In addition to the points you mentioned, I think that an over emphasis on grades will actually make students focus more on grades than on learning. They may end up with good grades but most will not learn much beyond what is required to make the grade. A common ground, like you mentioned in your post, goes hand-in-hand with de-emphasizing grades which will make students less anxious and more receptive to what’s being learned.

I totally understand you since I grew up in such a system too. The Professors know they are knowledge personified and they exploit it to the fullest degree possible. One thing though, is that this way of thinking is not necessarily an Eastern or an African way. It is also what has been practiced previously in the West. Most my undergraduate Professors had their advanced degrees in England yet they still had an arrogant know it all attitude. Things are beginning to change in the West but probably not so much in other parts of the world.

While your experience is enviable and awesome to say the least, it’s really not the norm. I like Homero’s comments above that we should be aware as future faculty, of systemic problems facing minority/non-traditional students and recognize how diversity improves and enriches our collective learning experiences.

I agree that we can’t reduce our bias to nothing. I also feel like ‘principles of community’ should be encouraged on one hand and tolerance on the other. We should know that people are going to be biased and we should learn to not make a big deal (if we can). A lot of times, universities in their quest to reduce bias resort to censorship which results is a perceptible fear of offending people.

It is really hard to not make assumptions. I think a lot of times we humans are on auto drive (not consciously thinking about our actions) and therefore don’t’ really giving people a chance to prove themselves. Having been on the receiving end of academic bias as well (when a Professor chose to focus on my work and prove me wrong when I was clearly right) i have to say it’s pretty ugly and will continue without an academic system which mandates adequate training for its faculty.

It is really hard to not make assumptions. I think a lot of times we humans are on auto drive (not consiously thinking about our actions) and therefore don’t’ really giving people a chance to prove themselves. Having been on the receiving end of academic bias as well (when a Professor chose to focus on my work and prove me wrong when I was clearly right) i have to say it’s pretty ugly and will continue without an academic system which mandates adequate training for its faculty.

I agree with your post. I really just feel that sometimes, it’s easier said than done. The way we act most times is the sum total of all our life experiences and that’s how we’ve come to have the personalities we have. Including genetic predispositions of course. Sometimes the motives of our actions are so deep beneath our subconscious that we are not even aware of them. Very good post.

Some of the best classes I’ve had in the past were taught by goofy playful teachers and some others by stern glasses-on-the-nose types. I don’t really think it matters as long as there is effective communication of the subject matter in the most natural matter possible. Students can sense right away if the professor has a good control of the class and this (in my opinion) is related to how well the professor is able to be his/her natural self. There is nothing worse than having a reserved professor try to act funny all the time. The result would be infinite corniness. Bottom line to me would be to be who your are and present your materials in your natural self.

True. But I have come to realize that but the culture of student evaluation is a deterrent to that. Let me give you an example. My department recently hired an assistant Professor to teach a senior class. He is extremely knowledgeable about the subject matter and was in the industry for a number of years. He tried his best to prepare the seniors for industry by covering as much as he could in his class but this backfired on him because he had poor student reviews which is not good for getting tenure. He has since changed and simply presents concepts and not the difficult ‘meat’.The is what the students want but is this really good for their careers? I think not. I think the best best teaching style for any instructor is what is personal to the teacher but when one’s personal style runs contrary to school policy then one is forced to compromise.

Really great post. I agree with you in theory. I believe your approach will be the ideal. However, how practical is being flexible and sensitive to each student’s needs. Each student is different and that will be a lot of work on one’s part. Couple this with teaching 2 or more classes a semester and one could easily be overwhelmed. The big Q will always be how to balance flexibility with practicality without losing one’s ‘mens sana’.