Your Students Are Not You

One way to set yourself up for disappointment is to assume that your students are going to be just like you when you were a student. For an introductory calc-based physics series, only about 3% of the students will take another course in physics - ever.

Some fraction of your students are going to earn Fs because they just don't care. They won't come to class, they won't turn in homework and they aren't going to respond to anything you do. Consider it a form of triage -- you could put all of your effort into these students and it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Another 10% of the students are going to earn As regardless of what you do. It's tempting to teach to those students because it is more rewarding; however, you stand to lose the middle 80% of the class. These kids are going to find themselves ways to learn more.

When planning your class, trying to figure out what your students are going to find interesting -- what's relevant to their lives? Balls rolling down inclined planes just aren't all that interesting. Can you teach the same ideas using the bank of a racing track? A wheelchair coming down the ramp to a store? What you find interesting isn't necessarily what they will find interesting. This doesn't mean you should change what you're teaching -- just try to find a way to make it more relevant to your audience.

Office Hours

Office hours policies vary greatly on different campuses and you have to find out what the culture is on your campus. Some schools expect you to be available to students whenever you are on campus, while others just expect you to be in your office a certain number of hours per week. Some instructors are constantly hounded by students, while others would pay to get their students to show up. Some of the following suggestions may not apply depending on your circumstance

• Hold your office hours somewhere other than your office. This sets the expectations for the students that 'office hours' take plan in, say, the learning center and they are less likely to be coming to your actual office. This also shows them that you are there specifically to help them at that time.
• Require that each student come see you within the first two weeks of the class so that they know where you're holding your office hours and that you won't bite off their head if they come see you.
• If students drop by with questions and you are busy, schedule a mutally agreeable time for them to return. This may be very important if you are teaching students who work in the same building, as they may start to drop by whenever they have a question.
• Have e-office hours and post the answers to the questions on the class website. This is a great way to avoid answering the same questions over and over. You may have to train the students to look at the website before asking a question. If you can't set up a website, you can cut-and-paste the answer to similar questions. This format can be really helpful for non-traditional students: commuters, parents, and students with heavy course loads who can't make your office hours.
• Have information about tutors, resource rooms, etc. available so that if students are really struggling, you can give them additional ideas about where they can get extra help.
• Don't be afraid to close your door. Uninterrupted time is very important, especially for things like putting together grants and papers. You may want to put a note on the door that says that you are working on something and will be available at x:00. (This also works for colleagues who like to sit in your office and talk for long periods of time.)

Personal Situations

Sometimes students will come to you with personal issues. You need to be careful with these situations because (unless you are a psychology professor), you may get in over your head quickly.

• Your institution should have a student counseling center. Make up a couple of cards with the contact information and make sure that the students know of its availability. Check to find out if the counseling is free or not -- some students may not take advantage of the service if it isn't free.
• The same thing goes for the student support center. Students who are struggling may have some options open to them, but they generally have to ask.
• When meeting with students who have personal problems, it is tempting to close the door. Be very, very careful with this, especially if the student is of the opposite sex. Good intentions can be misconstrued easily. Alternately, some students may grow violent or abusive and having the door open is a good way to make sure someone will hear if things get ugly.
• If you are worried about a student being a danger or him/herself or to others, don't keep your worries to yourself. Tell someone. The first person to tell is the department chairperson because he or she probably knows who at the university is the appropriate person to talk to. You may not be the only person who has noticed that this student has a problem.
• There are dangers to treating your students like your friends. It may be tempting to go out for beer with them on Fridays, but remember that in the end, you are going to be evaluating them and being overly friendly casts doubts on your ability to objectively do that. This may be different in smaller schools, or with majors vs. non-majors. Be careful.