Members of The Reflector staff came together to compile this list of suggestions of 50 things Mississippi State University teachers should or should not do to give everyone the best possible university experience.
1. Remember, you were a student too.
2. Just because you were a student doesn’t mean your students are in the same situation you were.
3. Don’t talk negatively about other teachers, particularly if they’re in your department. Students will remember, and teachers will find out.
4. Don’t keep students later than the assigned class time. Their next class may be at the vet school.
5. If a student shows up late, don’t count them absent. They still made the effort to show up.
6. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Don’t be annoyed if you’re asked to, either.
7. Don’t insult your students for asking ridiculous questions. The dumbest question is the one they’re afraid to ask.
8. Don’t be condescending.
9. Be fair in grading. Never use ‘fairness’ as an excuse to deny information to a student.
10. Tell students how you would like to be addressed on the first day.
11. Try to remember your students’ names; they’re people too.
12. Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something, but find out the answer before the next class.
13. Don’t come to class drunk. (Yes, it happens.)
14. Understand your students are taking more classes than just yours. It takes more than 3 credit hours to graduate.
15. Every assignment should have value; otherwise, you’re wasting your time and your students’ time.
16. Give your students at least a week’s notice before a test. Anything less is unfair.
17. Everyone – teachers and students — deserves at least one free absence.
18. E-mail your students if you’re going to cancel class.
19. Be accessible outside of the classroom.
20. Say “hello” to students when they see you outside of class. If they don’t want you to notice them, you won’t.
21. Don’t be afraid to have coffee with a student.
22. Don’t go partying with students while they’re enrolled in your class.
23. Your students don’t need to know about your personal life, and you shouldn’t want them to.
24. Effort is important and shouldn’t be forgotten in grading.
25. If you assign required reading, you need to read it too.
26. Students don’t pay thousands of dollars in tuition to watch movies, at least not in every class.
27. When grading a paper, explain what the student did right, not just what they did wrong.
28. Don’t be afraid to be passionate about what you’re teaching. If you cry reading your favorite poem/play/book, your students will never forget it.
29. Teaching is interactive; if it’s not for you, that’s a problem.
30. PowerPoint presentations are the worst, but if you have to use them, at least make them available online for students to study.
31. Don’t flirt with your students during class. It’s awkward for everyone.
32. Post handouts online. It saves trees.
33. Mix up how you teach. It will make teaching for you and learning for students more interesting.
34. Never think a reputation as a “hard” teacher is a compliment. It’s not. (This means you, Carskadon.)
35. Don’t be a pushover, either. Your job is to teach, not be the students’ friend.
36. If you can’t pass your test, your students never will.
37. Bragging about how many students you’ve failed only shows how many students you failed to teach. Students, other teachers and department heads will notice.
38. Never threaten to fail a student to prove a point. It doesn’t work.
39. Use out-of-class assignments sparingly.
40. If your students aren’t paying attention, it’s your fault too.
41. Don’t lie to your students. If you do, make it believable.
42. If you write your own book, make it cheap and make it bound. Nobody wants to pay $100 for a stack of 50 handouts they could have printed themselves for $3.
43. If you’re not going to use the book you assign, tell your students on the first day.
44. Don’t read handouts and the syllabus word-for-word to students; they’re in college and obviously can read.
45. Research is important, but teaching should be first priority.
46. Be careful about assigning group papers. They’re almost impossible for students to write fairly.
47. Be careful about using “clickers.” Half of the time, they don’t work anyway.
48. Try to speak clearly and articulately.
49. Tell jokes in class, but make sure they apply to what you’re teaching. Dry humor = acceptable; corny jokes = unacceptable.
50. Have fun and your students will too.