This is an email I just sent to an old college professor. I felt like sharing it with you too. Thank you to you teachers who push us to excel!
Hi Dr. Jorgensen,
I hope this finds you well.
I'm not sure if you remember me, but I took your Bio 150 class when I was a freshman at Roanoke College. I remember listening to my roommate complain about your class during the Fall 1995 semester. She spoke of how you were a tough teacher and how "no one can ace his class." I took that idea as a challenge, thinking, "I can ace his class." As an English/Theater double-major, I had no specific interests in biology, but I had much interest in proving to myself that I could stand up to a difficult challenge.
I enrolled in your class the following Spring semester with high hopes of easily making an "A." My roommate was right. Your class was the toughest I'd ever come across. The material seemed dense, too difficult for me to comprehend, but I was determined to ace your class.
Even though I feared the ridicule that would I would face from other students, I bought a tape recorder, placed it on my desk, and started recording every one of your lectures while taking meticulous notes. At night, I would listen to the taped lectures and type them up, word for word. The repetition of your lectures helped me considerably.
When it came time to take your tests, I revisited the material and made a bunch of flash cards, hoping to trigger the details of all-too-confusing cellular structures. Over the next few months I found myself falling in love with biology. I started to find the mysteries of human structure and development fascinating, I looked forward to every class, and I relished in my studies.
I kept my schedule packed, blending my intense study time with my participation in choirs and plays and of course, having fun with my friends. And there were many times my studying called for sacrifices. I can recall a Friday night when I was reviewing the material for an upcoming test in your class. I sat in one of the study rooms in my dorm, Marion Hall. My friends would pass by and head out the door, stopping to ask me when I would be done studying so I could meet them at a party. I told them I still had a little more material to cover and would hopefully make it out later. I remember clearly one friend who said, "Why are you studying on a Friday night? You'll forget all the material by the time you take the test on Monday anyway." I shrugged my shoulders and got back to work, making sure not to mention that the test was not on Monday, but on Wednesday -- I was studying five days in advance.
While those months of listening to lectures and absorbing every little detail about the class taught me much about biology, I learned so much more about myself than I ever could have imagined. I learned that I loved learning. I loved working hard and proving to myself that I could do the unthinkable. I taught myself how to study. I figured out ways to teach myself new material. There are days that I think back to those flash cards, those Friday nights in the study room, those difficult tests, and I somehow feel as if I can do anything if I just prioritize and work hard.
I did ace your class.
At the end of the semester you asked me to consider Biology as a major. "Biology?" I thought, "but I already have two majors." The idea was tempting, though.
I don't regret majoring in English or in Theater. Every class I took at Roanoke College was well worth the hard work. I graduated from the school in three years. I worked as a television news producer and writer for twelve years, most recently at Good Morning America. I received a full-tuition fellowship from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Now I'm writing my first book.
Sometimes I wonder if professors know how much of an influence they have had on the lives of their students. I'm sure many teachers gauge their success by the number of students who manage to succeed in their career field. But there are those of us who see you as a success merely because you inspired us when you didn't realize it. You served as an example when you thought no one was listening during your introductory-level class.
Thank you for being the teacher who keeps pushing his students. I can only assume being a difficult professor has its drawbacks. No one loves the teacher who makes life hard. But for me, your pushing made all the difference in my life.