Teaching Unsolicited Comments

Department of Sociology Graduate Instructor Teacher Award Nomination
The Sociology Department annually solicits nominations from faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students for the graduate instructor teaching award in the Spring semester to be presented at our annual research institute.  During the spring semester 2007, some of my former students nominated me for this award.  The following was forwarded to me from the teaching awards committee chair.

“I am pleased to let you know that you were enthusiastically nominated for this year's graduate instructor award. You were particularly cited as being a ‘passionate and gifted teacher’ who is ‘very compassionate and involved with her students.’  Students appreciated your interdisciplinary approach to the topics, as well as your use of diverse teaching methods. One student summed it up nicely, saying ‘I would like to strongly recommend Trina Smith for this award. She exemplifies what an instructor should be. She is compassionate to students, has excellent skills in classroom management, has outstanding interpersonal skills, and has the interest, enthusiasm, and intelligence to be a leader in her field.’

Thanks very much for serving the department by providing excellent teaching in a sociology class. I think your teaching style sounds great and I'm really happy to hear that your teaching is going well.” 

Unsolicited Comments from Students
Over the course of my teaching, including both being an instructor and teaching assistant, I have received unsolicited comments and feedback from my students. Most of these have been sent via email. 

Student Comment One 
I mentored a student in my sociological methods lab with her graduate school decision. I not only answered questions she had about graduate school, but also connected her with various colleagues who had attended the institutions she was selecting from.

“I'd also like to thank you for all your help & contacts & prosocial generosity with my whole grad school ordeal! You sure made the decision-making process a whole lot easier for me, so a thousand thanks, as the Norwegians say!”   (Spring 2007)

Student Comment Two
This student took my Sociology of Gender course during Fall 2006 and subsequently registered for my Sociological Methods lab section during Spring 2007.

“First off, I just wanted to say thanks for a great semester! I have reallyenjoyed having you as a T.A. and a professor. I don't really like to talk in class and it was nice having a professor who actually knew my name! I only have one year left so this was probably the last class that I will have with you.”  (Spring 2007)

Student Comment Three 
This was a student in my Family and Society Course at Inverhills Community College. She was an older student, very intelligent,
and did not agree with the entire course materials relating to families (i.e. she was against gay families).  After the last day of class 
she emailed me the following comments. 

“After class tonight, I was thinking over the semester and I wanted to share a few thoughts with you. I appreciate how careful you are to affirm each person for their input.  You are open to hearing opposing points of view and I believe that is why people are willing to be open and share about personal experiences.  Even tonight, you made a point to acknowledge each person's card and say something positive about it.  I found that quite amazing.  Thank you for that. You are a good listener and you make people feel that what they have to say is important.  Thank you for this semester.”

 Student Comment Four
This was a student in the Sociology Senior Projects during Spring 2008 who I worked with during the course. I was a teaching assistant for this course in which I advised half of the students doing community service learning for their senior papers.

“I just wanted to say Thank You for all of your help and hard work for all of us throughout  the semester, it really meant a lot to me.  I do not know what we would have done without you!”