Kerrie's Reading Notes #7

The readings for this week made me aware of situations I did not associate with teaching that one may encounter while instructing a course. The topics of students’ personal lives and diversity were of most interest to me. As a dietitian, these issues sometimes arise in nutrition counseling sessions and can be difficult to deal with.

A situation I feel that will be difficult for me as an instructor is to avoid counseling my students when they come to me with personal problems. Lang mentions that female faculty may be more likely to experience this because students see them as a motherly figure (Pg. 184). In this situation, my first instinct would be to want to give them advice and help them. Lang encourages avoidance of this and states, “You will not have time to get emotionally involved in the personal lives of your students, and you cannot afford the professional risk of doing so” (Pg. 187). By pointing out the professional risk associated with charges of inappropriate behavior from a student, Lang made it obvious why counseling of my students should be avoided. He also mentions that there are professionals on campus paid to counsel students and they will be able to offer more guidance than me (Pg. 184). In class, I would like to discuss how to handle this situation without discouraging the student from coming to your office.

An aspect I am not very familiar with in regards to teaching is diversity of students. Davis lists what diversity can include (Pg.58). Gender is not something that comes to my mind when thinking of diversity. Davis recommends selecting a text with gender neutral language (Pg. 63). This is something I have never really thought of before now, but think is very important. Davis also discusses that values of different cultures may affect a student’s learning and conduct (Pg. 60). Being aware of the values of different cultures is important as an instructor. I would like to discuss sources of information on cultural differences along with others experience with this in their teaching careers.

A concept that I experienced in my undergraduate career and Davis also suggests is praising students for good work (Pg. 61). I am not certain of my stance on this topic. As an undergraduate, I felt when an instructor praised a student in class it led to competition in the classroom. I also feel it may cause other students to be less likely to speak up in class. Giving students positive feedback for their achievements can be a good motivator but I am uncertain of how to accomplish it. I would like to discuss the best approach to address personal accomplishments without causing other students to feel inferior.