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Ever have a truly great professor?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by JLaff, Jul 2, 2008.

  1. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    I went to a small school, and I'm really glad I did; not only was I able to accomplish a lot there -- with the newspaper, radio and TV -- but I got to know the professors really well. Four of them stick out in my mind, three of them communication professors.

    An English teacher, who taught two classes of mine, was brilliant. She'd written a couple books, looked the part of a new-generation hippy and was totally cool. She's an open lesbian, probably the first I'd ever met. I took her creative writing class during my first semester, and I dreaded it all summer, not knowing what it was going to be. I hated writing -- always struggled in English because it bored me -- so this class couldn't have been good, at least I thought.

    It seemed like such a pointless class: We'd talk about technique for a few minutes, then free-write for 10-25 minutes, a person or two would share what they've written and we'd bail. But when it was all said and done, I really began to enjoy writing -- it was, and still is, an excellent out for my emotions -- and even sharing the stories.

    When I took her upper-level English class during my junior year, I read every book she assigned -- including "The Things They Carried" -- because I liked discussing with them with her and the rest of the class. She got me to think outside of the box more, and it's a skill I hope to never forget.
    --
    In my second semester, I had a broadcasting professor who'd worked on the Emmy committee in New York, and you could tell. He was clean, crisp with everything he spoke and every move he made, and he was stern with every suggestion he made; it was his way or the wrong way.

    He stood near the door and opened the voice and articulation class with this: "You see the hallway? Out there is political-correctness. Inside this room, there is none. From now on, we'll refer to everything as a monetary-class value. You're either upper-class, middle-class or lower-class. You don't want to be lower-class, so listen to what I say. ..." It got our attention, and the class was fun. I still take the things I learned from that -- articulate as much as possible, think about how my actions make me appear to others, etc. -- and apply them.
    --
    My favorite journalism teacher wasn't a really great teacher, but he knew how to get the best out of his students. He's a former journalist, with not much experience, but had more of an English background. He had pretty much the same attendance attitude that Jlaff's professor did -- you're paying for school, not me, so it's your choice. When he noticed a student's drive and saw he or she was really, really interested, he got there, too. He and I still talk from time to time.

    From the time I was the sports editor at the paper, he and I had a peer-to-peer relationship. I edited his intro students' stories, and he trusted my opinions. He inspired me to be a better writer and, more importantly, a better editor and leader. While my radio adviser discouraged me and chastised me for wanting to take leadership positions at the newspaper and radio station -- sports editor and general manager, at the time -- my journalism professor encouraged me. He truly wanted the best out of me, and I never felt right about giving him any less than that.
    --
    Perhaps my favorite professor was also my adviser. Not only was she extremely smart -- a couple of books, and surely many more to come -- but she got her students. She was in her mid-30s, but you'd never know it from talking to her. She was always at least one step ahead of everyone. If you tried to slack off, she wouldn't let you. What impressed me most about her, and it's my second memory of her, was two months after we met each other, I showed up to her office unannounced, and she new my name: "Hey, Mike. What's up?" I didn't even know what to say (believe it or not).

    She is feminism to the highest degree, and the good kind, the true kind. She's not about lifting women over men; she wants equality -- nothing more, nothing less -- and she brought me there, too. I took a gender communication course with her, and she made it so everyone wanted to participate in the class discussions. No matter what I thought -- whether it swam with or against the current -- I was never afraid to add it to the mix. And she would always, always commend me -- and the others, so long as it was a productive comment -- for my contributions.

    I felt like she really understood me. I'd continually make off-color comments in and out of class just to get a rise out of people. This one woman, a classmate of mine, was very uptight about a lot of things, and I always got a kick out of pushing her buttons. I told her something like, "Women should be in the kitchen" or something and followed it up with a giggle because it was an obvious joke. She ended up telling the professor what I said, and she laughed and said, "Oh, knock it off. That's just Mike." I'll never forget that.

    I had a lot of problems with my family, and it was taking a toll on me internally that year, and I was always very open with it in that class. Like this Web site, I used that gender communication course like a sounding board or even a therapist, and I generally left feeling a little better about things. When I graduated, she instructed me to call her Sue, and she gave me a hug and told me something I'll never forget: "Your parents don't know what they've missed."

    I owe a lot of my success -- in life and my career -- to all those teachers. They were each great in their own ways, and they were exactly what -- and who -- I needed.
     
  2. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    Good stuff, Mikey. The head of the journalism department at my juco was the same way. An outstanding person that you learned a lot just from being around, even though he wasn't a textbook-great teacher. He got the best out of me and really steered me on the right path.
     
  3. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    Thanks, man.

    They're so underrated and also underappreciated. My professor just got tenure after being denied three years in a row, and the main editors from my time at the paper -- my ex, the news and sports editor, and a great friend, the news editor and my replacement as EIC -- couldn't believe he'd be turned down once. If you bought into his method, which was great although laid-back, you were going to be fine. If you went into his classes believing you knew more than he did, of course you weren't going to learn much.

    When he got tenure, he threw an e-mail to the three of us and a couple more students. On the way to a wedding in New York, I had to pass his town, so my friend and I met him for dinner, and I picked up the check to say thanks and congratulations. It was the least I could do.
     
