Professors Are People, Too

In the first semester of my junior year I took a class called Public Relations Writing with a professor named Teddi Joyce. Of course like all college students, when I selected her class I looked her up on Rate My Professor. She had exceptional ratings so I was pretty excited and then I noticed class would be at 7:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I thought to myself, Oh well, I'm going to have to take it anyways. I may as well go ahead and get it out of the way."

I soon found out that Dr. Teddi was going to quickly become one of my favorite professors. She was funny, kind, understanding, and I could quickly tell that teaching was her passion and she actually cares about each one of her students. During this global pandemic, I think it's safe to say that EVERYONE has had to make some sort of adjustment. About three weeks into the semester, I began feeling terrible. Horrendous migraines, runny nose, dry cough, and chills. I was instantly worried about how the next few weeks would change if I tested positive for COVID-19. I was scared I would fall behind in classes, would not be able to maintain my GPA, and overall just STRESSED. 

I emailed all of my teachers and they were all SUPER understanding and willing to work with me. One of my professors, Dr. Teddi, definitely stood out. She asked me if I needed anything, told me that she hoped I got well, and she actually took time out of her busy schedule and long days to set up a Microsoft Teams meeting with me just to discuss things I missed in class from being out. To know that someone was willing to go the extra mile for me and truly was thinking about my well-being really made a huge difference. It made me feel as if I was more than just a number and more than just a paycheck. Considering the fact that I have literally endured those professors who say “I don’t care if y’all show up or not, I’ll still get paid.”, the extra effort that Dr. Teddi put in to make sure I was still caught up really was appreciated. We as college students forget that professors are people too and this has been a huge adjustment for them as well. 

As a college student, I love knowing that a professor cares and realizes that we are people too. College students have feelings, emotions, and life thrown at them 24/7. We also are going through the process of figuring out who we are while trying to explore adult life and how it works. When a professor is kind, willing to help, and understanding, it truly makes me feel as if I can do it and that there is no limit to my success. Patience, hard work, and determination are things that being a college student has taught me that I plan to carry from college to my very first “big girl” job, and in my normal day to day life. I hope to learn networking and fundamental tools and skills that will be used in my profession. By demonstrating kindness, hard-work, integrity, and responsibility I know that I will be able to achieve all of this and more thanks to professors like Dr. Teddi Joyce.

For the best ways to manage stress, try reading this amazing website created by Purdue University Global.

XOXO,

Charity Robertson