While I watched several of my current and former students interacting in the Math Lab this morning, I realized how envious I am of their undergraduate experience.
Though I had good (some very good) professors, none were nearly so dedicated to my success as most of my colleagues in this department are to our students' success. I was never encouraged to do an REU, or to perform undergraduate research. I was never encouraged to attend and present at conferences. I was never given much guidance regarding grad school, and life beyond. For my students, this is all standard.
Though I had a few wonderful friends who shared my math major with me, indeed we were few, maybe ten or so the whole while I was in the program (all years included). The uppermost-level classes had three or four students, never more. My students have nearly a hundred peers in the program, and even the smallest 400-level courses claim over a dozen students...some more than two.
Though we had a satisfactory lounge and a serviceable computer lab, both of which served our needs for space, we had no "home" in the department. We were wanderers, itinerants. My students have the Math Lab, a warm and welcoming place where everybody knows everybody else, and there's never a shortage of assistance, support, and friendship.
They've got it pretty good.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Green-eyed
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3 comments:
In my undergrad chem dept., we had the Fishbowl where all the tutors and students hung out.
Isn't community wonderful. And now I'm jealous of of that nice community your students have too!
I LOVE the math lab. Honestly, I am not sure where I would be in my educational career without it. It's one of my favorite places, and I am not ever a Math Major.
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