10 Things You Forgot to Thank Your New Member Educator For

You can always tell who in a given room was in Greek life by surveying who is sitting and who is standing. If your boss is standing, I assure you so are the people who were in Greek organizations in college. Those that weren't in Greek life probably are in big, comfy chairs which they haven't so much as offered to higher-ups. The respect for those older/more important than you is something we've probably all forgotten to thank our new member educators (or pledge moms/pledge masters) for. So from our Something Greek community to all of the new member educators out there, thank you for:   1. Instilling within us a respect for our (even just slightly older) elders See above for an example, but we're sure all of the people who you surround yourself with are grateful for your courtesy. 2. Forcing us to jump at all "opportunities" When the president says "I need four volunteers!" no matter how awful the task at hand seems, being the first one to step up is a mindset that will get you far in life. 3. Taking so much time to make sure everything runs smoothly In the moment, you don't think about this, but SO much planning goes into a new member education process. Thank you for taking the time to make it all happen. 4. Considering our needs While you're going through the process it never seems like it, but in reality, each program is adjusted slightly to fit the needs to the pledge class involved. We never got the chance to say thank you for this because by the time we realized it, it was too late. 5. Giving us someone to look up to Sure we all have bigs to look up to, but our relationships with our pledge masters is very different and unique. 6. Introducing us to the very best people Your new member educator has probably been involved in Greek life for awhile so he/she knows exactly who to hang out with, which parties to go to and which are best to avoid, etc. 7. Calling us "gem" Sometimes it's just nice to be reminded how precious you are. 8. Teaching us to put a smile on and get over it. When it came to new member education, you were supposed to forget everything else happening in your life and get the job done--another fantastic life lesson. 9. Being an older and wiser shoulder to cry on Your pledge master has the best advice for everything from that boy who isn't calling you back to a fight with your pledge sister. And you know you've cried to her in both of those cases at least once. 10. The advice you got when it was your turn I can't say I ever did the new member educator thing, but I watched my pledge sisters do it and when they ran into issues, our pledge master was the first person they called. What's something you want to thank your new member educator for? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter. -Michelle Giuseffi