Maybe it’s just me, but I love school. Granted, I definitely do not enjoy every single class I take or every assignment I do, but I usually come to class with something to say about what we are learning. Some professors really like that and encourage my discussion, but other professors sometimes seem put off by the fact that I enjoyed something they teach enough for it to ignite a real passion in me, and they try to dim it down. I dislike nonchalantness all around, but coming from any kind of teacher, it makes me especially upset. I am a first-year student here, but I have had a good mix of types of professors on campus, and I’ve found that, overall, a professor’s attitude is often the sole decider of whether I will enjoy a class or not.

Students feed off of professors’ energies, so if a professor is talking to me in a tone reminiscent of a meditation leader, I’m going to be tired and bored in that class. On the other hand, if a professor is high energy, excited about what they are doing, and talking to me like I am an actual human being with a life and interests, you better believe I will be their best student. The right professor can get me excited to go to an 8 a.m. class, which is truly a miracle. I understand that we all have up and down days, and I am definitely not trying to demand high energy from all of my professors every day; it’s more about the overall vibe I get from the first three or four classes of the semester that sets my expectations up. 

This goes for students, too, though. If we are paying money to be at this school (and we are paying to go to school), and you come to every class with an attitude that gives nothing for your professors to work with, you are setting yourself up to hate your classes. It’s a mutual relationship! Giving energy to your teachers usually prompts energy back, which is why I always try to start the semester with an open mind and a pep in my step. 

I am a very active student in my classes. I am the student who raises my hand when no one else does because I have something to contribute, and I am the student who causes teachers to say, “Can someone other than Abby answer this question?” That question deflates me every time it is brought up, which is in most of my classes. I often leave classes feeling like I have been punished for knowing a correct answer or having an opinion, which is the opposite of what I expect in learning facilities. It’s frustrating to feel like teachers have a quota system for how many times a student can be called on, even though I know they are only trying to stimulate discussion from other class members. I do understand that teachers want everyone to participate, and honestly, I think we would all benefit from more student participation in classes, but it doesn’t negate the feeling of rejection when my raised hand goes ignored.

At the end of the day, we are in college; I am an adult, my professors are adults, and I want to be treated like an actual human instead of a delicate flower who has to be kept quiet and guided along a certain path. I crave professors who will listen to my interpretation of a text and celebrate that it is different from theirs, not admonish me for not quite “getting it right”. I believe that teachers should be igniting fires of passion in students, not putting them out, which is why we all need to be less nonchalant about learning.