We routinely have students from nontraditional backgrounds come into our classrooms. As a community college, we need to serve and facilitate their learning, just as we would a traditional student coming to us fresh out of high school. Sometimes, this means being more empathetic to the struggles they may have had in the past. I had one student in particular that taught me how we don’t always know when students are struggling, but that having a classroom practice of empathy and compassion helps everyone to succeed.

During the course of the semester, this particular student did not appear to be struggling with the material. They generally submitted everything on time and did well on the assignments. They asked for an extension every now and then, just a few extra days to complete their assignments. I always granted these, generally because they hadn’t actually missed the due date, but also because I believe any work completed should be counted. They successfully completed the course, and I didn’t think about it any further, until I received a note in my campus mailbox from this student. Their words really touched me: “thank you for working with me this semester while I struggled.” I hadn’t done anything dramatic on my end, simply allowed this student some additional time to complete their assignments. This student’s simple note reminded me the importance of teaching and learning in a community college: we are here to help students succeed. While being able to meet deadlines can be an important skill, in my classroom interacting with the material and embracing the concepts takes priority. I make sure students can do that before penalizing them for missing deadlines. This student’s words reminded me just how important this practice can be to a student’s success.

Students come to community colleges for a variety of reasons. As an instructor, we don’t necessarily know what those reasons are. We don’t know what folks are going through at home, or how they may be struggling. What we do know, is that they are choosing to take college courses. They are choosing to advance their learning, and it is our job to facilitate this process. Serving our students means recognizing that we are all human. We need to provide everyone an opportunity to learn, and that can mean practicing empathy and compassion in the classroom.