Re: Dear Professor (Why It's All About Me)

Check This Out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/education/21professors.html?_r=1&scp=1...

Click on the article and read (or skim) to your heart’s content. It’s actually an interesting article, and it could have a lot to do with how you see your future or current college experience.

When I came to college, I was at first intimidated by the professors. Eventually though, due to the small sizes of my classes and the genuine coolness of my professors, I didn’t feel so afraid to speak up in class, e-mail with a concern, or talk with the teacher outside of class. I’ve had to e-mail professors for issues of getting a PIN number (used to registering for classes), sending a solicited assignment, or when asking for the whereabouts of a missing Memorex USB flash drive.

Never, though, had I been as bold as to e-mail my professors with the whim that some students do.

In the article, teachers from around the U.S. explain the strange e-mails they’ve gotten from students. A sociology professor in Virginia, Kathleen Jenkins, reports getting e-mails from students who would miss class, and needed her personal teaching notes. A professor named Patricia Ewick got ten unsolicited e-mails from students who wanted her to read the rough drafts of their papers only two days before the final assignment was due. The kicker for me is one freshman girl who sent an e-mail asking her professor what notebook to buy.

Teachers may be more accessible these days, but perhaps too much so. You really need to pause and think before you hit ‘send’ on an e-mail to a professor. Think along the lines of: “Does this question really need to be posed to this teacher, or can I find this out for myself?”, “Couldn’t I just ask of my teacher in person?”, or “Is this too much to ask of a professor when I’m supposed to be responsible for myself?”.

After reading this article, I too became more aware of when I had to e-mail a professor. I really had to stop and think, and wonder about things from the teacher’s perspective. This unspoken agreement between professor and student could undoubtedly enhance the class experience and make the analog version of communication--actual speech--come back into play as the preferred way to converse with a professional.