ESU Backup Insider

Cathy Small M’73 wanted to be a better teacher, so she went undercover as an anonymous, full-time, non-traditional college freshman. Her experience inspired her to write My Freshman Year.

In 2002, she used a pseudonym, Rebekah Nathan, to enroll in classes at Northern Arizona University, where she had been teaching anthropology for more than 15 years.

“As a grad-level teacher, I started to feel disconnected from my students,” she explained. “This book was a way to reconnect with the student experience. Ultimately, I wanted to use this experience to become a better teacher.”

Small took all of her classes in an unfamiliar field with professors who didn’t know her. She concealed her real identity from students as well, except when basic ethical protocol required she identify herself as a researcher to anyone she interviewed directly.

My Freshman Year, subtitled “What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student,” was published by Cornell University Press in 2005.

So, what did the professor learn by becoming a student?

For starters, that professors appreciate students who express an interest in class and become engaged in the subject, Small said. Students can communicate this interest by approaching the professor with questions about their classroom experience, or about collaborating on a research paper or article. Projects are a way a student and teacher can form more than the typical “student/professor” relationship.

“I learned that outside-of-classroom experiences are very important,” she said. “Joining organizations, volunteering, choosing internships, graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, are all ways to build an adult friendship with your professor that is beyond the typical ‘student-professor’ relationship.”

For example, she said that as a result of her experience as a graduate student at ESU, she formed a 35-year friendship with health and physical education professor Janet Felshin, now professor emeritus.

In fact, Dr. Felshin accompanied her to the reception hosted by the ESU Alumni Association in Cathy’s honor.

Some students who want to build friendships or bond more strongly with their professors but are intimidated or afraid to approach them.

“Most professors become professors because they want to make a difference,” Small noted. “They love students who seem interested and engaged. At the same time, students commonly make no effort to communicate one-on-one with their teachers. Therefore, most professors would be thrilled if a student approached them about working on a project or meeting for coffee to discuss the subject at greater length.”

Stepping out of their comfort zone is also the only way for students to experience diversity, Small said.

“Most incoming freshmen look forward to walking into a completely new world when going off to college. Yet, the majority of students gravitate toward people and experiences that are familiar to them and comfortable. The only way to avoid this is to explore all that your university has to offer. Attend cultural campus events, join or volunteer for groups that offer experiences you’ve never had. Break out of your routine. Think outside the box.”