My Principles of Teaching

Personal Ideas on Teaching
My Basic Principles of Teaching

1. My best teachers are my students!

2. Listen closely to students--they are my best teachers. As in the principles of marketing, we must meet the needs and wants of our customers (students). Teach a course at their pace--not my pace.

3. Sometimes eliminate planned assignments or a test when they many be unnecessarily redundant or too much extra week. In other words, be flexible and open-minded during the course of a semester.

4. Respect the opinions and attitudes of students as long as they are intelligent, valid and presented in a responsible, respectful manner.

5. Give students the benefit of the doubt. But, don't be a sucker for phony stories and excuses.

6. Be tolerant of the personal needs and problems of students. Understand that they have busy schedules with classes, work and possibly family pressures.

7. Be aware that students have other lives outside the classroom--other classes, jobs, family and boyfriend issues, etc.--in addition to the normal illnesses and learning disabilities for some.

I do not agree with some of the traditional attitudes of some
teachers such as:

1. "Stuff their empty little heads with as many facts as I can whether they like it or not."

2. "Reassign the work until they get it right. (Meaning, I did not give a clear assignment in the first place.)

3. "Punish the students with extra work and pop quizes if they do not perform well in class."

4. "No students deserve above a C or B grade. They are not smart enough for a higher grade."