Zoology Professor Thomas Pottsworth has had enough of the online taunting he has received from former students at ratemyprofessor.com, so several months ago he decided to get what he described in his own words as ""sweet, sweet revenge"" by starting ratemystudent.com.
The website allows TAs and professors to rate their students in a similar way that they are reviewed on ratemyprofessor.com, where teachers are assessed with a rating scale between good and poor quality.
There is also the option of clicking on the icon of a hot pepper if a student believes the professor or TA is sexually attractive. Supposedly, that is exactly where all the trouble started for Potts.
Recently, I had the chance to interview Mr. Pottsworth briefly for this article.
""Look, I'm not expecting that every student who goes through my class will love it. I'm not saying that every good-looking piece of ass who walks into my class give me a ‘hot pepper', but I'd expect one or two by now,"" Pottsworth said. I mean, I've been teaching for thirty years. And when students write [hurtful comments] like they did, it really hurts my feelings.""
Pottsworth wasn't finished. ""I remember reading one, and I could just tell from the tone of the post it was that little shit Justin Ferguson who got a D because he barely came to class, and it said that the student couldn't concentrate during my lectures because, you know, I happen to have a small birthmark on my forehead,"" Pottsworth said while pointing to a huge and disgusting hairy mole near the top of his head.
At this point I asked professor Pottsworth how he planned to get revenge on certain students using the new site.
""Oh, well in so many ways. The only difference between [the two sites] is that, on RateMyStudent, we rate them on overall class performance. We even kept the hot pepper icon to identify physically attractive students to other professors,"" Pottsworth added excitedly. Pottsworth went on to explain his enormous feelings of satisfaction when he supposedly ""totally destroyed all confidence"" of his former student and current arch nemesis, Justin Ferguson, by writing on Rate My Student that Ferguson was ""unresponsive and disinterested"" during Pottsworth's lectures.
When I asked how sure he was that students would even be aware of the site, let alone care about it, he responded quickly.
""Well, obviously we're still a growing site. We haven't moved to other schools in the nation yet, but we're up to three TAs participating, as well as myself. We have a total of nine students already assessed.""
Before I wrapped up the interview, Pottsworth wanted to make it clear that while some of his reviews are negative, most are actually positive.
""I've only written a few bad reviews, really. Many are positive. For example, that little number I had three semesters ago, Monica Perry—I mean, what a dish,"" he said with delight. And not only was she stunningly beautiful, but she carried herself with the maturity of a woman twice her age. And despite her being only 18, she is very much a fully matured woman.""
Two days ago a professor at UW-Weyauwega rated two students on the site, making it the second school to use the website, while bringing the total number of reviewed students to an impressive 11. I attempted to contact Mr. Pottsworth again for a brief comment on the website's dramatic surge in popularity, but unfortunately I did not get the chance when his lawyer answered Potts' cell and informed me that Mr. Potts could no longer speak to the media, pending the outcome of his trial concerning a recent arrest for sexual harassment and stalking of Monica Perry, among several other female students. But Pottsworth's lawyer told me his client remains upbeat.
Right after he was arrested I went to see him and he was all smiles. He told me he couldn't wait to get revenge on all those ""whores"" once he gets access to a computer again.
