Because I teach students from many different cultures, I often ask them to coach me in the pronunciation of their names, which reverses the usual dynamic by making me the student and them the teachers. This also gives me a chance to ask students their nicknames as I add them to my seating chart, conveying that I am not merely taking attendance but am planning to converse with them.
Instead of standing at the front of the room and calling their names, I introduce myself and ask them to tell me who they are so that I can find them on my class list. I make a point to be the first one to arrive and then personally greet the students as soon as they choose their seats. I can only succeed if they’re willing to practice these skills, so I use the first class to help them feel less intimidated and to set the tone for participation.
My goal for the course is not to simply acquaint them with a body of knowledge, but to teach them a set of practical skills they can use to analyze texts, organize their ideas, and revise their own writing. Several years ago, I tried a new approach, and I’ve been using it with great success ever since.Īs a freshman English teacher, I am one of the first professors students encounter in their university lives, so they tend to arrive in class feeling a little uncertain and inclined to keep to themselves.
Students are never more attentive than they are on the first day of class, when they’re eager to determine what kind of professor they’re dealing with, and although it is tempting to delay the real work of teaching and learning until the class list has stabilized, it can be difficult to change even the subtle norms that are established during this initial class. Early in my career, I tried several first-day-of-class strategies, ranging from briefly introducing the course and dismissing students early to spending the entire time reviewing policies and procedures, but I began to feel that I was missing an important opportunity. The old expression that you never have a second chance to make a first impression is certainly true in the classroom.
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