All of us who teach in this department love what we do, and do our best to convey that love to our students. We do our best every day and every term, and we try to reach every student. We sometimes experience the momentary sensation of success, but we rarely know the long-term effects of our labors. Students don’t often write to tell us what big or little things we did that made a difference for them. Collecting students’ stories can help us identify how we’re being effective both in the short run (how our assignments have productively challenged students, or how our ideas opened their eyes to new possibilities) and in the long run (how we continue to support students after classes end).
The richer and more varied the stories posted to the website, the more valuable the website will be for faculty, current students, and alumni. Your story can help us identify effective teaching practices, recognize our successes, and appreciate how we positively influence students.
If you are willing to share a story, we ask you to write a short paragraph that includes the following points:
- Who are you, what degree did you earn from UM, and in what year did you finish your degree?
- Who was the teacher, what was the course, and in what year did you take it?
- What did the teacher do that had a positive impact on you?
- Has the teacher had an impact on your life that continues after graduation?
- If possible, please include a picture, or link to a picture (a headshot or image where you are easily recognizable is preferred), to post along with your story (if you need assistance in this area, please feel free to contact us at english-alum-stories@umich.edu)
We very much look forward to hearing from you. You may send your contribution via email to english-alum-stories@umich.edu).
