Soooo, again!

I realize that I really like the words "so" and "well" and I frequently start my sentences with them. I remember a long time ago I had the same problem with "okay" and my mother told me I had to try, right then and there, to start my sentence without saying "okay" and much to my dismay and my mother's amusement I couldn't do it. So, (see? there it is again...sigh..) I have tried very hard not to use those words. I mean, if you think about it, they really don't mean anything. At all... I remember one of my professors telling me and my class that to use the word "very" was pointless and that we should NEVER EVER use it in a paper. In my first semester of college at good old TVI my english professor told us that we would be shot and buried in the mesa if we ever used the word "utilize" because it was just a fancy/snobby way of saying "use" and for heaven's sake, just use "use." I still like the word "utilize" and I wish I could squeeze it into every sentence. My conclusion is that those professors were just trying to make little clones of themselves by forcing their own biases onto their unsuspecting prey...I mean students. I think that in the position of teacher one should never a) assume that you know everything b) push your own ideals onto your students c) give a test on something you haven't covered. I never understood why teachers would quiz their students BEFORE they taught on a particular subject. Boggles the mind. I have had some marvelous teachers in the past. One held a class labeled "Social Protest" ie. politics, and she managed to keep the peace between the far right students and the far left. It was one of the most enjoyable class I have ever had. It is always pleasant to discuss a variety of topics and politely say "this is what I think" and have someone just as politely say "I don't agree" and you still like them. I had an experience the other day with a friend who is a professor, and she, while we were discussing a political matter, stooped to using her professorness at me. I was taken back, since she isn't that much older than me, and was shocked that someone who IS a professor would assume that everyone around them is some how less intelligent just because they don't have a graduate degree. I think what bothered me most was that she assumed things about me to my face that were not true, but I didn't say so. I just let it slide and backed up my opinion with facts, which she quickly brushed asside....where is the logic in that? I think that if ever I was to become a professor, I would hope that I would have the humility and grace to listen to another's opinion, despite age or situation. Because you never know when you may be wrong.