That article is clearly landing wrong for other folks in a way that it doesn't for me.

Yes, instructors and students are all people, and the students may someday be where the instructor is now. At the same time, they do have different roles, and it might be harder for some people (who aren't cis straight white males, for example) to get the minimum level of respect they need to do their jobs. The instructor *is* the authority in the classroom - that's why they're the ones being paid (at least a little bit!) to teach. The students may also know lots of things, but they are not currently in the instructor role, and that's an important distinction.