Love Gives Rigor Meaning

By Sheron Lawson​
Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines.
Participant of the Fall 2025 Compassionate STEM cohort.

If I’m honest, the word “love” in a classroom once felt uncomfortable to me. It didn’t sound academic. It didn’t sound rigorous. But over time, I’ve come to understand that love is not the opposite of rigor; it’s what gives rigor meaning.

For me, love in the classroom means caring deeply about who the students are becoming, not just what they are producing. It means I see students as more than a grade, more than a performance, more than a single semester. It means I want the students to leave my class stronger, more confident, and more capable than when they entered.

When I was young, I was shy and unsure of myself. A teacher once saw leadership in me before I saw it in myself. She entrusted me with small responsibilities, like being the class monitor, and in doing so, she quietly helped me find my voice. She didn’t lower expectations for me. She raised them. But she paired those expectations with encouragement and belief. That combination changed me.

That experience shaped how I think about teaching.

Love in my classroom means I will challenge the students sometimes more than they feel comfortable, because I believe they can rise to it. It also means I will try to notice when they are overwhelmed, discouraged, or unsure of themselves. I may not always get it perfectly right, but my intention is to respond with respect and humanity.

I know what it feels like to wonder if you belong. So, love, for me, means creating a space where you can ask questions, admit confusion, and take intellectual risks without fear of being diminished.

It means holding high standards and steady care at the same time.

And while I may not always use the word “love” out loud, my hope is that the students feel it, in the way I prepare, the way I challenge, and the way I show up for them.