It will be less than a month when I get back on the proverbial wagon of teaching. I’ve been teaching on and off at the language school and I even got to warm up with a summer class, but, in the fall, I have a five semester course load with my schedule going from early morning to evening. It’s not as bad as it sounds, as there is plenty of space between courses, but that means a lot prep work and a lot of homework as well.
For the most part, I prefer community college students to university students. They are usually more interested in the courses and much more eager to participate. Of course, these students usually pass the course and many of them even do well. However, there are students whose behavior gives cause for concern, so my advice here is directed to them.
- Be present in class. On a basic level, it means attending courses on time. Prioritize your time! You signed up for this course at this day and time, so deal with it. Or, find a class that better fits your schedule.
- Be awake in class. This holds true to for the early morning classes, as there’s always a sleeper. You’re tired? Well, so I am I, but you won’t see me napping on the podium. Get a good night’s sleep—go to bed early, sleep for eight or nine hours, and give yourself plenty of time to get to my class. If that’s unrealistic, then there’s a device called an alarm clock. Set it to so you can get up, commute to my class, and be on time. If you’re dragging your feet, get some coffee or an energy drink. I don’t care how tired you are and I won’t hesitate to embarrass you if I catch you sleeping. I’ll even enlist your classmates in this task.
- Be prepared. Is it too much to ask you to read the text, do the exercises, or even write? Why the hell did you even go to the bookstore and got books you’re not even going to read? That’s a waste of money and time as the semester or quarter progresses. If you can’t do what I ask of you, then you shouldn’t be in my class.
- Participate in class. Because discussion is part of the American education model, class participation is a way for the student to be present. Some students hide in lecture while some others prefer to listen and take it in, but I’m not always going to discriminate between the two. Ask questions and contribute to the discussion. I’m sure some high school teacher told you there’s no such thing as stupid questions. Please don’t tell me that. Some questions are stupid and some are even inappropriate. Common decency should stop you from asking the inappropriate ones, but at least take some risk if you worry about your question or comment being stupid.
- Be respectful. Don’t have side conversations, pass notes, etc. If there’s something you’d like to share with the class, please do. You have the cafeteria, lawns, the parking lot to talk about whatever. You are being rude not only to me, but your other classmates. If you want attention, I’ll hand the floor to you to see if you can intelligently contribute something germane to the class discussion. If you can’t, the door’s over there (I point to the door). If you threaten the safety of the class, a student, or even me, I will act within the school’s policies to deal with it.
- Makes sure you sanely schedule your quarter or semester. Back to back classes are never cool, especially if they’re on opposite ends of campus. I don’t take kindly to having to leave my class early to be on time for another one, so count yourself absent if you do this. Trust me, you can’t have too many early departures that amount to a lot of missed class time. It’ll take a serious bite out of your grade.
- Turn things in on time. This means turning in the assignment in hard copy. I prefer to deal with the homework assignments all at once and then move on to something else. Backtracking to accommodate your inability to get things in on time throws me off and makes it more difficult for me to give my utmost attention to everyone else’s work.
- Make sure I get the assignment. If you say you turned in the assignment, yet I have no evidence you had, I’m not going to lose sleep over it. As far as I’m concerned, I never got the assignment and that’s a hole in your grade.
- Leave your dramas outside of class (and school if possible). I’m not interested and excuses are boring. My life is dramatic enough, and I don’t think you’re interested. If the circumstances in your life prevent you from consistently attending and performing in class, then you should seriously consider if you should even be in this course. Withdraw earlier than later.
- I hate to say it, but learn time management. Unfortunately, there’s no college course on time management. You’re just going to have to learn this one on your own just like everyone else. This is the 21st century and you’re not the only one with a complex life. Learn. Now.
Most of these things are common sense. Most students seem to grasp and practice what was listed above, but it’s amazing there are students who think the college and the class revolves around them. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. There tends to be anywhere from 15 to 30+ in a classroom, and a class can’t function if everyone is as self-absorbed as the problem students. The overall message is that you’re part of a learning community and that you should behave as such. If you can’t do that, then you should either adapt or seriously think about if you have any business being in school.
Tags: academic success, classroom behavior, community college, students
*a hand raises from the middle of lecture hall*
thanks for that lesson, mr.evans. it will serve as a useful reminder to my nephew/son as he prepares for his senior year of high school.
i keep telling him that now is the time to start creating the habits that will make his life easier in college and make his time and our dime well spent.
i am printing this out and posting it all over his room to gently remind him that his dads will be “all over it” when it comes to his college education.
Aw, thanks, Danny! That’s the best response I could hope for regarding this post.
I hope your college bound kid reads the post, understands it, and knows this is what he can expect from his prof’s. Best of luck to him as this semester begins.