Do professors REMEMBER or GOSSIP about students?
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
What professors REALLY think about their students
I was a professor for a long time, and I know a lot about professors and what they are thinking because I was one. I am going to answer some questions that I got from some of my readers.
Do professors talk about their students?
Yes, professors occasionally talk about students to other colleagues when it’s necessary. For example, a professor may need to talk to a counselor about a student because of their accommodations. Or a professor may need to talk to talk to their boss about your withdrawl from the course, or something similar.
As a former professor, it was not very often that I needed to ever discuss students with anyone at the college. But there were a few situations where I had to reach out to a particular office to sort an issue out.
But there are a lot of regulations in the United States that protect students’ privacy. Although professors can typically share things about students with people or departments in the college or university, they cannot disclose certain things to the public.
I always made sure that I abided by the strict laws, and I am sure other professors do too.
So, does it happen?
Yes.
Does it happen often?
No.
There were some situations where a student did something that really impressed me, and I might share that with my spouse, but I never disclosed the student’s name or identifying details. It was more about sharing my day and my job with my spouse.
Let’s say a student rocked my exam and they were the only one to score a perfect 100. I might tell my spouse that a student aced my exam. That’s it. Nothing more or nothing less.
And since teaching at a college was my job, and students were a big part of that, I would often share little tidbits about my work life that wasn’t considered confidential or personal.
Do professors gossip about their students?
No, professors don’t gossip about their students because that is unethical and unprofessional. As a professor, I never gossiped about my students. First, I never had time. And secondly, I always remained professional. I can say that I NEVER, in 15 years, gossiped about ONE student.
While some professors might succumbed to those pressures, it never intrigued me to gossip about students. And I haven’t heard any other professors do that either.
And in reality, professors don’t routinely talk to other professors as much as you might think. Professors work independently, and don’t often have time to speak with other professors.
When I was on campus, professors were either in class or holding office hours. And if they weren’t doing one of those things, they were working on their research.
And after they got done working, they went home. This really gives professors little time to sit around and gossip about students. The layout of a college is entirely different than a high school and professors don’t congregate together like teachers.
Do professors remember their students?
Most professors will have thousands of students over the years and they won’t remember many of their students, if any. As a professor, I remember about 5% of all my students and could recognize their names and remember their faces.
But most often, I would forget students' names in a matter of a months. It was hard to remember students because professors have hundreds of students each semester. And it was especially hard to remember students if they never spoke to me or stood out in any way.
There are a few students I still remember, even after retiring, but that is a very small number. I can vividly remember around 50 students from the last 15 years. Sure, I can remember a few more, but not vividly.
Most of the time, students don’t talk or interact with their professors and are quickly forgotten. Don’t take this to heart though. It is just natural for memory to wane over time.
If you want a professor to remember you, go talk to them during office hours. And do something that impresses your professor. And most importantly, follow-up with them after you complete their course. This will help them remember you long term.
Do professors like seeing their old students?
Yes, professors LOVE seeing their old students, especially if they had a positive experience with that student. When a professor sees their old student, it reminds them of the impact they had on that student and it takes them back to the old days.
There were a few students who would email me and catch me up on their educational or professional life. It was always great to hear from old students as most of them would thank me for contributing to their life in a positive way.
It helped give me motivation to keep teaching college students.
So, professors love seeing their old students if it’s a good interaction. I suppose professors wouldn’t like seeing students who may have a grudge against them or were particularly difficult.
Can professors be friends with former students?
Yes, professors can be friends with their former students. There is nothing wrong with a professor forming a friendship with a former student. It can come in handy to know your professor outside of class because they might be able to help you with a reference or recommendation.
I can remember when I was in graduate school and all the students and professors attended a professional conference together. After the conference, a lot of the graduate students went out to dinner and bars with their professors.
It was too awkward for me to go, but many did.
There are no policies, that I am aware of, that forbids professors from future friendships with old students.
Is it a good thing if a professor remembers your name?
It can be a very good thing if a professor remembers your name. Since professors have hundreds of students at any given time, it can be hard to remember students’ names. So the fact that they remember your name, it can be a good sign.
Perhaps you stood out to them so they remember you more than other students. Or you talked to them during office hours and participated in class a lot.
Sometimes professors have a really good memory and can remember all their students’ names so it might not mean anything that they know your name. If you notice that the professor calls everyone by their name, it probably doesn’t mean anything then.
But if they don’t know every other students’ name, it can be a good thing that your professor remembers your name.
Do professors know their students?
Most professors do not know their students well. Most professors will maintain a professional relationship with their students and won’t know any personal details about their students’ lives.
A typical professor will have hundreds of students each semester and will not remember all their students’ names. But some professors may have smaller class sizes and a highly selective program so they may interact with their students more and get to know them personally.
However, most professors don’t have time to do that. And it’s not the norm.
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