TO: Mic
FROM: Mac
RE: Mentoring Program
DATE: January 2010
Thank you so much for letting me know that you’re going to serve as mentor over the next year, and especially for getting in touch before classes start. However, I’m a little uncertain what to make of your advice and would like to get some clarification.
You state you would like me to “to openly, frequently, and energetically demonstrate [my] affection for our field with [my] students in [my] lectures, when answering questions, and in managing [my] classroom.” I wouldn’t have selected the field if I weren’t passionate about it, but I wonder how this advice actually translates into classroom practice. Do you have examples of this practice or do you have resources you can point me to? I’m also a little confused about what appears to be two separate issues, content (lectures and questions) and management, which based on my past experiences and training are not necessarily handled in the same way.
I, too, can remember those teachers and professors who have inspired me through the years, but I wonder how to make the move from “have to learn” to “want to learn” through a demonstration of affection for the field. As I’m sure you’re aware, the introductory material is not particularly stimulating, so what suggestions might you have? My first inclination is to try and stimulate the students through a series of games about the material, but then I wonder if I’m moving toward trying “to be popular at the expense of maintaining high standards.” Again, I think I would be more comfortable in not being “hesitant in the classroom” if I had more direct and concrete examples to draw from or refer to.
I am also a little uncertain about this expectation that you want an “unusually high” number of students to “inquire about becoming a major in our discipline.” This seems to me to be an unattainable request, particularly since this will be my first time teaching the introductory course as an instructor of record. As I’m sure you are aware, my doctoral institution did not allow graduate students to run introductory courses by themselves. You seem to be setting the bar unusually high, and it raises the concern about how this will be counted in my reappointment in the next year. Will I be penalized or held accountable in some way should only a handful of students inquire about being majors? Is this a standard for all professors within the department who teach the introductory course?
Again, thanks so much for your mentoring and advice here. I’m probably overly nervous about all of these issues but am also concerned about setting up my courses so that I can get the best fit with my overall agenda (including my research and scholarship).
Regards,
Mac
