More on Professor Van Schaack
Morgan Weisman, my fellow blogger and sorority sister, is right. Academics at Vanderbilt are not always a piece of cake, but there are those professors that make paying $50,000 on a tuition bill worthwhile. Professor Andy Van Schaack is one of those. I realize Morgan elaborated quite a bit on him, but enough can’t be said about the man. In addition to his expert knowledge in empirical validated reserach, his warm, energetic personality compels his students to engage in his teachings. The way he communicates with his students dissolves the wall that students often feel stands between them and their professors. Although he promotes strict professionalism in classroom conduct, emails, and communication, he encourages his students to call him whatever they like — his favorite is “dude”. He develops his students and awards them with good grades if they truly deserve them. He provides all the materials and resources that a student needs to get an A on the tests, leaving them feel overly prepared. And like Morgan said, he rewards his morning class for getting up early by bringing in hot chocolate, tea, and coffee everyday and bagels or Krispy Kreme donuts on occasion. Now that it’s spring, he has substituted the hot drinks for cool orange juice.
Beyond the classroom, he even makes an effort to come to my lacrosse games. A few of my teammates are in the class as well. Last week our game started at 2pm. We know he has another class that starts at 12:45 and ends at 2. After seeing him in the beginning of the game, there is a good chance that he even ended that class early to make it on time. It’s a pretty cool thing to know your professor holds in high regard what you do outside of class, too, and shows support. Also, to give you a sense of his laid-back, humorous side, I’ll let you in on our agreement. Professor Van Schaack and I made a deal that if I score in the game (which is rare), I will look to him in the stands and fake shoot him at which point he will fall to the bleachers. If you knew the man, you’d know that he would absolutely stay true to the deal.
Through these efforts and willingness/eagerness to really get to know his students, he lives up to the expectations of a student’s ideal teacher. My advice: Take Van Schaack’s class. Even though he doesn’t take attendance on days when there is not a quiz, I guarantee you’ll make it to class out of respect for him or simply because you just want to go.
