Have you ever looked at your professor and wondered what is going on inside their heads?

It may not seem like it sometimes, but your professor wants you to succeed. It is easy to look at your professors and get mad at them for your bad grades or difficult assignments, but believe it or not, they are simply trying their best. I had the opportunity to interview one of Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts professors, Scotti Branton II, for National Teacher Appreciation Day to get an inside perspective on what it’s really like to be an educator at a big university.

Q: What was your journey like coming to Auburn?

A: I received my Ph.D. at the University of Missouri. Auburn was the first job that I actually interviewed for, and it was great. The people were so kind, and I really liked the culture. I think I initially interviewed on October 25. I made it to the next round, and they flew me out on November 16th of 2021. After that interview, they offered me the job. I was like, ‘Oh, okay this is really cool.’ Auburn was my top choice, but I had a couple more interviews from other schools, so I had to make a decision. Auburn is a super good school, the weather is great, and it’s close to my family, so it stuck with me. It was my number-one choice the entire time.

Q: What motivated you to choose this career path?

A: So, I was originally a social worker. I worked in child welfare and independent living. I also did some policy work for the state of Florida, working for program evaluation throughout the entire state. And so, I worked as a macro social worker. I did that for a little while and was struggling to connect with it and find joy in what I was doing. I liked my job, it just wasn’t fulfilling the entire time. Something was missing. At the same time, I also coached speech and debate for Florida State University, so I found a lot of joy in that— but there was no money, and it was very time-consuming. However, that became an exit/new career choice for me, so I was able to pivot from social work.

I decided to go back to school and get another master's in Communication at Western Kentucky and that was paid for by coaching speech and debate. I coached for them for two years and I really was like “I wanna be a speech and debate coach” and then I coached there and was like, absolutely not. It was way too time-consuming. I had no life, just soul-sucking. So my advisor when I was working on my thesis was like, “Have you thought about applying to the Ph.D. program?” She pushed me to apply to three different programs and told me if I didn’t apply [she] would come after [me]. Terrifying. I applied and got into the University of Missouri. Really, once I got there, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanna do research, I wanna teach, because I want to provide a different experience for my students than some of the experiences I had in school. That kind of motivated me, as well as the research, flexibility, and autonomy of the job.

Q: What surprised you most when you began working here?

A: How friendly and positive and polite and kind the students are, frankly. People had said that about Auburn students before I came here, but I experienced it for myself and I was like woah, you can’t be this nice. It’s true, the students are really nice here. At least from the position that I am in as a professor, they are generally nice to me. That was surprising to me because, from my previous institutions, you got a whole range of students. So for me that was very surprising. I would also say how intense the culture is. It’s a very close-knit culture and I knew that before I came here, but I hadn’t realized how close the people are, and how much people love this school where their families and several generations have gone. I see people walking around campus with their parents and they are like in this '“wonderment.” People really love this school.

Q: What do you think makes you stand out as an educator?

A: My approach to teaching, and what it means to be a college professor. I think both of those are tied to my own identity as a black male, who identifies as gay, and then on top of that, also neurodiverse. So, you have these intersecting identities that aren’t typically made visible in academia, so that was something that really resonated with me. I wanted to make that visible so that I could relate to my students in ways that I know they are experiencing differently. For many of my students, I'm probably gonna be one of the few professors of color they ever have, so what does that mean for me and their experience?

Also, my goal is to meet students where they are and to provide them with skills. Meeting them where they require an extra level on my part but also more vulnerability from me as a professor, kind of breaks down some of those barriers between students and their professors. I want to be able to relate to my students on their levels. That doesn’t mean I still don’t have boundaries or that I don’t care about grades or that they aren’t important, they obviously are, we are in academia, even though they shouldn’t. For me it is about the students, I am student-centered, but that does not lessen the rigor of my classes or the knowledge the students are gaining.

Q: What is a common misconception students have about professors?

A: That we only teach. I think lots of students think that all professors do is teach, but only half of my job is teaching. The other half is research, and research is big. It’s the reason I got this job. It’s a big part of what I have to do, so it is just as core to my identity as my experience as a teacher. 

Q: What would students be surprised to learn about professors?

A: That we’re human and that we make mistakes. We don't know everything. I think the division between students and faculty creates this idea that professors don't think or feel about what happens to [students] or how we treat them. We are human too so we can be angry, sad, or happy, and we go through the same things you go through. There are misconceptions that we are kind of robots and we aren’t, some of us are, but I’m not. I really do think it is important to recognize the vulnerability and humanness of educators.

Q: One complaint from students is that professors don’t take into account the workload they get from other classes. How do you feel about their concerns and how have you tried to ease that stress for your own students?

A: That is something that’s really important. I totally agree, I think that’s a huge concern for students. I think for me, I am more atoon to that because I’m not that far away from being a grad student. So, when I was a grad student, I was also teaching so I got to see both sides. I one hundred percent agree that students have a lot going on and we assume that just because you are here, you’re great at managing your time, or that this is something you should already know. There are many hidden assumptions that are made about students. Juggling assignments is normal, but that doesn’t make it less difficult.

