[The Reality of University Faculty ④] Emotional Labor in One-on-One Student Support

This is the 4th installment of "The Reality of University Faculty."

People often think that the work of a university faculty member consists only of
teaching and research.

However, in reality,
the "individual support" that happens in between
takes up a significant portion of our time.

Moreover,
most of it is one-on-one.

Students are not standing in the same place

Even if they are in the same classroom
and taking the same course,
the places where students stand are completely different.

Differences in comprehension.
Differences in learning experience.
Family environment and economic situation.
Mental state.

These things
are hard to see from the outside.

But,
when you talk to them individually,
they always come to the surface.

It is not a job of providing answers

The difficult part of student support is that
it is not a matter of "just teaching them the right answer and being done with it."

Rather,
if we provide the answer ourselves,
we might deprive the student of the ability to think for themselves.

That is why faculty members
organize the questions,
present options,
and make the student think.

It takes both time and emotional energy.

I try not to take emotions home with me, but

When facing students,
I try to keep my emotions as flat as possible.

However,
that does not always go well.

Serious consultations.
Unstable states.
Moments when I am unsure how to respond.

After closing the office door,
I often wonder,
"Was that the right way to say it?"

The emotional labor of university faculty
is not easily visible to others.

You cannot save everyone

This is a reality
that you will inevitably face
if you continue to be a faculty member.

You cannot save everyone.

All you can do is
engage with that student
to the extent necessary for them right now.

If you try to take on too much,
you will exhaust yourself.

I believe that drawing lines
is also a part of professional expertise.

A job where one-on-one is the norm

The work of a university faculty member
is actually very personal.

I face each student
with a different sense of distance.

Manuals
are almost useless.

As I gain experience,
I gradually build my own way of handling things.

This might be a job
that I can do better
as I get older rather than when I was young.

Conclusion

One-on-one student support
is certainly draining.

But at the same time,
it is also the part that gives meaning to the work.

When a student starts to think in their own words.
When they start to look forward, little by little.
When they say, "I'm glad I talked to you."

For those moments,
I open my office door again today.

The job of a university faculty member
is quiet, but
it is definitely a job of facing people.

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