(6/21/2007) I liked Differential Equations. After having had two semesters of calculus from Professor Sanchez differential equations from Mr. Burnett was like a walk in the park. Mr. Burnett was very young and not one of the regular math professors. I believe that he was an electrical engineer who worked in the research division and was drafted to teach differential equations when the enrollment made it necessary to add another section. I was enjoying the course. I sat near the front of the room and was always volunteering to answer questions and never hesitated to ask questions. Then it happened. We were about a month into the course when Mr. Burnett gave a homework problem that I couldn't work. I must have spent several hours on it. I could get just so far into it when I would get stuck. I could hardly wait for class the next day so that I could find out how to solve it. The next day, before I had a chance to ask Mr. Burnett to work the problem someone else asked. Mr. Burnett read the question and paused - it was obvious that he had not worked the problem prior to class. Now I was not just interested in finding out how to work the problem but I also wanted to find out what was wrong with the approach that I had used and how to go beyond the point where I had gotten stuck. So when Mr. Burnett paused I raised my hand and volunteered how I had started. He thought that that made sense and started off as I had. Then shortly he paused while he considered what to do next. I volunteered what I had done at this point. He took my suggestion and went on. Presently he paused once again and once again I volunteered what I had done at this point. He continued with my suggestion and it wasn't long until he paused again. The pause continued. He turned and looked at me and asked, “What did you do here?” I replied, “That's where I got stuck”. The whole class roared with laughter. Mr. Burnett must have thought that they were laughing at him and that I was responsible because he became very angry. He didn't show his anger in any way that he could control. He showed it by the red color in his face, the bulging veins in his neck and the tense muscles in his jaw line. He said something to the effect that we had spent enough time on the problem for that day and that we would take it up again at the next class. I felt that the class was laughing at me and I could see Mr. Burnett's anger. I had humiliated myself as well as Mr. Burnett. I didn't attend the next class; in fact I never attended another class through out the remainder of the course except to take the exams. Fortunately Mr. Burnett had provided us with a course syllabus complete with homework problems and examination dates. So from then on my knowledge of DE was self taught. On one occasion Mr. Burnett announce a quiz for the next class and requested that those who were cutting class, namely me, should not be informed. However David Jacobs a fellow student that I barely knew told me about it because, as he said, he didn't think it was fair. To Mr. Burnett's credit he always graded my exams fairly and gave me the “B” that I deserved. However I have no doubt that I would have gotten an “A” if I had cut that one class.