When you walk into a classroom to teach or to learn, it’s important to remember why you’re there — you’re furthering your education or the education of others. It’s rewarding for the work you do academically to be recognized, but it should never be the priority.
As students, we shouldn’t come to class every day just because we plan on getting something out of it. Yes, the potential for awards, research grants, internships and jobs and professional accolades are bonuses, and we should strive for those. But that should never be why we show up.
We pay tuition to come to college, get a degree and eventually get a job. But even more importantly, we are in college to learn and use our minds — not just to score a professor’s recommendation or win a prize.
And educators, coming into a classroom with the expectation that your students should generate awards or recognition for you poisons the entire experience.
Open your mind and focus on what you learn, not what you gain.