  4. SportsDude

    SportsDude Active Member

    Had a fantastic history prof my freshman year. I still check out the school's web site to make sure he's there.
     
  5. Beaker

    Beaker Active Member

    Thankfully, I've had many truly great ones.

    I just contacted one of my old communications professors at my alma mater (I graduated in 2005), and I'm using his name as a job reference now. He's a great guy, and he helped me greatly especially early in my college career, when my self-esteem was sort of at a low ebb.

    I had a prof in grad school who's one of the giants in the field, and you never know what to expect from profs of his stature; sometimes they can be pretty aloof. At times in class his massive intellect could still give you the heebie-jeebies, but he certainly didn't mean to. He was a really collegial guy, and he knew both how to encourage you when you needed it and tell you like it is when you needed it. And man, could he drink scotch with the best.
     
  6. Beaker

    Beaker Active Member

    Oh, and great stuff, mikey. As you say, the best professors are the ones who seem to have a superhuman capacity to know exactly the treatment you need, despite the fact the prof probably has a great many students.

    Being a teaching assistant in grad school (with many less students than my professors) made me appreciate that ability even more.
     
  7. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    Thanks a lot, dude.
     
  8. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    My mentor in undergrad was another father to me and the one after that was like my big brother. These people light the pilot, and it burns as long as you live.
     
  9. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    In college, not really, but I didn't stick around very long. In high school, lots of great ones. My school started a thing that when you make your annual contribution, you can do so in honor of a teacher. The first year, the guy I honored sent me an e-mail thanking me and I told him, to be honest, you had lots of competition, so I probably won't pick you again for another 10 years. And I haven't. I haven't duplicated anyone yet. Which is pretty fucking amazing. I won't get an e-mail from the guy I honored this year. He's takin' a dirt nap, poor fella.
     
  10. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Had a journalism professor who also founded the department at my alma mater. He taught the first JO class I took as a freshman - Intro to Mass Comm and the final two I took as a senior - media ethics and persuasion courses.

    The last two were an absolute bitch but I enjoyed every minute of them. If he was still around he'd have a field day tearing up what passes for journalism today.

    He was also a priest.
     
  11. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    Had a real cool prof. for four classes. Two literary journalism classes and two magazine writing classes.

    It was all the same people for all four classes, and two years later when we enrolled for the fourth and final class: Literary Journalism II. The prof held class in the lobby of his townhouse complex, and get this, served us champagne every Tuesday night. He only let us have two glasses each, but he really was the coolest guy. As veteran members of the courses, he let us mentor kids in the earlier courses. My senior year, when I was taking the third of four classes, I had to introduce him to the class of mostly sophomores. After my introduction he comes in dressed like Mark Twain. It was hilarious. Another time, when we had some visitors from another university he pretended to only speak Spanish. I can go on forever.

    Bottom line though, we did learn a lot. The prof had covered lots in his time including the Vietnam War in his younger years, so we learned a lot from him. And he typically didn't care what people wrote about as long as it was good.

    One girl in our class wrote a story about getting a lap dance from a female stripper. It was so hilarious he made her read in front of the class; things like this were common place. And sometimes weird, yet always funny.

    Lastly, the prof introduced me, and many others to some of the finest authors. He compiled books of the greatest magazine writers/sports writers/news writers based on eras and genres and gave them to us all to keep; free of charge.

    I still have all the books, about 20 in all featuring the best articles from these writers and many more. (apologies for misspellings)

    W.C. Heinz, Granny Rice, Heywood Broun, Roger Angel, John Hersey, Tom Wolfe, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, John Hersey, David Halberstam.
     
  12. In my six years at college, there were a few solid professors outside of my journalism studies that were good solid professors. However, none had encouraged me to embrace my natural intelligence and desire to research and learn like Dr. Williams. I had heard many horror stories about Dr. Williams through my roommate at the time and others who took his Afro-American Experience course when I told them I registered for it. The consensus phrase: "HE DON'T PLAY!"

    For one, before I'd even met the man, I pictured him to be one of those older, no-nonsense professors with a head full of gray hair, a booming voice and a dry speaking tone. Imagine my surprise when a youngish, bald-headed guy who loved to randomly quote Chris Jericho (let me tell how this happened, Junior) or the Rock (you guys want me to skip this chapter?...It doesn't matter what you want...) showed up the first day of class.

    I found myself excited for his class, learning new things about my ancestors and anecdotes about historical figures in the Civil Rights era that just amazed me. It was well known by the end of the spring semester that students with A averages would be allowed to skip the final and start summer vacation with a sigh of relief. So as he counted off last names, I got my pencil ready to take the test when my surname hit my ears..."Mr. Shadow! You can go." He said this with a big smile on his face, I couldn't even talk, so I mouthed "me?" He said, "yes you...out!"

    Later that summer as I stopped in to say hello at his office, he said to me..."you're a bright young man, never be afraid to be intelligent because clearly you know your stuff...about anything."

    In my younger years I was good for dumbing myself down to fit in with the crowd and impress women, but Dr. Williams taught me that it was o.k. to be smart and I'm extremely grateful for to him for that self-esteem boost.
     
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