Students are great in many ways. Lately, my students have reminded me that they have learned more than Political Science or Technology and Society from me. I have conveyed life lessons and at times without realizing it.  This post is dedicated to those students and what they have taught me.

1. Students pay attention to the seemingly little things–like compliments about their work or when you check in to make sure that things are OK.
2. Students can sense when you enjoy teaching. And, they often find your enthusiasm contagious.
3. Students have repeatedly told me that they feel accountable to me and to NOT stop taking roll. I did stop one year and many noted that they didn’t like that. They wanted to be accountable to me. Go figure. I have resumed taking roll and noting participation.
4. Students appreciate that I stand by my convictions with deadlines and other policies. This has surprised me, but they noted that the consequences made them take the assignment more seriously or found that they wanted to meet the deadline.
5. Students remember things…all the things. The jokes in class and the metaphors to help them break down course materials.

I have taught for more than twenty years and I am a life-long learner. This is only a snapshot of what I have heard from my students in the last month or so. I look forward to the next twenty years of teaching and what I will continue to learn. A warm thank you to the more than 7,000 students to grace my courses.yg

The photo below is of one of my girls enjoying her cocoa and a good book, while I am grading papers.