I think that working with people in the teacher-student relationship is a great privilege. I have a quote in my office “The justification for a university is that it preserves the connection between knowledge and the zest for life, by uniting the young and the old in the imaginative consideration of learning.” That is a lofty goal, but one that describes my ideal job as a college teacher. The source of the quote is Alfred North Whitehead in the Aims of Education.

I expect a good deal from my students and hope that they expect a good deal from me including preparation, promptness, fairness and empathy. Great students teach themselves the academics their teachers put before them. Good students need mentoring and guiding to see the light. I hope that I have served as a mentor and guide for them. Some students are not intrinsically motivated and it has been hard to serve, guide or excite them. For me teaching has always been very personal and gratifying. I only regret the students that I fail to excite about the subject matter they may have come to my class to study.