I try to find ways to eliminate that, or at least tell my students how I feel about it. I have mental health weeks because I believe building in mental health is essential for students to regain a sense of energy and excitement. It gives them a mental break and we all need mental breaks. Burnout is real, even if you are in college. I built that into my classes which means there are less readings you may get and that there is less content to cover, and that is okay. I realize that my class can still be fulfilling despite the fact that I am not giving you every reading possible. I want you to gain skills and if you can still maintain and develop those skills while also giving yourself a break in the middle of the semester that’s not named Thanksgiving, Christmas, or spring break, I think that’s important. It also gives me a break and I can catch up on grading, or maybe I need a mental health break. We are all juggling things. I do my best to try and build in those times, and I try my best not to overwhelm them. 

Q: Do you think it is important to connect with your students for them to succeed in the classroom?

A: Absolutely. I think connection is very important because that connection and relatability with students, that's essential. It helps them see where you’re coming from and why you talk about and focus on the things you do. It just makes things a bit more clear. I’ve had students come up and tell me that I’m relatable and that makes it easier for them to absorb information and learn. Not just treating them as receivers of information but instead, it is a mutual, co-created experience in my classroom, at least that’s the idea. So, I absolutely think that being able to create a connected experience is not only fundamental to my teaching but to my research. I believe in building or highlighting connections.

Q: How do you manage your mental health on top of work?

A: The rest weeks definitely help. I workout, like I have to exercise, it’s fundamental to my mental health. I have to be social; I can’t just work. I love working, I love my job, I study work, I study organization, I love this stuff. But it’s also something that I have to take a break from and recharge, get re-energized. I have a social life, I have a partner, and I have dogs. I spend time with my family. I got out with my colleagues and friends and stuff like that. Oh, and watch a lot of T.V. and sports.

Q: How do you manage your physical health on top of work?

A: Workout definitely. I go to the doctor regularly; I try to stay on top of my physical health. I believe that your body and mind are connected, and our mental health is connected to our physical health, so I firmly believe in taking care of our bodies. I try to eat well for me, I say that specifically for me. Everyone’s body is different. I just try to eat what nourishes me and makes me feel satisfied.

Q: Explain your biggest struggle since working here and how you overcame it.

A: Honestly, I would say my biggest struggle has been adjusting to the new environment and culture. Also being away from my partner has been really hard. That’s not super easy. Also, my dogs, I miss them all the time. Overcoming it has been hard. We see each other very frequently though. We spend a good amount of time together over breaks and trade-offs with the dogs. That has probably been the most difficult, being away from my partner.

Q: Share your favorite moment you’ve had as a professor at Auburn.

A: Well, this would be one of them. Being able to talk about my experiences is good and you telling me that you’re using some of the stuff you learned in class. Stuff like that, this experience, and others that have let me know that hey, I’m doing a pretty decent job, I’m a good teacher, and my students do have a connection with me. Those moments. I had another student to whom I disclosed my being neurodiverse come up to me and said [they] never had a professor like that. Like that makes me feel seen and heard, and those are things that really matter to me in a class.

Q: What strategies did you use to be successful in college that you can recommend to the students at Auburn?

A: I asked a lot of questions. I think asking a lot of questions is important. I allow myself to make mistakes and I think in many ways being in the classroom, there is always this level of competition around getting certain grades that make you feel like you aren’t afforded the space to make mistakes. [Making mistakes] helped me learn and grow as an individual and as a student. It’s not a strategy per se, but it’s a way of thinking. If you’re comfortable making mistakes and asking for help, I think those are two ways that you can get a lot done for yourself. I definitely think that being able to mess up is essential, because how else do you learn if you don’t mess up?

Q: What is your favorite Auburn tradition and why?

A: Rolling Toomer’s. That’s fun. I don’t know if it’s fun for the trees, but it’s definitely fun to watch it happen. I had seen it in pictures before, but to experience it in real life was definitely exciting. And football games are a fun experience.

Q: How has the Auburn culture impacted you?

A: I typically am an energetic, friendly, positive person, and I think that positivity is a good fit for this campus. I think that is something I didn't know going in. I didn’t recognize how the energy and positivity of this culture would be, especially in my department, everyone here is great. And really good students.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have received since coming to Auburn?

A: To keep asking around, if one person does not know the answer, someone will. Someone will find it, just keep asking around. When there are things I need or questions, people have directed me to people who have the answer. At least someone has the answer. I got that during my orientation. They were like, “if at first, you don’t succeed, just got to the next person.”

Q: What advice would you give the students at Auburn?

A: Don’t take for granted getting an education. The experience and culture are often why people come here because it's a really fun and involved culture, but that’s because you get to learn in a space that is free of judgment, it’s comfortable and safe. I try to tell people, don’t take for granted the fact that they get to learn, especially in an environment like Auburn. It’s a really comfortable environment, not to say there are no feelings of discomfort or times when people feel unsafe, but I think that on the whole, this is an environment where you can learn and my advice to students is don't take that for granted.

Not everyone gets that, lots of people don’t get that. And it’s hard to get that back when you’re gone. Once you leave you are no longer in the nexus of the school, so don’t take for granted the idea of getting an education because there are many people who don’t get that. I think that is a valuable thing to remember because I am fortunate enough that I get to teach amazing students here at Auburn, but I also want students to understand how fortunate they are to be here. 

Thank you again to Professor Branton for meeting with me and providing such insightful and honest answers to our questions!

Be Well, Auburn!