My name is Jordan Nelson and I am a music performance major. I previously attended Alabama State University.

As a transfer student, I can honestly say that I have been fortunate to have outstanding faculty at EC who have invested their time into helping me grow as a student, and more importantly, as an individual.

In my opinion, a great teacher is a teacher who loves to teach. Often enough, I will enroll in a course and the professor is either aloof, docile, or mundane (or sometimes all of them combined) and it seems the last thing on earth they want to be doing is teaching college students.  Having to spend a whole semester with a professor who has the qualities comparible to a three-toed sloth can be unbearable.

Conversely, having a professor who has a passion about what they instruct is almost infectious.  Even when I did not have any particular interest in the given subject, I noticed that I was more motivated to learn (and attend class).

In addition, I also believe that a great teacher is more than willing to invest in a student’s life if that student is serious about progressing in their particular area of study.

During this semester at EC, in particular, some of my professors have set me up with great career advancing opportunities, written excellent letters of recommendations on my behalf and done many other selfless acts of support.

Without the help and support of my professors, it is very likely that some of the profound opportunities that I have had probably would have not happened, and for that reason I am very thankful.  Through these past experiences, I have realized that my professors just might actually be human beings with lives outside of their career.  As trivial as this may seem, I feel most students do not appreciate or respect their professors and the staff at EC. If we make a conscience effort to apply ourselves, then surely a good professor would be willing to accommodate the hardworking student.

In conclusion, great professors are extremely rare, but when a good one comes along who displays excellent teaching skills and has a passion to help students become better individuals, I urge you to take full advantage.

The views expressed in Campus Insight are  those of the authors. They do not represent the views or opinions of the Union, its staff, editorial board or adviser. This column is available to students and faculty. All articles may be submitted to [email protected]. Please note that articles may be edited for content and length.