Saying Thank You!

Hello again! Classes are officially over for the semester and finals are looming upon us. I, like all other students, am feeling the pressure of trying to cram a million things into my head and just hoping, praying, that something will stick. During finals week, we moan and groan over all the tiny tidbits our teachers make us memorize, but we never really thank our teachers for all the knowledge they have given us. So for today’s post, I wanted to give a shout out to an amazing teacher that I had this semester.

Amy Kessel is truly an amazing teacher. I had her for ENGL 303 aka grammar. She managed to turn a class that I was dreading, into a class that I actually looked forward to. Grammar can be extremely cumbersome, especially when you take it for an entire semester. You learn all parts of speech, clauses, phrases, and everything that needs to be known for proper English. It really sounded like a complete snooze-fest of a class, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. Kessel made learning fun! We diagrammed sentences on the board, made up our own sentences, and even did presentations on words that are commonly confused. An example is “whose” and “who’s”. She was extremely helpful for understanding the material and listened to the students when they were having problems, both as individuals, and as a class. When things became difficult, she encouraged group and open book quizzes so that other students could help each other out. She truly wanted everyone to succeed and firmly believed in giving students second chances when needed and deserved. Extra credit was attainable (seeing Steven Pinker speak which was actually really cool) and encouragement was always readily available for any student having a difficult time. As a bonus, since it was a night class, she would always aim to let us out early!

Amy Kessel is someone who really tries to understand her students and wants everyone to succeed. So, if you are thinking about becoming an English major, take one of her classes! I guarantee that it will be a highlight in your college years.

So thank you teachers for all that you do! Now I have to head back to the books to study for finals. Christmas break is so close…….