What I Learned About Teaching from My College Professors

At age 42 I realized that I wanted to be a teacher.

Spent a lot of time by this lake on Edison campus after classes

At age 43, in January 1999, I began taking classes at Cuyahoga Community College: Psychology and Comp I.  I took 27 credit hours at Tri-C before moving to Florida and finishing an Associates Degree at Edison Community College in 2002.

Knowing that I wanted to be a teacher, I was highly aware of what my college professors were doing right, and I documented that in September 2001.  Some of the items made the list because a prof was doing the opposite! I like to revisit this list often because there are great reminders here of what works in education, and there are always things I find I can be doing better.

(Side note: this list is just from my first couple of years in college.  Suffice to say, many of my later college professors used the same techniques that helped me learn.) 

Here is the list:

Honor diverse styles of learning

Always choose encouraging words

Don't pander to the lowest common denominator

Collect ideas from every direction

Visuals are vital

Let students discuss openly -- encourage differing opinions

Make review and learning fun

Expect class to be disciplined in study habits

Break learning down incrementally

Be a great storyteller