Any like “humiliation” may happen only if the student in issue decides to discover the project as his/hers.
Other people criticized Joudrey’s remarks on the papers for being politically correct. For example, he labeled the use of “man” and “mankind” as” sexist”, and wrote the term “petty struggles”” disregards trauma”.
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Undergraduate writing has become so poor. look at the photo one of my pupils turned on. twitter.com/w4dJ6mu85o
— Tom Joudrey (@TomJoudrey ) January 6, 2025
Some people simply openly trashed him.
So you [ …] destroyed his paper on the ground that your own political beliefs have been rejected by every state in the [sic ] movement? wrote one writer. Do you believe that the term “humanity” is misogynistic because it contains the word “man”? asked another.
” You should be fired immediately”, exclaimed but another.
My private Spidey Sense began tingling after reading Joudrey’s first post with its absence of liquidity. A university teacher — ripping a child’s writing with his own weak grammar? I know it’s social advertising, but c’mahn.
Others in the thread made a discovery: The “assignment” appeared to be text from 20th-century philosopher Karl Popper ( pictured ). Joudrey’s comment after his initial statement —” Wow, tweets actually popped off on this one, but I guess that’s the price of living in an empty society” — tipped a dozen out.
A Google search doesn’t display Joudrey on any of PSU’s sites, his Linkedin website notes he serves as a “media relationships expert” at the university, and got his masters and PhD it. ( He is noted as part of the PSU English Department at ResearchGate, and Rate My Professors, however ).
Alas, I saw Joudrey has opened Dm on X, but I simply asked him what the package was. And he responded immediately.
” I’m not a doctor, and the report was not written by a student”, Joudrey wrote. ” The pun is that the text is basically the opening phrase of Karl Popper’s 1945 location function of social philosophy,’ The Open Society and Its Enemies.'”
Also played, Tom. Also played.
Joudrey has largely positive reviews, away from a dozen new criticism weapons on Rate My Professors for his joke-of-a-tweet. Feedback include” Tom’s a great man and great professor. Sincerely made me want to major in English,” the professor provides excellent feedback and specific project requirements,” and” Tom is the man!” He enthusiastically encourages the content while educating and effectively facilitates debate in the classroom.
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IMAGE: KanversationTM/X, Wikipedia
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