By Nagash Clarke, Chemistry
Students won't so much remember your well organized lecture notes, nor how quickly you record grades.
They won't so much remember how efficiently you covered the curriculum.
They won't remember your many teaching awards or accolades.
They won't remember how many students successfully complete the program, nor how
many transfer to
excellent institutions.
They do remember, however, the time you took to explain a difficult concept to them long after the end of office hours.
They remember the conversation in the hallway, and that you were the first person in their life who ever said the words: " I am proud of you."
They remember the grace extended when they missed the second exam.
They remember when you told them that they could do very well with just a bit more effort.
They never forget when you handed them the box of Kleenex and told them it's ok to cry. "Life can be hard, but don't give up."
They remember when they shared a painful story or a tragedy, and you showed them humanity without judgment.
These intangible things we do cannot be captured in an assessment report, or covered in a HLC metric.
Keep doing them.
Those are the things that really matter.