{"id":16253,"date":"2023-10-24T13:40:53","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T17:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gcc.edu\/insider\/?p=16253"},"modified":"2023-10-24T13:40:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T17:40:53","slug":"grove-city-professors-unique-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gcc.edu\/insider\/2023\/10\/24\/grove-city-professors-unique-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis, Cows, and Pigs, Oh My: Grove City College Professors and Their Unique Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three Grove City College professors share how they spark joy in their students\u2019 stressful lives with their own unique \u2018traditions.\u2019 Across the board, each professor demonstrates that he truly cares about his students.<\/p>\n

Dr. Fuller’s Tennis Match<\/h4>\n

For instance, Economics professor Dr. Fuller offers a chance for a small amount of extra credit to any student who can beat him in a tennis match. Fuller began this tradition during his first semester teaching at the College in Fall 2017. Since then, he has given the opportunity in all his classes every semester.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Fuller<\/p><\/div>\n

When asked why he started this tradition, Fuller explains that he is passionate about tennis, having played for all four years that he attended Grove City. Beyond that, though, Fuller emphasizes that the main goal isn\u2019t to give extra credit points, but rather to form connections outside of the classroom with students and get to know them better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a \u2018touchpoint\u2019 for students, so I can seem more like a \u2018human\u2019 to them with real human interests,\u201d Fuller says.<\/p>\n

According to Fuller, two to three students per semester typically challenge him to a match, but only one student\u2014former GCC tennis player and Man of the Year Karsten Lagerquist\u2014has beaten him. Still, the opportunity has served to generate conversations between Fuller and his students, \u201cwhich is really the goal,\u201d Fuller notes.<\/p>\n

Dr. Horton’s Cow Answers<\/h4>\n

Additionally, psychology professor Dr. Horton incorporates cow-related answers into his multiple-choice exams. He tells his students that the \u201ccow answers\u201d are never correct, so he narrows down the options and provides comedic relief as students take the exam.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Horton<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhy should exam day be dull and boring and dry?\u201d Horton says. He wants to \u201cliven up\u201d exams and give students something to chuckle at rather than stress about.<\/p>\n

Horton has been including cows on his exams for \u201cat least 15 years,\u201d ever since his daughter formed an intense interest in cows when she was little. At first, he incorporated cow-related answers for fun, but his students enjoyed them and asked for more.<\/p>\n

Since then, his students have leaned into the \u201ccow\u201d idea in Horton\u2019s classes. If students show a deep enough passion for cows, they can receive the \u201cCow Appreciation Award.\u201d Only three students have ever won the award, including one young man who wore a cow costume to every exam.<\/p>\n

Dr. McIntyre’s Pig Stamps<\/h4>\n

Finally, mathematics professor Dr. McIntyre has been awarding \u201cpig stamps\u201d to students who get an \u2018A\u2019 on his exams since 1994. McIntyre has a collection of four different pig stamps to correlate with the four exams in each of his classes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. McIntyre<\/p><\/div>\n

Students can strive to \u201ccollect\u201d all four pig stamps by getting an \u2018A\u2019 on all four exams. According to McIntyre, this is a \u201crare achievement.\u201d Depending on the class, roughly one to two students per semester or year receive all four.<\/p>\n

From his pig-covered office, McIntyre explains that pigs have fascinated him ever since he was a child. Beyond his interest in pigs, though, McIntyre continues his pig-stamp tradition because it is a \u201cpersonalized incentive\u201d that reflects his individuality.<\/p>\n

McIntyre wants students to learn that \u201ceveryone is unique.\u201d No two people are the same, and we should all \u201cembrace our uniqueness.\u201d Fuller, Horton, and McIntyre are three prime examples of Grove City College professors who demonstrate how much they care about their students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three Grove City College professors share how they spark joy in their students\u2019 stressful lives with their own unique \u2018traditions.\u2019 Across the board, each professor demonstrates that he truly cares about his students. Dr. Fuller’s Tennis Match For instance, Economics professor Dr. Fuller offers a chance for a small amount of extra credit to any student who can beat him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,280],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-stories","category-professor-spotlights"],"yoast_head":"\r\nTennis, Cows, and Pigs, Oh My: Grove City 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