One of the most important types of relationships you can develop in college is with your instructors. The primary responsibility of two-year college instructors is to teach, which is often not the case at four-year colleges and universities, where teaching is less important than research. Relationships with instructors are based on mutual respect. Instructors who respect students treat them fairly and are willing to help them both in and out of class. Students who respect instructors come to class regularly and take their work seriously.

Instructors may have expectations that are different from those of their students. All instructors expect students to come to class, do the assigned work in the best way they can, listen and participate in class, and not give up when they have to learn a difficult lesson. In college, it is your responsibility to meet the expectations of your instructors. In return, you should expect your instructors to be organized and prepared, to be knowledgeable about the subjects they are teaching, to provide comments on your papers and exams, and to grade your work fairly. You should be able to approach your instructors when you need academic help or if you have a personal problem that may make studying difficult.

If you ever have a problem with an instructor, ask for a meeting to discuss your problem and see if you can work things out. If the instructor refuses, go to a person in a higher position in the department or college. If the problem is a grade, remember that you cannot force the instructor to change a grade. However, you can always speak with your instructor about your grade, find out what mistakes you made, and see how you can improve your grade in the future. Most important, don’t let a bad experience change your feelings about college. Each instructor will probably be out of your life by the end of the term, so if there are problems, just do your best, focus on your studies, and get through the course.