The American education system has been marred in recent years by a troubling trend. Test scores indicate that students are falling behind in science and math, weakening our country’s ability to maintain a competitive intellectual edge. It is no secret that the American education system is in desperate need of reform.

But our test scores are not the only thing in need of improvement – student attitudes can also use a tune up.

In a commentary piece written for The Chronicle of Higher Education, New England college professor Elayne Clift calls for an attitude adjustment among students. Clift has taught at Ivy League institutions and community colleges. She remembers her “semester from hell,” when a group of graduate students lamented the syllabus on the first night of class, complaining that it called for too much work. The professor said she felt disrespected for their passive-aggressive behavior and shocked that at the graduate level, they could not write in coherent sentences. She was “accosted” with “hostile emails” after critiquing papers – even when she discovered evidence of plagiarism. Her observations led her to the following conclusion: students have a sense of entitlement, evidenced by rude behavior and a lack of academic motivation.

Clift makes an important point. All too often, students show up to class having not bothered to even do the reading, write papers riddled with questionable sources like Wikipedia. Many students are only willing to do enough work to pass classes and move on. If we earn a poor grade on an essay or fail an exam, it’s not our fault; rather, the professor is to blame. Not only is there a lack of accountability concerning our academic performances, but also for our education at large.

As Clift insinuates in her piece, the first step in education reform begins with us. We as students voluntarily attend college because we want to challenge ourselves and to achieve the highest standard of education that we can. In accepting that, we also need to accept that professors do not owe us anything beyond quality instruction. From the assignments listed on the syllabus to the grades that we earn, we are not entitled to pass classes for less than mediocre work, or entitled to dictate the way a class should be taught, even if we disagree. A degree isn’t just a diploma that’s given to you when you cross the stage at graduation—it should be something that is earned.