In maintaining professionalism, you do not cease to be human. As long as you are confident in yourself and in your work, it is possible to maintain instructor/student boundaries and at the same time, have a good rapport.

How do you approach the situation that occurs when students compare you to other instructors: "Mr. Soandso never had us do this...", especially if that instructor has an excellent reptutation with a lot of students?

A lot of instructors that I know have used different versions of the same test, often with the questions in a different order. They want the students to take the same test, but eliminate the situation where a student feels they can take advantage. It keeps the "honest students honest" because they know that it is useless to look at another's paper.

What happens when there are multiple students that are of the center stage category? Do they often conflict with each other, or work off of each other in their attempts to enjoy the limelight?

As a new instructor coming into an established program, how do I keep the students from looking at me as an outsider?

I am so glad I took this course. It let me know that I was doing things correctly instinctualy. My first class I made the mistake of telling my students that this was my first time instructing; but I followed up with how much experience I have in the field and how I would incorperate a fresh view of the professional aspect of there chosen career. I also laughed and told them that I would have to relearn some of the information again along with them. My students were wonderful, all graduated, and all thought I was a great instructor. However I feel I could have given more.

i have found that working on motorcycles helps me to relax. sometimes i just hang out in my garage and look at the stuff i have been working on.

Managing student behavior is fairly easy if you first set the boundries between instructor and student. Let your presence be known and let the students know what is expected of them day number one then managing behavior is a simple task.

I am a high energy instructor that works out in the field as well. the few challenging students that I've had I was able to bring them arround with showing relivence of what they are learning to what they are going to need in the field.I have a few talkers in my class now so durring discussions I call on students for input to spread out the interaction.

I have been challenged with a simalar situation recently and found that if i move my disruptive student away from their comfort zone the outcome turns out for the better. For example in the cooking lab days when a particular group of students work together the quality of the food lacks structure and usually never gets turned in on time even with my guidance along the way. While on the flip side if i separate them into another group their performance and knowledge of cooking is stronger and they understand the importance of teamwork and productivity. I do believe that the other classmates will not put up with their belief system and together as a team will make things happen. Glenn

I would like to share in the discussion one of a common mistake that I experienced with one my instructors while being a student. I had an instructor who did not cover the weekly course material she only sat at her desk reading a book until a student would have a question. I thought the instructor was not focus and disengaged in the class. Majority of the class would always leave the classroom at fifteen-minutes before the class ended and the instructor never said anything about the early dismal. This was my last course in the program and I was very much so eager to be done with the class.

Managing student behavior can often time become difficult because your students can range in different age groups. How we tackle a student’s behavior will depend on their maturity level and their individual situation. We must approach each individual behavior delicate in order to get to the root of the problem.

Often times we may think that we would not encounter challenging students in an online environment but we do. How I deal with a challenging student? My approach in dealing with challenging students is by sending repetitive e-mails. Refocusing on the students assignments being turned in by the due date and constantly offering my assistance to keep them engaged in the class.

As an instructor, I believe it is best to provide students with meaningful material that would aid in their success in the classroom as well as in their future career goals. Students need to know that the information that is being received is the information they will need when they apply the knowledge they learned.

As a parent with a child who has had life long medical problems that continue today I have had my share of stress. Remedy? Stay busy, keep your day full of activities that don't allow you time to feel sorry for yourself. You are not the person with the medical problem. This keeps me focused on life and I find I am a much better parent with more energy and support for my 36 year old son. Work can be a cure especially for depression and stress. This is how I cope!

When administration pretends to know the topic I teach but are glaringly clueless the choices they make can be thunderously ignorant. This is where I am required to do their job for them by teaching students content that was clearly designed to be taught after they were given basic concepts. Stress!

I try to put everything into a plastic file cabinet for each course I teach. It is portable, easy to organize and I have all the tests, answers, quizes, hand outs and assigments all in one quick and easy access. I keep only the originals and copy them for distribution as needed.

When assigning completion times to tasks I consider how long it should take then allow a litle extra time for those who just don't quite get things so quick. I find learning new topics very difficult and need time to focus and understand the material. Students learn at different speeds just like me.

Another method of getting students interested in a class is to share your experience with them and show what they are learning is relevant.

With the introduction of ebooks, I make sure to have a copy of a good book with me at all times. Reading a chapter or two will help eliminate stress.