By Margo Greenbaum
I believe that the majority of people who want to become teachers were inspired by teachers—either to be exactly like a certain teacher or to be the exact opposite. Many of us loved school and our teachers, administrators and coaches as they became our mentors, confidants and even friends. Many colleges highlight the connections that students have with their professors, especially in education programs.
I am a senior at my college, and have had a variety of professors, but one from my junior year stands out. She inspired me to continue my academics and achieve my goals. In that junior year, I sat down for my Clinical Practice 1 class. The professor walked in and captivated me from the start. Her positive energy, her love for education and her wealth of knowledge inspired me.
But more importantly, she cared about us. She didn’t just know our names, she knew who we were, and she told us about herself. One day she got a haircut, and I concluded an email with, “P.S. I love your haircut.” Soon enough, I was writing a P.S. in every email, updating her on my life, telling a joke, or giving another compliment.
I would have Zoom meetings and be nervous, but the good type of nervous, like when you’re talking to a celebrity—at my school, she is a celebrity. Even though the conversations were short and to the point, her laughter and smile were welcoming, which is what I needed. I quickly changed her to my adviser and signed up for her fall class.
In September, we met in her office for the first time. We talked for two hours and a true connection formed. She became the adult at my college that I could lean on, laugh with, and talk to, the one who would support me but also give tough love. She quickly became that person and so much more.
We forget the importance of relationships for college students. We forget the need for connection, especially for education majors who are supposed to become those kinds of teachers for the students we will one day have in our own classrooms. These are challenging times, transitioning from the student to the teacher and for almost a year, playing both roles.
We are told to keep in mind what our students are going through, the emotions that that they are having, and that they need a champion, but so many of us do not have our own champion. I am lucky enough to have an adviser who is my champion.
As education majors or as students with a concentration in education, we need someone who will share their good and bad experiences in the classroom, someone who will push us through the hard times—and stop to ask us where we are from or if there is something we want them to know. Education majors need someone who will not just teach them, but guide them, support them, and look out for them.
I urge college professors to remember the importance of connections. Students are human; professors are human. There are studies that show connections in the classroom have positive effects. We should focus on what type of teacher we want to be and how we can ignite our best version for our students.
My Clinical Practice 1 professor, who later became my adviser for my entire senior year, modeled that for us. She is the type of professor and more importantly the type of person, more colleges need, and the champion more education majors would benefit from.
Margo Greenbaum is a student at Stockton University and a member of NJEA Preservice.