Building Relationships with College Instructors
An important set of relationships that you develop in college is with your instructors. You might choose to get to know your instructors or to ignore them outside of class, but the quality and frequency of the interaction you have with them can affect how well you do academically.
Knowing and Meeting Expectations While instructors’ expectations might be different from course to course, most instructors expect their students to exhibit attitudes and behaviors that are required for student success. By now, you know that you must get to class on time. If you repeatedly arrive late or leave early, you are breaking the basic rules of etiquette and politeness, and you are intentionally or unintentionally showing a lack of respect for your instructors and your classmates. Instructors also expect honesty and openness. Many instructors invite you to express your feelings about the course through anonymous one-minute papers or other forms of class assessment.
In addition, college instructors expect you to be motivated to do your best. Your high school teachers might have spent a great deal of time thinking about how to motivate you, but college instructors usually consider this to be your personal responsibility.
YOUR TURN > WORK TOGETHER
Make a list of things you had heard or thought about college instructors before coming to college. In a small group, share these ideas and talk about whether they are proving to be accurate or inaccurate now that you have been in college for a number of weeks.
Making the Most of the Learning Relationship Most college instructors appreciate your willingness to ask for appointments. This may seem a little scary to some students, but most instructors welcome the opportunity to establish an appropriate relationship with their students and get to know them. As discussed in the first chapter of this book, it’s up to you to take the initiative to visit your instructors during their office hours. Most instructors are required to keep office hours, so don’t feel like you are asking them for a special favor. Even adjunct instructors, who are not required to have office hours, can be available to help you with your coursework or answer your questions. You can visit your instructors, anytime during the term, either in real time or online, to ask questions, seek help with a difficult topic or assignment, or discuss a problem. If you have a problem with the instructor, the course, or your grade, set up a meeting with your instructor to work things out. If the problem is a grade, keep in mind that your instructors have the right to assign you grades based on your performance, and no one can force them to change those grades.
The relationships you develop with instructors can be valuable to you both now and in the future. Instructors who know you well can also write that all-important letter of reference when you are applying to a university or to your first job after college.