Another "is this gift appropriate" question...
So I already gave this gift to the person.. Lol, the response seemed positive but I figured I would ask you guys anyway...
The gift was a handmade sketchbook. I am an art student and I took a bookmaking class, so I have a bunch of cool paper and know how to bind books. Anyway, I made the sketchbook for my design professor for the last day of class. I have gotten to know her spending a lot of time in her office hours talking about academic, career, and even just life-related things... She seems to like me and appreciate that I am excited to listen. She shares some personal things, asks me questions, and we joke and laugh.
I think she is so cool and just wanted to express my gratitude in a special way... besides "hanging out", she has really gone above and beyond in helping and supporting me. But do you think it might have been weird to give her that? It's a professional looking sketchbook, not like a kids/craft looking thing... she also is an artist so she appreciates these kinds of things. She didn't seem weirded out to me. It's just that she is an overall caring person and truly cares about all of her students, so sometimes I doubt whether we have the friend-type relationship that i want and think we have, or if she is just an attentive professor and i'm just another student who happens to beg her attention. I was kinda hoping that giving her a token of my gratitude might help the notion that I'd like to be friends and I don't just see her as a temporary source of personal benefit.
Any thoughts? We are on a break from school now, so I won't see her for a month or so, but I am planning on taking another of her classes and/or continuing to visit during office hours.
Seems to me you gave a super-generous gift to your design professor.
Once a teacher - student relationship (that is the class that she is teaching you) ends ...
it's normal that the closeness of your relationship will end as well ...
because the teacher - student relationship is supposed to be kept on a professional level ...
not a friendship level.
If you take another class with her, then she will be happy to have you visit during office hours.
On the other hand, if you are no longer one of her students,
it would be natural to expect that the teacher will start becoming less available to you ...
because she will then be spending more time with the people who are her students at that time.
She will probably remain cordial and pleasant ...
because she will see you as a former student,
so she will wish you every success in the future
as you move on with your life
and use the skills she taught you.
Just my opinion ...
I am/was in a really similar situation with a teacher. My advice would be to give her the sketchbook because my guess is that at worst she'll be pleased but a bit confused and at best she'll be really happy and grateful. I also think it's better to accidentally show too much affection, rather than too little, personally. But then, I did creep out my teacher by giving her homemade biscuits and am generally not a good judge in this respect so ![]()
Update: sorry I didn't read your original post properly. Good decision anyway ![]()
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 121 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 83 of 200
