A few years ago, a student turned in a kind of funny poem about me and my class along with the final exam paper. Since then, every term, I behave like a kid searching through the cereals for the toy in the box--I flip through the pages to see if there is any poem or a special note in appreciation.
But, of course, this is rare. A couple of terms ago, one student made a flip-book of sorts in the exam blue book; it was cool to read at the end that he enjoyed the course and my teaching.
Last Spring, a student gave a $10 Starbucks gift card as a thank you. Knowing my fondness for coffee, he thought I would make use of that as compared to other kind of gifts. I am yet to spend it: the gift is worth way more than the $10 and coffee, as far as I am concerned. The card has been in my wallet all these months as a reminder of sorts.
If only students knew how much of an excitement it is for me, and a disappointment it is when there is nothing :(
Nothing this term. No poem. No thank-you gift. No cookies. No nothing. Well, not anything tangible. I did get plenty of spontaneous student feedback on how much they enjoyed the classes and my teaching style.
And, I got invited to a student's wedding, which will be in June.
Earlier this morning, I did get compliments of a totally different kind when a student said, as handed me his paper, "this 100-level class had a lot more work, in terms of reading and writing, than all my other classes put together. And those are upper division classes"
I pumped up both my arms like a football referee signaling a touchdown. We both laughed.
As I think about my own years as a student, all the way from when I was a kid to my doctoral days, I now regret that I never conveyed my appreciation to some of the teachers who were wonderful teachers. Much later in life, I have emailed more than once to a couple of my graduate school professors ... you know, better late than never.
Now, back to that poem ... here is the ultimate tragedy of all: I seem to have misplaced it!
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