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Janet SlaterEngaging her students I am writing because of Janet Slater, (associate professor of journalism) from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She is what all professors should strive to be. While it's not been long ago since I was sitting in her class, I am already realizing the ways in which she shaped my life. In her class, I learned that hard work really pays off and that I can accomplish anything if I work toward it in small steps. She really challenged me and made me think out of the box -- not only in class, but also in life. Also, her classes were the only time when I didn't mind working in groups. She had a way of getting people to pull their weight, and she evaluated the group based on feedback from each member. To sum it up, she is the only professor I wanted to take to lunch as a thank you -- it was a small price to pay to let her know I think she is great at what she does. I don't know who said it, but I remember hearing the following quote, "You tell me, I forget; you teach me, I remember; you involve me, I learn." Although she never said it, I believe this was her philosophy on teaching. She doesn't want her students to rely on a book to learn something. It's too easy to cram the night before and then forget it later. She wants students to get their hands dirty and figure it out on their own. I'll never forget working on my quarter-long project for my advertising principles class. I was standing in the frozen entree section at Kroger counting boxes and writing down totals. Do you realize how many boxes of frozen entrees there are at a Kroger? Do you know how many strange looks I got? Nonetheless, it was an easy way to figure out facings, share of market and the many other terms we covered. The goal was for us to start doing research and gather information that we could relate back to our topics in class. Because of this project and others I had in her classes, I understand the advertising lingo at the agency -- even though I am in the public relations department. Some may say that this is what is expected of all teachers, but the truth is, not all teachers do it this well. Dr. Slater really cares about her students. She took the time to relate her work experiences to the class topics; she always made time to talk about anything and everything; and she was fair. I only hope that the other students who had her and loved her classes got the chance to speak up as well. Emily DeRee, BSJ '00 |