Wayne Young

Good tips for getting to know the students and getting things started. I like the idea of name tents on their desks, as I am not very good at learning names.

Having a plan and sticking to it, getting to class early and getting to know the students, pronouncing their names correctly, and keeping a notepad available to jot down things as the notion occurs to me are all good things for me to remember.

As someone new the instructing field, there were many good points addressed. I think I appreciated the modeling portion in that all we are and do should be a model as to what the students should be striving toward. In appearance and dress, behaviors, language, mannerisms, etiquettes, structure, all of that is teaching, whether they know it or not.

Also, the reminder of not to become their buddy, so as not to disrupt the instructor/student relationship dynamic that needs to be maintained, was something I needed to hear.

Thinking on this topic caused me to realize that the world is designed to meet the needs of people without disabilities, but what would it look like if everyone had the same disability? That is what equal access would look like. If everyone were in a wheelchair, how would building designs look? If everyone were blind, what accommodations would be made? That is what equal access means; not an unfair advantage, but equal access to everyone, regardless of their differences.

I'm glad there was a "best practices" section as there are so many things to consider, with the last one being, "When in doubt, it is always advisable to err on the side of caution and to not release student educational records without first fully notifying the student about the disclosure.", although I would add checking with appropriate school officials as well.

Student records confidentiality is extremely important, and must be taken seriously. If I have a question regarding sharing the students information I will always inquire of school officials first. Also interesting is noting what "sole possession" means and what personal records or notes an instructor keeps may end up in a students file if they do not keep them separated.