Some of the best things about a liberal arts school are distribution requirements. They at first seem like a pain, but they give students the chance to discover courses they may have never known they’d like. For example, I always knew I’d love my Chemistry courses, but I would’ve never known I liked Classics without Greek History!
But… why was Greek History so likable?
Two words. Adam Serfass.
Adam Serfass is a professor in the Classics Department, and taught me for a semester. And he is a perfect example of how a professor can transform your learning experience.
What makes a professor good? How does one become an Adam Serfass?
I’ll tell you.
I’ve had a lot of amazing professors and teachers, I wish I could mention them all, but I have a few personal examples. So let’s get into it.
A professor needs to be prepared.
I can FEEL time slow watching a teacher try to figure out what to work on in class, or mess with the whiteboard for half the time, or flounder through their notes. Occasionally, a professor messes up – we’re only human, after all. If it’s continuous floundering, it gets boring. It starts to make the student feel like he/she could do better missing class and studying alone. I mean, if the professor is confused, then how must I feel?
A professor should be passionate about what they’re teaching.
A boring lecture is possibly a form of torture. What makes that lecture exciting is when the professor has a little moment. That little moment when the teacher’s face light up and they start talking about something they probably wrote their thesis on.
It’s actually sort of adorable. I remember my sweet high school chemistry teacher named Dr. Holt get really excited teaching us about Redox reactions. I think that was one of the first teachers I’ve ever seen be truly passionate about what they were teaching. A lot of my high school teachers were like that. I could see how much they cared about what they were learning, and it made you want it to learn it too — how can I appreciate this as much as these people can?
A professor should also be able to answer even the most esoteric of student questions. I’ve seen one of my teachers talk about Special Order 191 from the Civil War for 2 minutes. It was such amazing supplemental knowledge that he was able to just recall without pause. Professor Hardy in the Anthropology department always has some interesting fact to share with us every class that helps you remember what he’s actually trying to talk about.
A professor needs to be empathetic.
No, your teacher shouldn’t make it easy for you. BUT: A teacher shouldn’t try to make your life difficult. If you’re sick, a teacher should understand this.
Dr. Garcia, Dr. Bagne, and Dr. Hunsen are great personal examples: Dr. Garcia reached out to me when I told him I suffered from depression. He wanted to make sure I was okay, and that he’d know the signs when I wasn’t okay. Having a professor who watches your back like that is very comforting. And when I admitted to Dr. Hunsen that my lab work was gonna suffer because of my lack of sleep (and some other personal reasons), he let me miss class and come into another block to run the experiment later. Dr. Bagne did something similar for an assignment. These teachers understand that we’re people before we are students, which is something my high school teachers never really caught on with.
A professor needs to make you excited about even the most boring of subjects.
Ever see Dr. Getzler get excited about Grignard reactions? Or Dr. Hicks go on and on about meiosis II? Or maybe Professor Longerot talk about shadows? If you haven’t, it’s life-changing.
These teachers can transform the way you look at something as simple as shadows and nitrogen.
This is what Adam Serfass mastered. He made you look forward to 90 minutes of painful notetaking, because you liked to do it. You were willing to learn about something you may have never cared about.
A girl in my Greek Drama class told me she was pursuing a Classics minor because of Dr. Serfass. I can’t say I am surprised. I loved it almost that much.
Bonus: A professor needs to make you love them.
The most important teacher in my life is Dr. Holt (that’s him in the picture, he should probably be wearing gloves). I had him years ago (yes, I am still gonna mention him), and yet I still miss him. He was like a father for me and my class. We were his kids, and we loved him and respected him.
I’m still waiting for the professor that I’ll adore the way I adore Dr. Holt. There is one at Kenyon somewhere.
Image Credit: Feature, 1, 2, 3