This week, I've been on both sides of the stage
This article was originally published in “Vista Newsletter (opens in a new tab)” No.158
Hello, hello!
This week, my identity has changed several times.
On Wednesday morning, I was a teacher and taught the last class for a class of students at Ming Chuan University. Today at noon, I am going to be a student again and have dinner with my third- and fourth-grade tutors.
Within a week, I went back and forth between the two sides of the podium several times. When I was doing a review at night, I found that these things were actually talking about the same thing: how students and teachers help each other.
In this e-newsletter, I just want to talk to you about this. If you are studying in graduate school, waiting for a certain result, or you are standing on the podium, I hope the following paragraphs will be helpful to you.
In the last class, a student took the initiative to add me on LINE
Wednesday morning was the last class of this class at Mingchuan University.
This is the second class I taught at Ming Chuan University this year. Last Thursday, I taught this class all day long. I talked about AI ethics and law in the morning, and AI-empowered customer relations in the afternoon, for six hours. When I reviewed the class that night, I wrote: This class of students is very serious, so they won’t be too tired after studying for six hours.
I graduated this week and feel more comfortable. After class, several classmates came over and added LINE to me.
After teaching for so many years, I know how rare this is. In most classes, as soon as the bell rings, everyone packs up and leaves. This is normal, as everyone has their next schedule. In fact, there were not many students who were willing to stay a few more minutes and take the initiative to come over and talk.
In the last issue of the e-newsletter, I mentioned a discovery: whether it takes a whole day to talk or not depends largely on the people in the audience. This week, I was even more sure.
If the people in the audience listen carefully and are willing to respond, the people on the podium will have strength. This is a very subtle exchange: the students think that only the teacher is giving, but in fact the students’ eyes, questions and the words “Teacher, can I add you to LINE?” are also charging the teacher.
So, if you are a student, please do not underestimate your influence on the teacher. A good question, a polite letter, a sincere thank you will be remembered for a long time.
There is often a letter between students and teachers
Speaking of which, I remembered a question that graduate students often ask recently: How do I write a letter to my supervisor?
This problem seems small, but it causes many people to get stuck. I wrote an article (opens in a new tab) in the researcher base, which started with a common situation:
A second-year master’s student sent a letter to his supervisor. The subject was “Hello, Teacher” and the text contained three paragraphs. The first paragraph asked if I could make an appointment next week, the second paragraph posted a question about research design, and the third paragraph asked by the way who should be invited for the oral interview. After three questions, the teacher only replied: “We’ll talk about it this week.”
When the student received the reply, he felt a little hurt and felt that the teacher was so cold. In fact, the teacher was not indifferent. The teacher took time to read the letter between classes, meetings, and administrative matters. There were three things packed into the letter, and he didn’t say which one was urgent, so he naturally left it aside and wanted to deal with it in its entirety when he had time. As a result, the student waited for two weeks, and the longer he waited, the more uneasy he became, and he didn’t know how to write his next letter.
Having been a teacher for so many years, I can understand the feelings of both parties. Students are afraid of disturbing the teacher, so they go around a lot; but teachers usually have limited time, and if they can’t read the key points at once, they have to leave it alone. Neither side has any ill intentions, but they are getting further and further apart.
What I remind my students most often are three principles:
- A letter asks only one thing. If there are really three things, send them separately, each with its own purpose. They must be put in the same letter. Just write “I have two things to do in this letter” first, then list them in points, and indicate which one is more urgent.
- Let the teacher know what to do within thirty seconds. Make it clear in the first paragraph whether this letter is a notification, a request for the teacher to read the manuscript, a request for the teacher’s decision, or a request for the teacher’s signature. The background and details are placed at the back, so teachers will naturally read on if they want to know more.
- Write down the date and action in the main theme. A good theme should have your name, what it is about, and the actions you want the teacher to do. For example, “Wang Xiaoming’s 11/12 meeting record and to-do list, please correct me, teacher” is much clearer than “Thank you, teacher”.
There is another mentality that is more important than principle: writing a letter is a request, not a demand. The teacher helps you read manuscripts, reply to letters, and write letters of recommendation. Many of them are extra time aside from the original work. Be clear about what you want the teacher to do, thank the teacher for their time, and leave room for the teacher to say no or make adjustments. Writing like this is not to be humble, but to allow teachers to help without pressure.
