It isn’t often that you find a teacher who motivates you academically, challenges you ethically, and gives you the opportunity to grow in your field. Sure, you might have a teacher who does one of these things, but for me all three of those things and more are pretty rare.

In the short time of me sitting under the tutelage of Rod Pritchard, I have found myself taking many notes. Here are my 10 favorite life lessons, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

1. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Before taking his PR 205 class, I was told how scary and intimidating he was, that he wasn’t friendly, and that he would be a hard grader. Of course I took that as a challenge because I have only had two teachers not like me. Nearly one week into the class, I found an error on the college website and thought I should bring that to his attention. At first he looked blankly at me, then he proceeded to fix the error. I like to think of it as the moment I proved myself and began to earn his respect. It wasn’t our first encounter, but a meaningful one, nonetheless.

2. Your attitude determines your altitude.

I’ve always heard of sayings like, “your outlook on life determines how far you’ll go…” I like to think that Rod’s saying is more applicable to my life. I have a lot of ambition and desire to succeed. I think of myself as progressing in an upward direction, so when he said “altitude,” my ears perked up. I don’t remember every lesson from his course, but this is a close second runner of things I do remember.

3. If you can’t be good, be safe.

For me, this means that you should always be careful. Not every choice in life will be the best, but you should always make sure that you’re being careful while making it. Every action has a reaction, a consequence.

4. Always be gracious.

5.Don’t be informal with Gordon, the dog.

Pictured here we see all of Gordon's stuffed animals. "We don't know what kind of life he had before us, so I like to spoil him just a little," says Rod. These look like more than just a few toy items, though.

6. Get it right the first time.

I’ve been handing in work to Rod for almost a year--both in the classroom and out--but it never ceases to amaze me how nervous I still get when handing him something to look over. It is not that I am afraid of him, but rather because I know how high his standards are and the level of work that is expected of me because he has seen my full, overachieving potential.

70. Under promise, over deliver.

This is actually a Lisa saying, but like most successful men, he gleans a lot from his wife. On the surface, this sounds like you’re trying to be a kiss-up. That is furthest from the truth. When your boss asks for an assignment from you, they will be thoroughly impressed that you completed the task ahead of time and didn’t turn it in at the last minute.

8. Smile and be friendly to everyone.

Rod seems to always be smiling. Going back to number two, “your attitude determines your altitude,” he seems to personify this daily. I’m sure there are times he feels down or disappointed, but he never lets anything ruin his day. I sit back in amazement as I pout over silly things and he just chuckles, makes a joke of it, and moves on with the day.

9. Humor lightens any mood.

Speaking of his chuckle, on any given day he is laughing. He finds a way to make anything humorous and put those around him in a better mood.

10. Write well, speak well.

Actual footage of Rod fast at work. Aside from your attitude needing to be pleasant to succeed in life, Rod believes that hard work needs to be added to the mix. While your attitude gets you in the door, your writing and speaking ability allows you to stay in the room.