How much info do you give a student
I find myself being gaurded as to how much I want my students to know about my career history. What if some feel I do not have enough experience in the field to teach?
Angelica,
Yes, they need to know that they are being instructed by a knowledgeable professional that has the experience to move forward in their career preparation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I dont think students need a copy of you resume or anything, but they should know you have plenty of experience. They will know that you have the experience when they get to know you better and you use past experiences as examples.
Stephen,
You make a very good point about having the ability to clearly communicate content. This is an essential skill needed by all of use engaged in the educational process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I had an instructor while I was in college that had not spent one day working in the field. She was one of the best instructors I had. Some times instructors with tons of knowledge go over board on information and can overwhelm students with too much. This makes it difficult for the student to decide what information they need to know and what information they don't. I have noticed that our new instructors seem to find brilliant ways to explain ideas and concepts, that I have never thought of. I often incorporate those ideas in my classes and I was in the field for 26 yrs. Just because Babe Ruth was a great baseball player does not mean he would have been a great coach. Keep up the good work!
Megan,
Great advice! I know this will be valuable for other instructors that are just getting started and are wanting to know how to approach the classroom with confidence and good student management skills.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is a tough one. You want to share something about yourself so that you seem human to your students and to build rapport with them. But you also don't want to over share and talk about yourself for half the class. I have had students complain to me about another teacher who just talked about the little details of her life and didn't teach them anything the first day. This is too much. I have found that a few things to share is good. They will respect your experience and expertise. I am very young and anyone can tell that I have not been working in my field for 20 years just by looking at me. But I have more experience than they do and the school thinks I have something to offer, or they would not have hired me. So have confidence that you know your stuff and the students will respect that! But over sharing is bad, you are not there to tell your life history.
Kari,
You can share as much as you are comfortable sharing. A way to do this is to make it light and funny in terms of saying "you live in an apartment where you enjoy feeding your gold fish." or whatever is accurate. Once said you can move on to having the students introduce themselves. Another way is to say "I am married with two children ages 10 and 12, a boy and a girl. I spend the bulk of my time hauling them to games and practice." Then move on to the next item on your introduction list. My point is you share up front what you want to share and then move the class discussion forward. If a student should asked a question about your personal life that you don't care to answer you can say that you covered your life outside of the classroom in your introduction and go on.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This has also crossed my mind. In addition to giving my background information, what if a students asks me about my personal life? What is an appropriate response for not wanting to give that much information?
Somer,
Well said in terms of what students expect from their instructors. Once they know we care about them and their success plus have the experience to be in front of the class we start to earn their respect. With respect comes rapport and that is what really engages the students and gets them into the learning mode.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I felt the same way when I first began and I definitely feel more confident and share more each semester. One realization I had was that students don't really understand the qualifications needed for my position- the assumption is that if you are standing up in front of the class you have the experience necessary to be there. From that point, it is all about teaching with confidence to ensure students continue to feel that way. Students like to know about their instructors, the more relateable we are, the easier it is to make logical and realistic connections to the material.
Kim,
It is amazing how confidence helps with nervous. You are now an experienced educator that has confidence. This is the best of what being a teacher is all about. Keep up the good work!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also had that fear when I started teaching, however, after teaching several courses I have become more secure in my background.
Shannon,
I would pick 2-3 highlights from your background and share them with the students. This way you will not be putting a time frame around your work experience but only listing highlights. Make sure the highlights give enough insight about your career experience to demonstrate you are knowledgeable and capable and this way the students will see that you have sufficient experience to be the instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
