1. I actually can handle stress and anxiety.
My first semester of college was a complete breeze with little to no homework, more than enough time to kill, and a lot of nights to watch Netflix with no regret. It wasn’t until my second semester of college when I realized I had never been more stressed out and my anxiety had never been so high. I never thought I could actually handle writing two, four to six page papers at a time, on top of Monday night volunteering, Tuesday night APO, and Thursday afternoon three hour daycare labs. So even though my school weeks mostly consist of my head being stuck in history articles & my political ideologies book (and occasionally watching Netflix because I sometimes procrastinate), I’ll always look back on this semester and realize I can handle a lot more than I think.
2. If I have an open mind, I really can learn something new.
I remember the first week of the semester, you told us over and over that if we just allowed ourselves to open up to what we were reading and use the hour that we had for class to actually talk about it, we would learn something new. I’ve learned more this semester than I have in my twelve years of school before college. Maybe it’s because my teachers never bothered to let us talk or maybe it’s because I always assumed social studies just wasn’t for me. Either way, I’ve learned more than I thought I would.
3. When I needed help, you were there.
“Come to my office hours, see if I’m still the jerk you think I am.” I can officially say you are definitely not. It only took two awful grades for me to realize I desperately needed to talk to you. A part of me thought I could just skim by and not have to ask for help, but I was definitely wrong. I’m sorry my coping mechanism is crying, meaning I’m sorry I lost it and cried in front of you, but thanks for the handkerchief. I know now if I have a question about anything, you’ll be more than welcome to answer it when you’re available.
4. You’re sarcastic & You know it.
We really all do look like crap when we come back from break and we still laugh when you openly say it. The majority of us come to class in sweatpants and hoodies, mainly just a mess (who are we kidding, we’re a mess all the time). Your jokes about Trump are totally welcomed in class. It’s nice to know that there’s a professor on the campus who can and will be as sarcastic as they want to. Usually we don’t see that side of professors.
5. You’re passionate about what you teach.
It’s difficult to sit through a class when the professor doesn’t even care to teach the subject. Weekend after weekend, you come to class on Monday mornings and talk about the book you read the day before. How you read so quickly, I’ll never know. I do know that I never would’ve thought I’d get so interested in the books we’re assigned to read. You continuously tell us about interviews you’ve done and are doing, the books you’ve written and read, and the authors you’ve met. The classes you teach really could not be done by anyone else.
So Thank You to the hardest professor I’ve ever had (so far anyway.) Thanks for making me realize I can handle a surplus of stress and anxiety. Thanks for allowing me to open up to new books, ideas, and ideologies. Thanks for not acting annoyed or frustrated when I cried about needing help with grades. Thanks for your wonderful sarcasm that is always appreciated and last but not least, thanks for being as passionate as you are about what you do.
This college will lose a great person when the time comes for you to leave and I feel bad for the future students who won’t get to have a class with you. Here’s to you, Dr. Greene. Thanks for one hell of a semester.
