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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Friday, July 18, 2025

Hot for teacher: A case of the \Mrs. Robinson's\

You know when you have a professor or teaching assistant that really motivates you to come to class? Something about his or her teaching style just works for your content knowledge, their interest in the subject... and their gorgeous eyes? For some students, a TA is more than a source of knowledge; they are a source of a hot daydream.  

 

So what makes a TA or professor attractive, dreamy or crush-worthy of a student's affections? It depends on who you ask.  

 

One anonymous UW-Madison student's crush on her TA was motivated by a number of things, including his eyes, sense of humor and direction in life. According to Amy,\ he is more mature than a typical college guy, who seems more focused on getting trashed. 

 

""He knows what he wants to do with his life,"" she said.  

 

This motivated and funny TA has inspired this student to make more office hour visits.  

 

""I understand the subject completely,"" Amy said. ""I pretend like I'm confused, so I can go to his office hours to talk to him."" 

 

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Although this student is bold in her frequent office hour visits, she is not quite bold enough to give her TA her number—not yet anyway. She said she normally would have asked him out by now, but the student-teacher relationship has delayed her. Amy plans on giving her TA her number at the end of the semester, although she is not looking for anything particularly serious. 

 

""I'd be happy with a couple of dates—I don't want to get married,"" she said.  

 

While this student may have her own specific reasons for her crush, some of the experts on human behavior also have various ideas of why student-teacher crushes happen. Dr. Catherine Treece, a clinical psychologist in Madison, felt those not quite ready to have a serious relationship and vulnerable to a lot of emotional issues may develop a crush on someone who is less attainable.  

 

""Having a crush on someone who is more or less unavailable is safe,"" Treece said.  

 

Brad Brown, a UW-Madison educational psychology professor, has similar ideas of why these crushes may occur. He sees it as an opportunity for those that may be less experienced in the realm of dating to have a more inaccessible crush.  

 

""It's a way to practice those sorts of feelings,"" Brown said.  

 

This is not to say those unguarded with emotions are invincible to a teacher crush.  

 

Bob McGrath, a clinical psychologist and the director of the UHS Counseling and Consultation Services, said crushes may occur because students are often ingrained to want their teachers' approval. He says this desire to be accepted academically may shift into something beyond the books—a desire to be romantically approved.  

 

""You have a sense of this person, and you think, ‘wouldn't it be special if this person liked me,'"" McGrath said.  

 

While the crusher may be experiencing a wide variety of emotions, the one being crushed on may not even know this is happening at all. Even though Ryan Winkles, a UW-Madison theatre and drama TA, is known in the theatre department to be highly crushed upon by his many female students and admirers in the Facebook Group, ""I Heart Ryan Winkles,"" he doesn't seem to know when it is happening.  

 

""I find it very hard to know if anyone has a crush on me,"" Winkles said.  

 

Although he may not be totally sure when someone has feelings for him, he does have an idea why people may be claiming him as ""crushable."" He accounts this to the general openness and frequent discussions in a theatre and drama class versus a more lecture-based class. The directness of the class may leave people feeling closer to everyone in the class, including the TA. 

 

""I'm pretty goofy. A lot of times in class I get them to do outrageous things, get them to open up,"" Winkles said.  

 

Whether or not a TA makes a students feel outrageous, they may find their way to the highly acclaimed ""crush status."" Just beware of how difficult it is to get into the overbooked office hours of these particularly charming or attractive TAs. 

 

 

 

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