Don't Be That Guy

I warn my students not to freak out when they see a lot of ink in the margins of their papers. I explain my golden rule: “You put effort in, writing to me? I put effort in, writing back to you. That’s the respect writers give each other.”

Whenever I’ve watched my under-confident students in remedial courses scour returned essays for my comments, I knew it meant something to them that their work had been given real consideration, the consideration it was due. “Sarah Ben-Al

Don’t Be That Guy (Chronicle)

“That Guy” is any of a list of bad teachers the author remembers.

As I prepare for another semester of classes, now is the time to reflect and rethink… to pat myself on the back for my recent teaching successes, and to seek ways to avoid repeating my failures.

I’ve found that there’s never much time to do that sort of thing, once the semester begins.

2 thoughts on “Don't Be That Guy

  1. I think many students have “that one guy.” I became a teacher. I love what I do. There are times you wonder if you really make a difference in students lives. Then after, a night of staying up too late, reading test answers,and grading. The next day one of those students says,” I totally understand this! Thank you!” You know it’s all worth it.

  2. The article is great–seems to me that she learned a lot that should carry her through a long career. I’d be surprisd if she doesn’t have a job offer by the end of the week.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *