How much easier could they have made this assignment?

There’s something so refreshing about a teacher or a college professor who is actually strict. They state upfront that they know that all of the emails about losing your childhood dog that are conveniently sent the week of midterms are phony, and they won’t capitulate to emotional pressures to let their students off easy. I loved professors like this when I was in school, because they motivated me to be a better student. I knew they wouldn’t believe any story I made up to get an extension, so I didn’t ask for one. I knew that I wasn’t going to get great grades just by showing up: I had to do exactly what the professor asked of me, otherwise I wouldn’t be leaving the class with an A. Students respond well to restrictions and high expectations. It motivates them to do better than a professor who is constantly lenient. A lenient professor will give students a million chances to do things right, even when they don’t deserve them. Sometimes, the student is much better off if they fail and have to live with the consequences.