I have had some great professors at Emory, but possibly because we change classes every semester, or because lectures are bigger or simply because we are now treated more like adults; I have found that the relationship I have with my teachers here is very different from that which I had with my teachers in school. I don't know my teachers at Emory as well as I did the ones in school, and consequently, I don't feel as strongly about them, negatively or positively. So I decided to write about the most significant teachers throughout my school experience to help shed light on why exactly the teacher-student relationship changes so much in college:
Ms. Romero
There is this teacher at my high school who basically controls the whole art department, and I tried very hard to get into her good graces. She is both my favorite teacher and one of the most terrifying people I have ever met. She ruthlessly picks favorites, and due to this being an interest developed later in life, and honestly, due to me not having much natural talent for drawing or painting, I was far from the spotlight. I had to get over my shyness and raise my hand to answer her questions, and risk being slammed down by one of her vicious comebacks, which both made her hilarious and terrifying. In the beginning, I had to bite back my angry complaints and make myself smile and stay after class to ask more questions or ask for her opinion on my work. I don't know exactly when the change happened, but suddenly the smiles became genuine and all I wanted was for her to say she liked what I was doing. While I was busy trying to win her over, she won me over too. To this day I can't go to an art exhibition or even doodle in the corner of my notebook without remembering her classes.
Mr. Serendipity
We had school uniforms and when we got older we had to follow a dress code, both of which he enforced. From the wrong length of socks to too much jewelry to being told to tuck your shirt in, most students at my school, including myself, were told off at least once a week by him. He is really tall, and so it was easy to spot him coming your way from the end of the corridor, with a pointing finger and eyes slightly widened. When I discovered I had him for maths, I was less than thrilled. Turns out, everything I know about maths I learned that year with him. His dry humor and clear organization were a pleasurable surprise for at least most of the class, and it was honestly the only part of my life in which I enjoyed math.
Mr. Sourman
The actual worst teacher I have ever had. English literature was my best subject before I had him, and after I had him too, just not during his class. He made me question my career choices, my abilities, and whether I was going to get into college or not. I hate it when students say that a teacher doesn't like them, but honestly, I find no other way to describe what happened during this semester. Whether it was my writing style, or me, something didn't work with him. And the worst part? He was such a sweet guy. He wore funny socks and was always smiling and joking, especially when he gave you back a really bad grade.
Mr. Cabral
My memories of him include his exaggerated hand gestures, his awkward jokes, and the time in which he taught the whole class with a toothbrush in his back pocket. He is one of the most eccentric people I have ever met, and also the person who has believed in me the most. He was my history teacher before I fell in love with this subject (which is now one of my majors), and even though I didn't get the best grades, he was always asking for my opinions after class and signing me up for extracurricular activities that I was too shy to participate in. Looking back, it is almost as if he knew that I would grow into the subject, and become almost as obsessed with history as he is.
There is something about having to ask a person you barely know if you can go to the bathroom, or maybe it's the raw inexperience of dealing with people professionally. Being polite, and even nice to someone you don't like is an acquired skill, and most people (myself included) don't develop this early in their high school career. This unintentional sincerity combined with the taking everything so personally, that is characteristic of immaturity are fuel for the intensity of relationships developed with teachers during school.
