Thank a Prof. Thank a Prof? Yeah, Thank a Prof! McGill’s Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) recently launched an initiative that encourages students to thank profs (i.e., any instructor at McGill) who have made a difference in their lives.
How does it work? It’s simple. Students log in to the Thank a Prof website. They type a message in the textbox that explains why they’d like to thank a prof and then click “Submit”. TLS receives the thank you messages and sends a congratulatory letter to the prof by email that includes the student’s message but not the student’s name. Students can choose whether or not they want their comments to be published on the “Thanked profs” web page (coming soon).
Judging by the student messages submitted to date, McGill has some pretty passionate and dedicated profs! Check out these example student messages:
These brief, yet sincere messages have impact. Profs have been delighted to receive thanks from students and they’ve let TLS know with messages of their own, such as:
Having been the recipient of one of the student messages myself, I’d like to add my own thanks to TLS for launching the Thank a Prof initiative. Teaching is exhilarating and fun; it’s also hard work and challenging. Occasionally, it gives me knots in my stomach, and it can make me feel incredibly frustrated. Trite as it might sound, a thank you from a student makes it all worthwhile.
Have you made a point of thanking a prof who made a difference in your life? What inspired you to thank him or her?
Check the Thank a Prof website later this month for a list of McGill profs who have been thanked by students.
Associate Director, Faculty and Teaching Development, and Senior Academic Associate, at McGill's Teaching and Learning Services; former Senior Faculty Lecturer at the McGill Writing Centre; area of specialization: Second Language Education; loves teaching and learning!
(Photo credit: Owen Egan)
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