Also, the hardest letters to write are usually the ones with bad news. When behind schedule, many people will wait until the last day and write a long apology. A better approach is to say in the first sentence that the progress is behind schedule, and then give a specific new timetable, for example: “The first draft of Chapter 4 will be delayed by two weeks because the questionnaire collection is slower than expected. The new completion date is 11/20. I would like to ask the teacher to confirm whether it is feasible.” When the teacher has a clear reason to respond, things can move forward.
Send you a free template set
In order to make these principles more useful, I have compiled a collection of templates called “Letter to the Supervising Professor”, which will be given to you who are studying in graduate school for free.
This collection of templates contains 18 letter templates, ranging from the first request for guidance, to submission, follow-up questions, behind schedule, oral examination, to the thank-you letter after graduation. Each letter is accompanied by the timing of use, key points of writing, and comparison before and after rewriting. There are also three letter-writing principles and subject checklists, five tools for meeting and comment-handling, and a pre-mailing checklist.
The template is the starting point, not the end point. Each teacher has different habits, and the culture of each department is also different. Please adjust your tone according to your relationship with the teacher. The school’s system, deadlines and procedures shall be subject to the announcements of each school and department.
Free download of the “Letter to the Supervising Professor” sample collection
If you want to read the full article first, you can also read this one:
If you have classmates who are writing papers, you are welcome to forward the sample collection to them.
Today at noon, I will go back to be a primary school student
The last identity change was at noon today.
I will go to the Grand Hotel to have Hong Kong-style tea with my third- and fourth-grade tutor, Mr. Cai, and a classmate from that year.
Several decades have passed since elementary school. The teacher has taught so many students and is willing to allocate a noon to sit down and have tea and chat with the students of that year. I feel very lucky.
Thinking of this meal, I also thought of those classmates at Mingchuan University who joined LINE after class. Maybe many years later, they will have forgotten what I said in class, but the courage to take the initiative that time will give this relationship a chance to continue.
The relationship between teachers and students often starts like this: if the student takes one more step, the teacher will remember more. A clearly written letter, a sincere thank you, and a greeting after graduation are all deposits for this relationship.
Three things you can take away from this newsletter
Let’s summarize the key points of this newsletter:
- When waiting for the results, write down what you have done, give a waiting period, and have something specific to do tomorrow.
- Students have a greater impact on teachers than you think. If you listen carefully and are willing to respond, the people on the podium will have strength.
- Write a letter to the teacher. The letter only asks one thing. Tell the teacher clearly what you want the teacher to do within thirty seconds. The purpose of the letter is to clearly indicate the date and action. Remember, writing a letter is a request, not a demand.
Recent events
New book “AI Unmanned Company” will be published next month
My new book “AI Unmanned Company” is expected to be published by Booker Culture in December. This book is about: There are no employees in the company, just you, plus an AI team designed by you and directed by you. From concepts, systems to ninety-day start-up plans, I fully explain how one person can support an entire company.
Last night, I participated in Zhong Ting’s live broadcast and talked about this book in public for the first time. There is a five-question quiz on the new book page. You can take a look at it first, or you can register for the release notification, and you will be notified as soon as the book comes out.
Seven-day challenge camp, registration deadline is November 28
The seven-day challenge camp starts on November 30th and registration closes on November 28th. One task letter a day, and in seven days you can make a small tool that you can use every day. You can put it on the Internet and get the URL without having to write a program.
See the introduction of the seven-day challenge camp (opens in a new tab)
December 20, Academic Research and Writing Workshop
If you are a graduate student or university teacher, on the morning of December 20 (Sunday), I will have a three-hour practical class in Taipei to teach you to use AI Agent as a research co-pilot to read faster, make better corrections, and at the same time maintain academic ethics. Sign up before November 29th to enjoy the early bird price.
See the complete introduction and registration of the workshop
Finally, I want to hear your story
Is there a teacher you still remember? Or, have you ever formed a long-term relationship with a teacher because of a letter or a sentence?
Feel free to reply to me directly. See you next time!
Vista
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Vista Cheng speaks and runs workshops on AI workflows, writing and content systems for companies, schools and public agencies.
