Fourth Teaching Reflection

As I sit and ponder our class in Pedagogy this evening, I realize that confidence in myself and in my teaching must come from internal sources. I cannot and should not depend upon my students for ego gratification. All the mutual respect in the world doesn't eliminate the power relationship between us. I see it as my responsibility to respect my students by maintaining proper professional boundaries. All of which boils down to one word: respect.

In my teaching, respect is my number one rule. I respect the students... not because they are bright or rich or well-dressed or white or male or Asian or gay or Muslim or an economics major or the star quarterback or daughter of the President. I respect them because "students are people too" and human beings deserve respect and empathy. I treat them as I would want to be treated.

Furthermore, I recognize the many demands on their time, and don't change exam times or deadlines at the last minute. I give a complete course outline in the syllabus so they can plan their semester. I realize they truly may have commitments barring them from coming to my office hours, and so I readily schedule appointments for mutually convenient times.I assume their goal is to learn the material. When they come to me with graded exams, I respect their desire to learn what they did wrong so that they might improve the next time. I recognize that I am sometimes unclear, so when they ask for a second explanation I provide one without offense.I want them to gain confidence in their intellectual abilities. In our department at BGSU, this is/was my over-arching goal (even though I sometimes find that this is not always the case with faculty.)

Ok, blah blah blah... enough for tonight!