Hi Christopher: There are so many steps involved with great preparation - arriving early is one of them. Some teachers schedule is very tight and moving from one class session lession to another leaves little time. But if there is time, being in class before students arrive, setting up the room, gathering your resourcses, handouts, notes on the board, and making sure your media is working contribute to preparation. This also allows the teacher to spend a few moments with students as they arrive - to chat, to answer or ask questions, or just to make conversation. These suggest the the teacher is interested. Regards, Barry