I have been teaching online and onsite for a little more than a year. What I find not only interesting but impossible to avoid is the sincerity I bring to every student in my classes. For me, it does not matter how objective and professional I try to be, my passion for every student is something I cannot avoid. I understand this is a positive and most if not all instructors try to bring this emotion to the classroom.
However, is this really true? For me, my humbled life growing up, sharing house parenting duties while an undergraduate with my late wife hoping to save troubled youth before it is too late and the difficult but rewarding experience of raising two sons on my own these last twelve years play a significant role in how I deal with my students.
I know I am this way because from the moment I speak to students in front of others and individually, I feel this automatic and emotional connection. I want the student to succeed and I want to help them become better people regardless of what skills they bring to my communication courses and no matter what my course outcomes are. This can be troubling to me only because I wonder "is this the way it is supposed to be?" Am I supposed to feel this way all of the time or am I being too emotional?
This is the question I pose to you. As instructors in an industry where many outsiders feel is a "thankless" profession is it enough to give your time, intelligence, education and in this case, your passion for each student to not only succeed in life but to be happy as well?"
Am I being naive by feeling this way? If you do not feel this way, is this the norm and should we as instructors avoid taking our teaching to this level for all of our students? Is this realistic?
