Observe and report

I genuinely love my job, and I love the students who take my classes. (I don’t want to call folks “my students” because I don’t own them.) They are bright, inquisitive and funny, and make me glad I get to hang out with them for a living.

I’ve been surprised and honored by their generosity as well. When my mom died, Kristina gave me chocolates and told me that’s what helped her get through her own tragedy. When Trish the Chicken died, Kristina, Claire and Jason gave me a chocolate muffin and a latte to show that they were sorry for my loss. Today, Becca gave me a Snuggie (a Snuggie!) monogrammed with my initials because I once said I needed one because the classroom was so freakin’ cold.

And just moments after that awesome gift, Charlotte — who isn’t even taking a class with me this quarter — brought me red velvet cupcakes from Back in the Day Bakery (the best kind of cupcakes).

So it’s been a pretty awesome day, filled with surprises.

Jenny, of the rabid weasels, asked me once if I actually liked all “my” students. I think she was surprised to learn that the answer is “Yes.” (Disclaimer: Jenny once gave me a latte and a muffin because I helped her help a friend with her résumé).

The qualifier is that some are more high-maintenance than others. Also, some students don’t like other students, and that makes for tough times in class discussions.

I can group many of the students into a few categories:

The Overachiever
This student already has an A, but is always looking for extra credit. She will redo a project if you let her, even if she got an A the first time around. (Yes, Deanne, I’m talking about you.)

The Shocker
This kind of student defies any preconceived notions. It may appear that he doesn’t care, and isn’t paying attention, but then he turns in the best work in the class. (Yes, A.D., this is you.)

The Tester
This student is suspicious of you from the get-go, but you will slowly win her over if you do, in fact, know what you are talking about. And then she will try to push you to see how far she can go. (Hello, Amber!)

The Hater
This student may appear to hate your guts during the class, but he will surprise you later on when he tells you that he learned so much from you. It is an unexpected, but joyful moment. (Whit, do you still read my blog?)

The Liquid Center
This student sometimes seems confrontational, but that behavior masks a deep-seated vulnerability. This student just needs some reassurance that she really does have talent. (No names here; no need for that exposure.)

The Personality
This student often is the most challenging because she has created a particular persona, and may resist your efforts to get her to think about anything/anyone other than herself. The trick is to help her figure out how to make assignments interesting enough to her so that she will enjoy doing them. (I think we all know whom I’m talking about here.)

The Lifer
That’s not a great title for this type of student, but it will have to do. With this student, you know early on that he/she will be in your life forever — and that is a good thing. You “get” them, they “get” you, and it is a lovely, symbiotic relationship. You start out as professor/student, and morph into colleagues and friends later on. Some people in the aforementioned categories will end up in this one, and that is a lovely thing too. (I’d like to name names here, but I have a little bit of a liquid center, and I worry if my feelings are reciprocated.)

So, to all my past and present students, I’d like to say this:

Yes, I really do like you.