During your time at university you will run into all manner of professors from the boring and drab to the downright zany and everything in between. If you are lucky enough however, you may also find a professor who is inspirational to you and who can greatly motivate you to be the best that you possibly can. For me that man was Andrew Curran Wesleyan professor and someone who grew up not far from me in New Haven, Hartford. During the 4 years that I studied law with him I never had a complaint at all and he actually inspired me more than he will probably ever know, and here is how.

Making Time

Usually professors in colleges are pretty insulated and unapproachable, unless they are teaching of course, yet this was not the case with Andrew. Mr. Curran would regularly take time out of his schedule to work with me on a number of issues and he would always be quick with an email reply should I, or any other students need his help. I love the fact that despite a hectic schedule he was always ready to support a student.

Creative

Something else which greatly inspired me about the professor was the creativity which he would give to the lectures, not all of the time of course but there was a great variation in the way that he taught us. Many students that I know who were taught with other professors had a rather boring time of it, sitting each week talking their way through textbooks whilst we were learning through activities such as a weekly lawsuit and a regular role play activities which drove home the points that we were learning.

The Passion

In the case of many professors you may assume that they simply do not have the passion for what they are doing, based on their demeanor this isn’t far from the truth. As the two examples that I have given above show however, Mr. Curran was always passionate about the law and most importantly, passionate about his students. This was more than just a job for the professor and he genuinely delighted when he saw and ex-student make it good in the world of law.

Patience

They say that patience is a virtue and if this really is the case then my old professor was one of the most virtuous people that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. There was simply nothing that could fluster this man and he would never react with anger in any moment, taking retaliation through calm and peaceful means rather than shouting or balling, or simply walking out as I have seen some professors do. Mr. Curran had worked in the legal system prior to starting life as a professor and this is no doubt why he has such patience, something which really inspired me in terms of how to act when things get heated.

Do you have a professor who has inspired you? Let me know about them in the comments.