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One of my most influential professors was simply knowledgeable, engaging, kind, friendly, and did not have an attitude as if he was better than us.

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as an undergrad, when professors were grading my assignments, i appreciated all of their comments. it was especially helpful when they told me what was "good" in my paper and "discussed" ideas with me in the margins. similarly, when i was wrong or off, it was helpful when they asked me questions and gave me comments that helped me see what i was doing wrong (not just "that's wrong!")

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My dissertation board chair was quite wonderful because she saw and understood the pressure I was putting on myself and always had ways of helping me "release the valve" of pressure that most first generation college students put on themselves. From telling me that it's okay to take breaks nin writing to giving me her cell number to call when I felt like I was spiraling in perfection. I csn't tell you how much connecting with her helped.

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Some of my professors would regularly remind us of their office hours and encourage us to stop by just to talk about something we found interesting. It took some of the pressure off of the interactions. Conversely, professors who stressed how busy they were or how busy their office hours tended to be made me less likely to reach out to them.

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Showing that they actually cared about our opinions and ideas in the classroom discussions/assignments.

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I had instructors who, in addition to answering my questions, would ask questions of me to try to get to know me. In a professional program where I would have some the instructors for multiple courses over the course of multiple semesters, it made me feel as though they cared about me as a person outside of the classroom.

On the flip side, when I was struggling with tough content once, I went to see a professor during his office hours. His answer was to study harder. I asked for additional resources or other ways to learn. He told me to just rereading my notes.

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Excitement and enthusiasm captured me in the classroom. One professor would insult and dehumanize his students from other classes for their lack of understanding. This did not create a very welcome or comfortable environment.

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All my professors that were friendly and caring had a positive impact on my learning. I specifically remember my math professor being always positive and cheerful. He kept saying "math is fun". He was also available outside the classroom for additional help. He even once came to the tutoring center and helped us solve problems for another math class. I also had a few professors that seemed not to be approachable or willing to help. They never took the time to get to know their students.

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They made time for me and provided support that helped me think of them as my biggest cheerleaders. It's a counter to experience with others in which condescending behavior or a lack of listening really made me feel less than worthy.

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I attended a small private college. A professor noticed that I wasn't wearing a winter jacket and gifted me one that her husband wasn't using anymore. It was enormous and warm. I only needed it for a week, because I'd left my winter coat at home and it was nearly Christmas break. I felt so loved.

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The one memory that stands out is the semester that one of my math professors saw some potential in me and started giving me extra problems to noodle around with between class sessions. We would chat before or after class about my progress, and when I was stuck, he would give me a hint or two. He clearly found the problems interesting, and that rubbed off on me. I was already a math major, but this bonus time with my professor helped cement my interest in the field.

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when professors knew my name and were encouraging of my work, I felt supported. But I've had multiple professors treat me differently because of my gender that led to very unwelcome environments.

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My graduate school experience was uniformly miserable (most of the faculty tacitly or explicitly signaled that they were there to do research and not to teach) but one faculty member stood out and remains a valued mentor to this date - they simply treated every single one of us in the same way (regardless of how brilliant - or not - we had sounded in class that day) and at all times, in class and out of it. It was the first time I had had a teacher take an interest in parts of my life other than my school work (e.g., my hobbies or interests, giving me suggestions on findings friends in my new town). I wouldn't have graduated without them.

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It's difficult to contextualize "art school," but the amount of fear, intimidation, gatekeeping, and embarrassment that was experienced, especially in undergrad was quite upsetting; and it isn't isolated to one professor, or even my college. In that time and place, this was meant as a motivator - "tough love" if you will; and for me, it worked, albeit not without the long-lasting trauma. In one particular instance, in a Graphic Design course, we were presenting the final concept sketches before moving to final designs and the professor was unclear in his expectations. The vast majority of the class, including some of the best students, came with really fleshed out ideas and strong drawings, but they were unrefined, or unfinished. The professor was incredibly upset, berated many students, including me about the lack of effort and unprofessional level of work, despite the project not being due for weeks yet. Everyone failed to meet the expectation, since none of us knew what the expectation was. This was an extreme case, and maybe the professor had other reasons for acting out of character on this day, but nobody wanted to go through that again! So we made sure to give 110% on the final versions and the final review went smoothly. While this was an extreme case, there are many others, like where another professor would simply carry a trash can along the rail where we displayed our work and would knock any that didn't warrant discussion into the bin. Many students left classes in tears. Not ideal, and while effective in some ways, certainly not habits I exhibit in my own classes.

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My favorite professor in undergrad became my boss, he was my physiology professor and had a passion for learning about animal biology. He was looking for a student worker in his lab and opened up the job opportunity to our class. It was an opportunity for me to use my biology resume for the first time and during my interview we connected on our shared interests. It was a natural conversation about our backgrounds and it allowed me to see him in a different light. I worked in his lab from that term until I graduated and he even came to my graduation party. I am thankful for his guidance and support to this day. (Tess)

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I had a great professor who pushed us all to ask questions in every class. He took all the 'stress' out of asking questions by making it something that happened all the time.

