2008 Woodie Awards
An Apple a Day Won't Get You Anywhere
Kristen Brownell
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Blogs
Perhaps I'm ignorant, but I've never understood why students are so intimidated by their instructors. They see teachers as cold, heartless beings whose sole purpose in life is to make us miserable.
I suppose there's some merit in feeling intimidated by someone who has the authority to make or break academic careers, but hey - it's not the instructor's fault if a student waits 'til the last minute to write an essay or neglects studying for an exam.
(And they know when we do that, by the way. They weren't born yesterday)
In my time at Fullerton College, I've become extremely close and have formed some great friendships with my instructors. It sounds crazy, but sometimes I feel that I have more in common with my teachers than I do with my classmates.
That's probably because I'm an old lady trapped in the body of a 25-year-old, but that's neither here nor there.
Aside from my Early Bird Special inherency, I think the close relationships I've formed with my instructors came about because I made an effort to spend time with them outside of class. It's been one of the best things I've done for myself as a student, and all I had to do was carry on pleasant conversations with extremely fascinating and intelligent people.
I was chatting with one of my former instructors recently, and we discovered that several of her students are in one of my classes. I told her how intimidated they are by her, and we got into a rather long and jovial discussion about the strained dynamic between teachers and students.
I think one very important thing students forget is that teachers are real people with real feelings. Chances are they've dealt with some of the same issues we have (they were students themselves once, lest we forget), and they don't expect students to be perfect. Life happens whether we like it or not. No one, not even a teacher, has the ability to change that.
The advice I give my classmates when they express fear of their teacher(s) is simply to talk to them. I can't speak for all instructors, but in my experience, they adore and appreciate it when a student drops by their office just to chat. It allows them to get to know the student, and vice versa. It also results in the student feeling more comfortable speaking up in class and telling their teacher when they need help.
If it makes you feel any better, my former instructor agreed with me. That should count for something, right?
The best way to overcome fear is to face it directly, and in this case, the solution is face-to-face communication. The more one avoids his or her teachers, the less he or she will get out of the whole college experience.
One doesn't need to get their nose dirty or stock up on apples in order to do well in a class. Treating your instructors like human beings rather than creatures from outer space is all it takes. They went into teaching to help people, not hinder them.
So what are you waiting for? You've got some office doors to knock on.
I suppose there's some merit in feeling intimidated by someone who has the authority to make or break academic careers, but hey - it's not the instructor's fault if a student waits 'til the last minute to write an essay or neglects studying for an exam.
(And they know when we do that, by the way. They weren't born yesterday)
In my time at Fullerton College, I've become extremely close and have formed some great friendships with my instructors. It sounds crazy, but sometimes I feel that I have more in common with my teachers than I do with my classmates.
That's probably because I'm an old lady trapped in the body of a 25-year-old, but that's neither here nor there.
Aside from my Early Bird Special inherency, I think the close relationships I've formed with my instructors came about because I made an effort to spend time with them outside of class. It's been one of the best things I've done for myself as a student, and all I had to do was carry on pleasant conversations with extremely fascinating and intelligent people.
I was chatting with one of my former instructors recently, and we discovered that several of her students are in one of my classes. I told her how intimidated they are by her, and we got into a rather long and jovial discussion about the strained dynamic between teachers and students.
I think one very important thing students forget is that teachers are real people with real feelings. Chances are they've dealt with some of the same issues we have (they were students themselves once, lest we forget), and they don't expect students to be perfect. Life happens whether we like it or not. No one, not even a teacher, has the ability to change that.
The advice I give my classmates when they express fear of their teacher(s) is simply to talk to them. I can't speak for all instructors, but in my experience, they adore and appreciate it when a student drops by their office just to chat. It allows them to get to know the student, and vice versa. It also results in the student feeling more comfortable speaking up in class and telling their teacher when they need help.
If it makes you feel any better, my former instructor agreed with me. That should count for something, right?
The best way to overcome fear is to face it directly, and in this case, the solution is face-to-face communication. The more one avoids his or her teachers, the less he or she will get out of the whole college experience.
One doesn't need to get their nose dirty or stock up on apples in order to do well in a class. Treating your instructors like human beings rather than creatures from outer space is all it takes. They went into teaching to help people, not hinder them.
So what are you waiting for? You've got some office doors to knock on.
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