I had a student this past semester who is a big PIA. He took a class with me a year or two ago and did nothing, resulting in failure. He contacted me toward the end of that semester to see what he could do, and I responded with suggestions and offers to accept late papers, but he vanished and submitted nothing. He badgered me afterwards, once he saw the failing grade, making excuses, demanding special treatment. I was shocked to see his name on my roster this Fall, but figured maybe his past behavior was pandemic-driven, and he'd gotten his act together. The answer is, he hasn't. He's an entitled little a-hole. The ugly truth is that grade inflation is real. This jerk should have gotten no more than B, really barely deserved a C, but I curved his grade to B+ -- because I want no whiny emails. Guess what? He has spent the past several days peppering me with pushy, obnoxious emails, demanding explanations, telling sob stories and lies. Ingrate. I have many wonderful students every semester, but sadly, the ones like this guy take enormous time and often overshadow the bright lights.