“Take out your syllabus everyone, I need to make a drastic change. Cross out all your homework for the last class!” Or, “I’m adding more review assignments next week. The final is going to be tough!” Whichever is your situation, I think we all have something to be thankful for in our faculty and professors this semester.

Encouraging faculty members

I’m sure this term has been a challenge for most of the student body at Biola. Personally, this term was very difficult. I’ve been diagnosed with an illness that caused me to miss over two weeks of school and also made the quality of my work suffer. But I’m still finishing with good grades and a better understanding of what it is to succeed. Whether or not that is true for everyone, I’m sure that every student has at least one conversation or interaction with a faculty member for which to be thankful.

The faculty and staff at Biola University treated my situation with grace and love that surprised me. I had expected to cope and muddle through the best I could. But the respect and service I was met with allowed me to not only succeed, but humbled me greatly. I realized I really can’t do everything on my own. I not only need friends but also good mentors who truly desire to come alongside me.

Professors aren’t just there to grade our papers and tell us to work harder. Our faculty has a heart of service not only academically, but also spiritually. They want to know how we are and how to use our strengths to help us succeed in their class.

Remembering to be thankful

I know we’ve all had a professor we weren’t particularly fond of. But consider this: We’re at a private institution where we all share the common bond of salvation in Christ. We’re all a part of the body of Christ and live in a community as such.

A responsibility of being a part of that community is treating your professors with respect. Maybe that text from your significant other can wait and the constant onslaught of Facebook statuses will still be there after class.

Thankfulness is always a healthy attitude to focus on, especially in a time charged by stress. Finals week is upon us, and I am sure thanking your professors is the last thing on your minds as they dole out review sheets and exams. But remembering what we have gleaned from this semester and years before can pull us out of our tense realities and turn our attention to the bigger picture.

So before you pack up your cars and shake the dust of campus off your feet, go thank your professors. Thank the receptionists. Write a letter to the particular department that helped you with an issue this semester. I am so thankful for the way I was treated by the people employed by Biola University, and I hope you all find someone to be thankful for as well.