Our View: A thank you to teachers

Late nights, coupled with waking early to finish homework and attend class, are a cornerstone of collegiate life. Of course, college life is also is plagued with relationships, activities, work and other daily frustrations.

The headache from lack of sleep is only further pained by the fact that you didn’t have time to do laundry over the weekend.

The assignment you worked on all last night has developed errors while you rested your eyes.  Although the milk hasn’t gone bad in the fridge yet, the cereal you chose is half composed of alphabet dust.  
With hair disheveled, outfit redesigned and belly full of sugary cement, you make your way to class.  You realize all too late that the time on your microwave is behind and you have but seconds to jog up the staircase before class starts.

Uncomfortable, ill prepared and out of breathe, you lower your head as you search for your desk among classmates.

Then your teacher, unbeknownst to him of your ordeal, warmly says, “welcome to class.”

You look up, smile and think “if only you knew,” then say thank you and take your seat.  
How interesting is it, that a small gesture of kindness can go such a far way. Chances are we can all relate to this story as students or past students.

Nothing feels better to a college student when they are happily welcomed into a classroom. Knowing the students name can supercharge this positive response even more.

Besides just putting a smile on students’ faces, small gestures like these can be incredible classroom boosters.

These behaviors by teachers encourage classroom participation, classroom cohesion and acceptance of students.

It can be so incredibly simple for teachers to become complacent with simply teaching class material.  Many teachers at ASU, however, spend countless hours in and outside of class creating interpersonal relationships with students.

For teachers who are frustrated by the lack of attendance or participation in classes, this may be the best way to solve their dreary class times.

As students, it is reassuring to hear words of welcome from professors. Those words of encouragement can change the downward spiral of a bad day or week.

We want to thank the teachers who have made their classrooms personal again and urge other teachers to take on he challenge. And students time a teacher offers those words of encouragement and makes you feel welcome in class make sure to let them know how much you appreciate it.



“Our View” is written by the editorial staff. The opinions are not necessarily reflective of the student body, faculty or administration of Arkansas State University.