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Powerful to reflect on how easily we can put off students

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Powerful to reflect on how easily we can put off students

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It's humbling and powerful to read how easily we might (intentionally or unintentionally) put off students or dissuade them. It makes me want to be hyper-vigilant for the verbal and non-verbal messaging I share with my students.

Mary Johannesen-Schmidt

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When I was a graduate student at UCLA, my advisor died suddenly. I was pregnant and needed to find someone else to help direct my dissertation. As I met with different faculty members, I had repeated awful experiences. One handed me three of his books and told me to come back after I had read them. Another told me he believed in getting students done before they were 30, married, and having children. (I was all three--he couldn't tell from where he as sitting that I was pregnant until I stood up). Another faculty member asked me if my pregnancy was a good thing or a bad thing. What I take away from this is that it is vital to remember that my experiences as a student are not the same as my students experiences. I didn't go straight to graduate school from as was the norm. As I was slightly older, I also had the confidence to know that I didn't want to work with someone who insisted on his own works being the only lens for me to study history. However, it took a while for me to shake off being stupid. No one acknowledged the stress I might be feeling. Finally, one faculty member smiled brightly and asked when my baby was due. She helped me to navigate childbirth, graduate school, and colleagues who were unsympathetic. She saw me as a whole human being.

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One thing instructors did is learn my name.  It sounds so simple, but just learning your students names helps build a sense of community in a course.   One thing that had the opposite effect was when instructors would not talk with or make time for the students.

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One thing instructors did is learn my name.  It sounds so simple, but just learning your students names helps build a sense of community in a course.   One thing that had the opposite effect was when instructors would not talk with or make time for the students.

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I did my undergraduate degree at a huge Big-10 school during the early 1980's where concepts of active learning and putting students first did not exist (as far as I know). Typically a professor will simply write down his/her office number and office hours, and that was that. It was implied that this person will be available at that time and that place to meet. There was never any verbal indication that such an interaction was welcomed or encouraged. I never felt that these professors really wanted to see us in person. On the rare occasions that I did drop in during office hours, all discussion was related only to class work. There was never any indication that the professors care about me beyond that.

The change only came when I was in graduate school. Due to having to work closely with my research supervisor, it was only then that I felt that I was cared about, that our conversation went beyond just school affairs. But whether this was a deliberate action on the part of my supervisor, or something a natural outcome of the situation when people work closely with one another, I don't know.

-- Zeke.

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My best teachers were those who believed in me and reinforced my parents' belief in my potential

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I remember being confused and uncertain about most things as I entered college. I really had no idea of what to expect, and I really did learn a lot by trial and error. I was inspired by the erudition and brilliance of some of my professors, but I don't think they went out of their way to make themselves approachable. I was expected to figure things out for myself. Things are different now and I find that today's college student expect and need more support and intentional efforts to provide nurture and guidance.

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I attended a large Midwestern university where some of my classes had 500+ students, but I was also a member of a residential college within the university. Although some of the introductory/required classes within the residential college were still large (100-200 students), I remember the availability of that professor. I struggled mightily in the socioeconomics course even as I attended every lecture and took copious notes. I would go to his office hours weekly to review my notes and ask questions to help me grasp the concepts. I still did poorly in the class, but his willingness to help me has always resonated, and I have adopted a similar approach in my own teaching. I do struggle, though, with current students' unwillingness to ask for help. Well, I don't know if it's unwillingness, fear, inability to recognize their shortcomings, or what. When students do seek out that additional help, they often gain confidence and are more resilient in the face of poor performance.

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I had a second-year lecturer who asked me about the other subjects I was doing that might have a bearing on his course content. he encouraged me to draw on these and find ways of connecting them in. That opened my mind to how subjects and courses can fit together. I ended up doing an interdisciplinary PhD and teaching across disciplines because the multiple connections for me are stronger than the core subject matter. His kindness and interest piqued my intellectual curiosity and I often describe this formative time to my own students.

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I had a professor in college who used to maintain a friendly and approachable demeanor, both in and out of class. He had a warm and welcoming tone, used light humor, and shared personal stories. He was actually the reason I decided to go into my discipline.

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I went to a small Liberal Arts college in the Midwest of the United States convinced that I wanted to become a psychologist, but there was a natural philosophy class that was required for that major. I had never taken a philosophy course of any kind, nor had I done any college level writing yet because my writing assessment showed my writing to be so strong that I could delay my basic college composition course for a semester. However, on the first paper I received an F. I did go to see the professor who was someone I had admired up to that point. However, in that meeting this experienced professor made me feel stupid, underprepared, a bad writer, and he offered no support for improvement. So I dropped and I never became a psychologist although I have maintained a life long interest in helping people with emotional challenges. I became an English professor instead where I have plenty of chances to support students in emotional distress which is why I was interested in this topic.

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I remember one professor who took a red pen to everything I wrote and was very deficit-driven in their approach to writing. Writing is a work, for sure, and good writing takes practice, but that approach scarred me. Even now as a published writer, I still see those red marks and those hurtful comments all over my essays. The one positive to that experience is that I am very careful in how I approach strengths and opportunities for growth in my own comments on student writing.