- The Syllabus is King. I wish I knew this going into last semester. Students always use that as their guide, and profs use it as their leverage. If it ain't on there, you can't hold'em to it! (southern translation).
- Don't Get Behind in Grading. Wow! How huge is this? I just finished my grading with about twelve hours to spare. I need to learn how to space out my assignments more so that all of them are not due the last week of the semester.
- Be careful asking students for evaluations. You may just get what you asked for. Although most of my comments are positive, there are always those few that manage to toughen your skin, and hopefully not hurt your heart too much.
- Plunder the Egyptians. I actually went and sat in on another professor's lecture and listened to her teach. This way, I learned a few new techniques and was able to implement them into my teaching style. It never hurts to learn from the best and then take what you learn and plug it in...I know my students appreciated it.
- Beware of Technology. Always plan for the worst when it comes to technology. Most of the time it works, but when it doesn't, life can come to a standstill. Thus, I always had a plan B waiting in the ranks just in case for the second semester.
- It is a new day. What do I mean by that? Well, now students are surfing the web in your class, thus they can check on the web and see if what you are teaching, explaining, etc. is actually true. Thus, you better have your subject matter down and understand it very well. Humorously, I asked for a definition of a difficult word, and within seconds, one of my more comical students gave me a textbook answer right from dictionary.com.
All said, I would not trade this last year for anything. I love the students and seeing them "get it." What else what you add, and thus make a number 7 or 8 in the list?
