Want to Win Your Teachers and Professors Over? Try These Five Tried and True Suggestions

December 11, 2024|bridge the gap, check for accuracy, meet, on time, participate in class discussions, teachers, vulnerable

AcademicAlly, LLC: December 11, 2024

Snow, holiday joy, celebrations, gatherings with friends and family, gifts….these are the images so often associated with the holiday season. In recognition of the gift-giving frivolity, we decided to gift you with some of our most effective strategies. Wishing you and yours a meaningful, peaceful, and full holiday season.

Hey kids, how is school going? You’re nearing the finish line for either finals (for our private school and college students) or the holiday break, and I bet you are counting down the days, hours, and minutes until you can bust loose, right? Some of you may be prancing across that finish line, while others are scratching the earth, army crawling toward that beautiful moment when you can put the past few months of hard work behind you.

Newsflash: you have a major asset in front of that you may not be effectively utilizing. Yes, your color-coded sticky notes are awesome and very helpful. Your whiteboard is great too. But there are people you encounter every day who may be one of your most powerful tools: your teachers and professors. But, you protest, “He’s mean.” “She hates me.” “I ask too many questions, and the professor doesn’t want to hear from me anymore.”

How much of that is real, and how much is that stemming from your own shame and embarrassment? I will acknowledge there are some instructors who should have considered another career path. They may be knowledgeable about their subject area, but they don’t know how to teach. They don’t know how to relate to and interact with their students in a way that boosts the kids’ confidence and self-worth. But for the most part, your professors and teachers are there to actually help you understand the content, and if you are lucky, they can make it fun in the process.

So, how do you bridge the gap? If we are being honest, it’s not really about winning over your instructors-that becomes a natural byproduct of the following:

It’s about showing an interest and showing you care, not necessarily about the subject (Who, after all, is really interested in parsing a sentence?), rather it is about you taking an interest in your personal and academic success. Educators love, LOVE, this quality in their students. It excites them, and it inflates their egos to know someone is interested in succeeding in their class.

So how do you accomplish this?

Meet up: make arrangements to schedule a time to meet with your instructor and then actually do it. Come with a list of questions or concerns and go over each one. It’s ok if you don’t know what you don’t know. Start there and work your way up. Meetings can be regular events-ie every Monday you meet with your math teacher during Lunch and Learn. Be sure to enter all meeting times into your planner/calendar and use reminders so you won’t forget.
Participate in class discussions: this is a great opportunity for you to strut your stuff. Ask questions to the group. Answer the questions posed not only by the teacher but by your peers. As many of you know, especially our college students, these “discussions” take place on online class portals. Be thoughtful in your responses and the questions you pose. Don’t throw a softball; challenge the group (and perhaps your teacher/professor!).
Be on time: be aware of and abide by all due dates. When in doubt, find out. Ask a trustworthy friend or your teacher when something is due if you cannot remember or you are confused. Furthermore, be aware of how your work is to be submitted-online on a certain portal or application or hardcopy?
Check for accuracy: did you follow directions? Is your answer complete? Are your facts checked? Is your work edited and reviewed? Never hand in work that you don’t review; it wastes time for everyone.
Small tokens never hurt: teachers are human too, and giving them a hand or showing a small token of appreciation is always appreciated. Offer to take paperwork to the office. Lead a conversation for the teacher. Heck, be old-fashioned and place an apple on your professor or teacher’s desk. Even a sticky note with a smiley face on it can make someone’s day. Now that is not to say an educator’s favor can be bought-they won’t reverse a failing grade in exchange for a box of freshly-squeezed orange juice. However, they will appreciate the gesture.

Here’s the Thing: unfortunately, teachers and professors are often sold short. Students fear showing any kind of vulnerability. They mistakenly worry they will be judged as less-than compared to their peers. Teachers are people too, just as vulnerable as you and I are. Tapping into them as a resource will not only help your academic and personal performance, but it will curry favor and respect from your instructors. And that, my friends, could be one of the greatest gifts of all.