In elementary and middle school, among many things you did not want to get called, you especially did not want to be name-called a teacher’s pet. It was stinging, insulting, and most of all, shaming. To fit in with everyone, you had to play it cool and acknowledge your peers more than you did your teacher. There were specific lines: you were the student, and he/she was the teacher.
In college I learned an important lesson.
Being a teacher’s pet is cool. Here are the reasons why.
1. Knowledge and Experience.
It is almost insensible not to go have a chat with them. I went to my finance professor telling him I wanted to learn how to invest in the stock market, and he gave me tips and gave me his extensive list of books to read that he had collected over the years. He told me which books were great for beginners, and which one he would personally recommend. As an added bonus, he shared pictures of his cute baby son, who, by the way, was adorable.
2. Mentorship.
The number-one tip I hear from adults of how to be successful is to have a great mentor. In Sheryl Sandberg’s book, "Lean In," she mentioned how important it was to have a mentor to be successful. She is someone I define as a boss-woman. She has reaped success through her past professional experience which led to her serving as the current Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. This continuous success was primarily driven by her devout mentors who continue to aid in her career success.
3. Personal enrichment.
Discounting the professors who truly seem to be miserable at work, there are a vast number of professors who are genuinely happy to be there teaching you more knowledge in a particular subject area. These professors are excited about the subject they are teaching and they genuinely want you to succeed. Not only that, many times if you go talk to them, you would be surprised to find them wanting to aid in your personal enrichment and taking a vested interest in your life.
4. Networking.
Through many years of experience, both in school and industry, many professors know what it feels like to be in the real world. They have a well-connected network of professionals they know, and who they would gladly connect you to if you show them competency and drive. The homophily phenomenon states that we tend to socialize with those that are most similar to ourselves. Thus, our network of strong ties is connected together by similar people who thus have similar information. However, this becomes problematic when you try to gain new information; those you talk to on a normal basis will have the same general knowledge as you. However, by branching out into other networks, you open yourself to a network of new information. Thus, reaching out to your professor opens you up to a completely new network you can gain information from.
5. Role model.
Been there, done that. A common phrase that perfectly describes professors. At this point of our college career, there is no one more valuable we can gain information from than our professors. I strive to be like some of mine, not only in poise and intelligence, but also in success. Just remember: to be an instructor at such a great university, the professors are surely doing something right.
There you have it. Being a teacher’s pet is not insulting. It is a measure of how well you utilize your resources by surrounding yourself with the right networks.
Whatever it takes, walk yourself to your teacher’s office hours and get to know them. You have no idea how outstanding they are until you get to know them.
