Thank an Instructor
We love reading the notes of gratitude students send to their instructors through our Thank an Instructor program. Here are our spring highlights!
Each semester, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning runs a program called "Thank an Instructor!" We invite students to write messages of thanks to instructors whose teaching has really mattered to them.
One of our favorite things in CETL is reading over those messages before passing them along to instructors—to say this buoys our hearts and gives us hope is an understatement!
As we did last year, we each picked out a word from the word cloud below and wrote about how these messages tell us something resonant about teaching at the University of Mississippi.
Emily / Feel
I don’t consider myself a “feely” person—which is probably why I’m so at home in academia, a place that tends to value rationality over emotion. But much recent research tells us that the lines between thinking and feeling are blurrier than they appear and that, in fact, emotions are an essential component of learning.
That’s why I was so struck by the prevalence of the word “feel” in the word cloud. In many of their messages, students called out how instructors made them feel: “confident,” “supported,” “safe,” “welcomed,” “connected,” “seen,” “at home,” even “fortunate.” Students, in turn, expressed a hope that instructors “feel” they’re making a difference.
We know that these positive feelings are, in part, the engine that makes learning go and one thing that makes teaching worthwhile. So, we hope you’re also feeling the love!
Josh / appreciate(d)
Appreciate and appreciated are both represented here. I wanted to highlight these terms of thanks, because I think they serve as an important reminder of the impact of our work in the classroom. Teaching can often feel hard, sometimes even frustrating, but–by and large–students are grateful for what they learn in our courses and for the efforts we make on their behalf. They appreciate that there are mentors in their lives who take them, and their futures, seriously.
Hanna / Always
Always is the word that appeared more than any other word in student messages of thanks to instructors. Always speaks to the consistency that good instructors provide for their students:
“Your classes are always so interesting”
“[You] always make sure we’re not just surviving but thriving”
“You always answered all my questions in a timely manner”
“You were always a bright light during my week”
“You’re always slaying!!!!”
The learning environment can be an uncomfortable place—on top of all of the challenges that students face outside of the classroom, inside the classroom, they may be confronting new ideas for the first time or be asked to demonstrate their learning in new or different ways. When teachers rise to the occasion day after day, they create a space where students can learn and grow.
While many students used “always” to speak of their past and current impressions of their teachers, some also referred explicitly to the future: that regardless of what the future brings, they know their instructor is always only an email away; that they will always remember and appreciate the care of their teacher.
The steady consistency of great teachers has an indelible impact on students—now, and in the future.
Liz / Connections
In the context of learning, connections are powerful in at least two ways: We know that making connections between new information and prior knowledge strengthens learning, and we know that feeling connected to others boosts our ability to stay present and learn.
Students who talked about connections in their messages to instructors especially expressed gratitude for feeling like their instructor cared about them. They felt connected to their professor, even after the semester ended. In other cases, they appreciated having an instructor who helped them make connections with professionals and alumni to further the students’ career goals.
How are you thinking about connections in the context of your work? Can you boost opportunities for students to find links between their existing knowledge and new material? How might you incorporate opportunities for students to form relationships with one another and with you?