Students should take first priority
The students must be the focus; they are not there to see "you." They are there to learn and who the instructor is not of immediate importance, especially if they are new students. If the student has been on campus for more than one or two semesters they will hear about you from other students (or instructors) and they may make a judgement before they even meet you because an instructor's reputation precedes him/her. But, no matter what the instructor's personality, the goal is to give the students the education they have paid for and expect. After all, without students instructors no longer have a job or a paycheck.
Kevin,
Good for you. As instructors need to treat each student with respect and help them to be successful, in spite of what we may have heard about them. The result is a fresh start for such a student and if they want to take advantage of this fresh start they have the chance to be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The opposite is also true. Students will get reputations that can be spread by both other students and staff. I have encountered this in the past and I don't let it color my first impression of the students.
Joseph,
Good point about why we are there. We are there to help students achieve their career goals. The more effective we are at imparting content and developing their expertise the better job we are doing. We need to keep this in mind as we plan our instruction and interact with our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
