<ir="ltr">I love office hours.
But things were not always this way. When I was a freshman, I dreaded office hours. Awkward, young, and with limited intelligence at best, I was not aware of how to take advantage of these hours where profs willingly invited actual students into their office to chat. I think I once, in talks with an English professor, in earnest seriousness used the phrase, “Ah, yes, sentences. I know those.” But no matter how dumb or inane my questions or comments were, I have only warm fuzzy memories of all my interactions with professors in office hours. In short, office hours are lovely. Quiet times filled with wisdom, contemplation, and sometimes the great boon of an extension. From being confused about a paper to being confused about life, I know professors have my back.
So it is a great shame that professors don’t have the same opportunity. Who do professor’s go to when they have a problem? Who advises the advisors? Who do professors complain too? Whining is too great a pleasure to deny anyone. I’m sure that, in all their wisdom and sagaciousness, profs could use advice from time to time. We students may not have the right answers, but that would never stop us from doing our best to make some up. And if all else fails, we’re always pretty good at making affirming noises in the background.
Thus, I think it would be lovely if students hosted office hours for professors. We don’t have offices, so they would obviously have to be somewhere else, but the principal remains the same. Post a list of office hours somewhere, sit and let the profs come and have a chat. I might not be able to tell a prof if they should pursue a second PhD, teach a certain class, or apply for a grant, but I can listen and nod really well. I even occasionally, totally accidentally, come up with pretty good advice about things I know nothing about. Just ask my brothers. Not knowing something has never stopped me from having an opinion about it.
I feel like Not Office Hours (title is a work in progress) could be hugely successful. Professors could have a break from all our problems and get a few of their own off their chest. Tea could and should be involved. Let’s take a break from talking about the papers we haven’t started, the data we have yet to collect and put some effort into the real beauty of Carleton: conversation and procrastination.