Report Cards for Famous Mathematicians

[1] Pierre de Fermat, B+: "Pierre is an insightful problem-solver, but he must do a better job of showing his work. He has a bad habit of skipping crucial steps."

[2] Albert Einstein, D: "Though a promising student, Albert has not internalized the key concepts of Newtonian mechanics. Gravity is a force, Albert! Please learn the basics."

[3] Richard Feynman, C: "Despite his strong potential, Richard spends most lessons playing the fool. Focus, Richard! You simply cannot be a serious thinker and a mischief-maker."

[4] Alan Turing, C−: "Instead of solving problems by hand, Alan insists on using his calculator for every question. He will never make progress if he lets a machine do his thinking for him!"

[5] Andrew Wiles, B−: "After an excellent first quarter, Andrew wasted the entire second quarter on a single challenge problem, refusing to do other work despite making no progress. Please invest your time more wisely, Andrew."

[6] Euclid, B: "Euclid is very careful and methodical. Unfortunately, his caution sometimes hardens into stubbornness. For example, he insists on proving every single statement before accepting its truth. Try to work more efficiently, Euclid!"

[7] Carl Gauss, A−: "Carl is a very clever young man! However, he often employs shortcuts of his own devising rather than solving problems by the proper methods. This is an area for him to improve next semester."

[8] Gottfried Leibniz, Incomplete: "I am sorry to report that Gottfried turned in a final project suspiciously similar to another student's. Both Gottfried and Isaac have accused the other of plagiarism. I am withholding a final grade until this serious matter is resolved."