Comment on John Cabra's post:  Yes. that was quite interesting.  Caught my attention as well.  

That it is important to make an effort to learn about your students; the flashcards with 2 facts about them & the other cards with their preferred names, would definitely help me in getting to know them better; I think I will apply such activity on my first class on their first day.  ty.

That there are three roles you represent as you stand in front of a class as an instructor: Model, Manager, Motivator.  One interesting point I learned from the Harvard Instructor, he stated, "do not show your students how competent you are, do not try to prove to your students that you are the smartest in the class, you will lose them. Convince your students that you love your subject matter, that you care."  It is a given that you are the most competent in the class for your subject matter, however, there will always be someone smarter than you in… >>>