Dear educators: Students come first.

Dear educators, 

Students come first.

We have to inspire them. We have to push them to their limits. We have to teach them how not to give up. How not to take no for an answer on issues that matter. We have to involve them in our research, in our conversations. They are people just like you are a person. They can be great friends. We have to support them, even when their own family is not supporting them. They are why we have jobs; why we do what we do. They are also teachers. They are inspirational. Without them, our profession would not exist.

ALWAYS remember that.

Without them, we are on our own. We would have no reason to inspire. I would not be where I am at without my students. I attribute my success to theirs, and I hope they attribute their success to mine. Surely, not all students are the same, but neither are all educators. I am extremely lucky to have the fortune of having students that care about me, as much as I care about them. They have always given me a reason to continue pushing forward.

Pick up the phone, message your students, call them, guide them, teach them. Listen to what they have to say, but also don't sugarcoat things. Be honest with them. Play an active role in their career. Work never ends as an educator, so don't expect that your inbox will not be full, and that you will have to reply to many students. Don't expect that they won't send you an SMS, or a WhatsApp message at night if you are an active part of their life. Always be there for them, because that is our life, that is our purpose. Can it be hectic? Of course. It is however,

REWARDING. 

On my last birthday, this past July 8th, 2015, my students and my wife threw me a surprise birthday party. I could not have been happier to see and feel how much they care about me, because I care about them just as much. 

So, dear educators, always remember, that students come first.

YOUR success will follow. 

THANK YOU to all my past, present and future students. 

I'm humbled by all of you. 

• SOCIO-DIGITAL! The old professor is dead
• 21 Tips on how to be the most successful professor you can be
• Where are the Ivy League schools in cyber forensics?

Ibrahim Baggili PhD is Director of the University of New Haven's Cyber Forensics Research and Education Group (UNHcFREG), Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, Research Scholar and Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of New Haven. You can also visit his personal website here: https://www.baggili.com.