“The best reward for being a great student isn’t the good grade; it’s the wonderful things your teachers say about you.” -Bethany Blount (Me)
My entire life, I was always that student who actively participated in class, asked questions, did the homework, and overall went above and beyond what was expected of me as a student. Through those 16 years of school, I’ve been called a know-it-all, a teacher’s pet, and even been accused of flirting with my teachers because of my enthusiasm. I admit as a child, these names and accompanied teasing bothered me, but I never stopped being that student.
Now at almost 22-years-old, I realize why my Hermione Granger behavior continued. I loved what my teachers had to say about me. To be completely honest, my teachers (almost) never solely praised me; there was always something for me to work on. (I appreciate the constructive criticism now because I know my teachers were simply helping me.) However, while I worked on these aspects of my behavior, I always remembered the compliments and the pleasant—perhaps proud—tone my teachers used when discussing my participation and general class performance.
This realization (of loving the continuous praise from my teachers) started dawning on me in high school when my teachers started feeling a lot less like teachers and more like friends. My realization fully hit a few days ago when a teacher’s praise was so great that I was left speechless for several minutes. (Yes, World, I was speechless.) Even after the initial shock and awe wore off, the best response I could muster was still little more than “thank you.”
Receiving praise from teachers means a lot to me because they’ve been constant all-knowing, authority figures in my life. I feel as though my teachers signify some degree of respect for me (and other students) when providing individualized compliments. Teachers also have dozens of students, so me making a big enough impression to warrant a meaningful, individual compliment is huge. As I’ve befriended teachers, I’ve also developed an appreciation and respect for all the hard work they put in.
And while I’m proud of the grades I’ve earned throughout the years, I’m more grateful for the compliments I’ve received (particularly this most recent one). These compliments remind me of so much: the positive impression working hard and being enthusiastic can have, what I’m capable of accomplishing, and the fantastic teachers I’ve been so privileged to learn from.
My advice to all the enthusiastic learners is be true to yourself. If you love to participate in class and interact with your teachers, then DO IT! (Especially if you learn better through these interactions—like me who doesn’t learn as much passively listening and taking notes.) I would tolerate the teasing all over again to receive the kind, encouraging words from my teachers.
The years of praise have helped me become the confident, still eager-to-learn student I am, so thank you to all the teachers who supported my incessant need to answer and ask questions during (and sometimes after) class!
Style: Informative
Genre: Tribute
Bethany Blount 