By: Rida Pasha
Whether it’s the real world being brought into the classroom by a professor, or the ease in explanation provided by a teaching assistant, there is no doubt that a good learning experience is a product of the time and energy of professors and TAs.
However, these educators are often overlooked and underappreciated for their efforts to bring life to course content. It’s time we become more active in acknowledging our professors and TAs.
The 2019 Teaching Awards Ceremony, an event run by a subcommittee of McMaster Students Union Macademics, was held on March 15, presenting nominated professors and TAs with awards for their excellence in teaching.
As someone involved in organizing and attending the event, a common remark made by the winners was that the greatest compliment they could receive was hearing appreciation from their students.
Although we generally view professors and TAs to be confident people in positions of authority, it was interesting that many of them discussed how even though it’s their job to lecture or run tutorials, they still feel a sense of nervousness before the start of each class.
Though instructors are strongly educated and qualified, it’s reassuring for them to hear that they’re doing a good job from their students.
Let’s take the time to compliment instructors that incorporate memes into their presentations, relate class material to our generation, take feedback seriously and actually make course improvements based off of them.
It’s easy to take their efforts for granted, but if you really enjoyed a class, let your instructor know after class or send them an email with follow-up questions.
Trying to be actively engaged in class is a great way to show instructors that what they’re saying is interesting. Although three-hour lectures can start to drag on, it’s great to ask questions or give your professor a nod of understanding when they look in your direction.
With course evaluations now open, spare a few minutes to describe what you like about your classes so far, and provide suggestions if you have any.
Not only is this an opportunity to give your input, it’s also a great way for professors to cater their class to their students’ needs, something many professors genuinely want to do.
When it’s Teaching Award nomination season, make sure you nominate professors and TAs that are doing a great job. The process takes no more than five minutes and can make all the difference for the educators you’re nominating.
Besides the fact that appreciating your teachers is a kind gesture, it’s also important to remember that beyond the course they are teaching, professors and TAs have industry knowledge and professional experience that could benefit you.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about the field they’re in, getting advice about graduate school or acquiring volunteer opportunities, it’s not a bad idea to start building a relationship with your instructors by showing them how they’re making your learning experience better.
Of course, be genuine and mean what you say, but recognize that sharing your thoughts and opinions about a class can result in a really great professional relationship.
There are classes you will love and others you will hate. But amongst the many that are boring, annoying and difficult, we all have at least one class that we look forward to attending, even on a rough day.
As students, let’s take the time to show our appreciation for our beloved educators that make a positive difference in our lives.
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I’m no stranger to 4 a.m. at Thode. In fact, I’m no stranger to 6 a.m. either. Despite countless times that I’ve heard all-nighters don’t help anyone, I ignore the advice and continue to power through pages of readings with the help of coffee, music, and comfortable clothes.
Sleep is important during exams, I know that (and you should too), but I’m the kind of person that gets really anxious about sleeping before I feel fully prepared (or as prepared as I can be) so I tend to stay in the library until the wee hours of the morning and then go home and sleep for a few hours.
In order to make sure that I don’t burn out or fall asleep face first during my exam, I follow a few personal rules. The first is that I’m in bed by 1 a.m. whenever I have an exam the next morning at 9 a.m. It doesn’t help anyone to be completely sleep-deprived before an exam.
Also, make sure you check the bus schedules. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on campus because you live too far to walk or being forced to make arrangements and a plan at the beginning of the night so you know when you’re ending your studying and packing up to go home.
Also make sure you have enough food or enough money to buy food. I always spend way more money during exam times because I have to order food or walk to Subway and get food because everything on campus closes as of 11 p.m.
Staying on campus is not for the weak. The Hunger Games seems like a Disney holiday special when you’ve experienced late nights at Thode. People start mowing on food, sleeping on desks, and snapping at anyone that talks above a whisper.
If libraries aren’t your thing, you may like the Student Centre instead. There are plenty of couches, floor space, and sparse amount of people after night falls. That way, you can also take naps in between chapters, which is very important.
If you’re going to be spending the better part of a day studying, take a power nap. Twenty minutes of shut-eye will make all the difference of absorbing that dense textbook you didn’t open until exam period. Just make sure that you’re not napping more than twenty minutes if you want to power nap. Longer naps of an hour to an hour and a half are okay if you have that much time to spare.
The last thing to consider is what to wear to all night study sessions. Sure, you can be that person who wears a full fashionable outfit to the library to study, but you may not be comfortable enough to stay in it for hours.
Think sweatpants, loose fitting pants, and comfortable sleepwear, like Snuggies. That’s right, I said it. Although Snuggies aren’t super practical to take to the bathroom, they do have the benefit of allowing you to work while being fully blanketed.
Another option is the onesie. This is practical to wear to the bathroom, although it takes some maneuvering unless you have one of those buttflaps.
If you want to spend late hours in the library, there are many advantages that include study space, lots of outlets, and it is generally quieter. However, make sure you’re prepared for it. Eat well, sleep well, do well. Grab your Snuggie, your sweatpants, or your onesie, and I’ll see you in Thode.
