To the Work You Are Entitled...

So it's been a while since I've posted...no excuses, life and work simply got in the way. I had something interesting happen to me today and I've been thinking and ruminating most of the day on the larger implications.

I spent a large portion of my day yesterday dealing with parents--calming fears, helping them make decisions about their students, the usual thing. One parent had started particularly upset and spoke to several other university officials before she reached me. Now, this isn't something I typically think anything of...parents have a perfect right to be concerned/upset/freaked out over the state of their son or daughter's education. I dealt with the parent's concerns and that was the end of it. This morning I received an email from one of the university officials that parent spoke to, in which the official copied my boss and several other "high level" university officials. The summation of the email was that the parent wrote back later to compliment my work and the official wanted to compliment me on a job well done.

Well, "so what?" you're saying..."you should be proud of yourself!" (and why pat yourself on the back in a blog post?)

Here's why:

I admit to being a bit uncomfortable with the praise. For starters, I have always had to work very hard for any learned skill or acquired knowledge. Very few things came "easily" to me as I grew up. Advising students (and alternately their parents) has felt incredibly comfortable and natural from the moment I started doing it. It seems wrong to accept praise for something do easy!
But the biggest reason I'm uncomfortable with this praise is...it's my job. It's my JOB to help you and your parents deal with tough issues. It's my job to let you vent when things seem really stressful. Receiving excessive praise (while incredibly kind) for something like this seems akin to complimenting someone excessively for placing a phone call or making photocopies. These are the things advisors do every day.

But I will also admit that this academic year has had an ongoing theme and, while I will not profess any particular religious affiliation, it is biblical in nature. "To the work you are entitled, but not the fruits thereof". I don't start off any of my working relationships, or my work days, expecting to be rewarded for the things I do. Funnily enough, this isn't a peewee baseball game--everyone doesn't get a trophy just for showing up. I do the work that I do because I was lucky enough to find a career that I love. I get to watch the educational journey of my students for a very brief (but incredibly meaningful time) and then I send them on their way. I get to tell my students that I'm proud of them when they graduate...I don't get to claim any responsibility for the fact that they actually DID graduate. One refrain my students hear from me all the time is, "you sit in the classes, you earn the grades, you're the one who gets the degree...I've already got my degrees, it's time for you to work on yours". The hard work is what my students are entitled to...the degree comes along as a result of the hard work. Not because you "earned" it, but because you learned it.