10 Things That a Professor Loves

 Penn State professor Jane Dmochowski gives her students a list of 10 things that an instructor loves:

I told my students that I love …

1. Students.

2. Students who come to class with an open mind.

3. Students who come to my class to fulfill a requirement but decide to make the most of the experience.

4. Students who give eye contact during a lecture.

5. Students who come to me when they need help.

6. Students who aren’t afraid to ask questions..

7. Students who tell me not just that they enjoyed my course, but why.

8. Students who have their own ideas.

9. Students who give me unique and powerful things to say in a letter of recommendation.

10. Students who are fully engaged in the learning process.

You can read the full explanations here. (You may need a subscription to the Chronicle of Higher Education)

She writes:

When I posted this list on my course website, I told my students that I could easily make this a list of 100 things. But these 10 encapsulate much of why I do what I do. I love working with students, and I told them that I hoped that they would enjoy working with me, even if it wasn’t always fun. I told them, upfront, that I want them to get the most out of their college years, and my hope is that I can be one small part of helping them do so. That is the message I really wanted them to hear — a message of affection and respect.

Guess what I got in return? Much more affection and respect, and a lot less of all that stuff we "hate."

(ljs)