We had an interesting dinner conversation last week. My husband relayed that a past Purdue student of mine had commented that I was a really good teacher and that what was different from his other professors was that “I cared”.
While that I cared is quite true, I was saddened that caring was the exception, rather than the rule. Caring is important – but overall a pretty low bar. True, I am an idealist, but is it crazy to expect that 100% of the teachers that are shaping these bright young minds care about them? Or at least a majority?
Gallop just released the results of a study with Purdue, of 30,000 college graduates, measuring the degree to which graduates have “great jobs” through successful and engaging careers, and are leading “great lives,” by thriving in their overall well-being. They distilled their findings into six key college experiences that contributed greatly to well-being:
- Having at least one professor who made them excited about learning
- Feeling professors cared about them as a person
- Having a mentor who encouraged them to pursue goals and dreams
- Working on a project that took a semester of more to complete
- Having an internship that allowed them to apply what they learned in the classroom
- Being extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations during college
Gallop’s summary (verbatim) underscores the point:
Yet few college graduates that Gallup studied achieve the winning combination. Only 14% of graduates strongly agree they were supported by professors who cared, who made them excited about learning, and who encouraged their dreams. Further, just 6% of graduates strongly agree they had an internship or job that allowed them to apply what they were learning, worked on a long-term project, and were actively involved in extra-curricular activities. Those who strongly agree to having had all six of these experiences during their time in college are the rarest of all (3%).
Note – You can read the full report here.
So my student was right – 84% of college students NEVER have a professor that cared – and given that an average college student most likely has approximately 40 different professors – my calculations would show that less than 1% of college professors are perceived as caring. That indeed is a sad state of affairs.
I started this blog a few days ago. Just last night, we wrapped up an Entrepreneurial Capstone course with 58 students. On the first night of class we delved into the question: “How can we make this one of the best learning experiences you’ve had at Purdue?” The students had ideas. We listened. They responded. They showed up. They did the work. They connected with each other.
And on our final night, something unprecedented happened. The students, of their own accord, had t-shirts made with a funny play on the two books we read: The Personal Business Plan: A Blueprint for Running Your Life and The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. And I thought to myself, not only did these students have the experience of having their instructors care, they created a memorable learning experience and connections. It can happen. What can we do to make it happen more often?
And a short footnote: You’ll not be able to read the quote in the picture on the left – but it reads: “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so that you can live the rest of your life like most people can’t”. ~Anonymous
