In several problematic college composition teaching scenarios, loss of faith in possibility is best described through the concept of disappointment. By articulating the nature of disappointments, instructors might develop an understanding of the collectivity of their experiences which would thus help to change such scenarios. The context of academic disappointments includes many factors: the loneliness of academic life; building or failure to build interpersonal relations; necessity of thinking differently from the norm; or inability to accept what is different. Instructors need to place disappointments in context by viewing them in perspective of all positives and negatives of academic life and by viewing them beyond mere personal occurrences. College teachers at all levels need to use disappointment to interrupt the politics of loneliness by: (1) discussing disappointments and making them disciplinary rather than personal; (2) recognizing the emotional aspects of teaching; and (3) realizing the need to acknowledge and respect interpersonal differences. (EF)