I used to teach at a college where it was expected the instructors 'friend' their students on Facebook, give their personal email addresses (not just their college emails), add them to their tweet list (and it was encouraged to be on Twitter), etc. Some instructors even went to student's parties. A recent video has a student stating his instructor is his best friend. I never did any of that. To me, this is fraught with peril. One instructor literally tweeted how proud he was that he could take a photo and tweet while driving. This sends the wrong message to the students. They look up to us (most of the time) and some want to emulate us. I could see potential lawsuits coming from that if a student got into a wreck, hurt herself or someone else, and said "But my instructor does it". Students will ask me to friend them, but I politely refuse.

I find I get stressed out very quickly and very easily. Teaching, being a father, professional responsibilities, church responsibilities, etc... The stress adds up quickly. Has anyone done the stress list, and has it helped?

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. It's stated that taking points off the grade for a late assignment "replicates the deadline criterion of the work world". No, it doesn't. In my field, if you are late, you lose the client, you lose money and, ultimately, you will lose your job. Do this enough, you lose your business. There are no valid "Oh, we didn't get finished on time...." excuses because client deadlines are written in stone. Added Note: I give each student a sheet outlining the project and the due date and time. I also put this info online where all students have access 'in case they lose their info sheets'. Students know I do this, and many have had me for multiple terms, yet still try to say they didn't know the deadline. Now, again as devil's advocate (I'm reiterating this point), please defend how a missed deadline and merely taking a percentage off for each day it isn't turned in replicates the real world? I am a strong advocate at the college/higher ed level that if a deadline is missed, the student gets a '0' right off the bat. Please explain why I should back down on this belief.

In my courses, when homework is due, we go over it in class on the due date as a review of material and grade it together with careful scrutiny by me. The students tell me this is helpful. However, the students that didn't turn in the assignment then have the opportunity to write down answers and turn it in late with point deduction penalties. Many students then say I'll e-mail it to you because you let so-n-so do it. I have allowed this once or twice due to extenuating circumstances. However, then they push the deadline to 5 p.m., then it becomes midnight, then it becomes after their work shift, regardless of the line I draw in the sand. I remind them that the homework was due at 8:00 a.m. in class. Then I have to gain access to a printer and print and grade their paper separately. Sometimes they put it back on me, like "Don't you remember?...I e-mailed that to you." It has become really inefficient for me and I am considering no electronic submission of assignments at all! Professional schools (medical, dental, law) often use electronic submission of assignments. The nice thing about e-mail attachments is the time stamp. What do you think about e-submission of assignments, late or not?

I have never dealt with a cheating student. I hope I won't in the future.

The inattentive student is the hardest for me, what do you guys do to deal with them?

I happen to share one student with other instructors in other courses. I would hear stories from my fellow instructors about violent outbursts coming from this one student, but it was hard for me to believe this because the student never presented signs of this behavior in my class. From now on I will pay more attention to my fellow instructors comments/concerns and keep a closer eye on the most subtle hints that could lead to a violent incident in my class.

When laser pointed peer pressure is applied to unfocused, unprepared, etc. students; the unpleasant/dirty work for the most part is not done by your hands, but by their own peers. Works great!

Has anyone tried the "observer" method for this type of student? While I understand the concept behind it, it seems fairly juvenille, and I was wondering if it has worked with adult students. It seems similar to playing "the quiet game" with younger students where the first one to talk without being called-on loses. Usually, the Center Stage students that I have had want to speak (for a variety of reasons), and I don't see that desire disappearing because they have been assigned a job to summarize the lesson. I'd love to hear how other instructors have used this method.

I instill in my student's brains that the classroom is like a training ring. The more we sweat together during training the less blood will be spilled in the battlefield of the labor force, so stay focus on the classroom objectives/goals because one day it might just save your work life.

I can't stress how important is being overprepared for class.

In most cases, I think students cheat because of the lack of preparation.

INSTRUCTORS MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TREATING STUDENT LIKE ADULTS BY ASSUMING THE KNOW ALOT ABOUT A SUBJCT BECAUSE THEY ARE OLDER. TREAT EVERYONE AS IF THEY ARE STARTERS SO THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE ACADEMICALLY

student behavior is very important and can make or break the class and the instruction being taught. handle with extreme care

students who need help in english will have challenges that need to be addressed.

I have questions. Who is qualified to be a guest speaker? Should s/he have graduated from the college in which I am instructing or can s/he be an employee in the field? What kind of education will s/he need? Where do I find this guest speaker? I think having a guest speaker would be beneficial to the course, however, I don't want to bring in someone whose work ethics and opinions aren't in-line with the college Mission and Goals.

New to college students need to have the proper information. Many students have either not been exposed to the college setting or have had a long lapse in education. Providing the proper information may alleviates some of the apprehension connected with college. For example, there is quite a bit of information provided for the blogs we submit.

I have been a teacher for over 10 years and the most common problem I findnwith experienced teachers is thatnthey become complacent. Teaching can become routine over the years, but the instructor can not loose that edge. You must always find a new twist to your presentation to keep it fresh.

I currently have a class, teaching basic math and there are a number of students who are having difficulty grasping basic math concepts (addition, subtraction of fractions, etc). My question is how long do I continue to work with these students and delay the class from moving forward. It appears to be about 6 students out of approximately 18 that are struggling.

I have multicultural classes which presents an obvious challenge. I try to focus on the common thread which unites them in this class and how I portent it is to achieve their individual goals. I try to do as much one on one as possible but that is not always possible. I therefore accentuate as much as possible a common motivation (success) as I can. It has worked out well thus far.