One of the things that I’ve found I’m completely unprepared for as a new teacher and academic advisor is the level of emotion the students bring with them to talk with me. I’m just not a public crier, so it always startles me when someone lets the waterworks go during what seems to me to be a relatively benign conversation. Not that I never empty a box of Kleenex while watching a tearjerker with a group of friends, or think that crying in front of others makes you weak – it’s just not me. This has left me at a loss for what to do when someone breaks down in my office. Politely ignore? Offer Kleenex? Ask details? I should have paid better attention when friends talked about their experiences being the crier or the cryee!

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