I have learned ... and not learned, from a lot of college professors. I’ve had classes I’ve hated and classes I’ve loved purely because of what I was learning and who I was learning from. In my opinion professors are there to help guide, teach and facilitate learning. By the time you reach college you’ve decided what kind of person you are or want to be. You no longer need someone to teach you the basics of life: etiquette, empathy and how to become your own person. At this point you’re looking for mentors and professors that will be honest with you and teach you all they know so you can strive to achieve more than they did. You already understand the basics even if sometimes they need a little work too.
If I was a college professor for a day I would teach something I’m passionate about. The biggest disappointment in education today is the amount of educators who believe the phrase, “Those who can’t do, teach.” If I was a professor I would be teaching not only because I’m passionate about the subject and feel like I have something to offer those I am teaching but also because I actually want to teach.
I would strive to make my classroom as realistic as possible. College students don’t need someone to baby them anymore. They need honesty and realism. If we had a group project I would offer the option to fire group members and create a rubric that allows for interpretation and creativity. The real world doesn't have a specific rubric that you have to follow to the letter and it doesn’t give much forgiveness to those that don’t do their part. In reality, your mistakes catch up to you and new ideas are what keep society evolving.
I want students that aren’t afraid to voice new ideas, aren’t afraid to challenge the norm and aren’t afraid of failure. I think in today’s society we rely way too much on the grade even though everyone learns differently. I want to teach a group of students that want to learn, want to improve and want to work hard to achieve their goals.
We focus so much on specifics. If I was “Queen Professor” for a day and could change anything I wanted I would completely change the way we evaluate success. I would make my classroom as realistic and honest as possible.I would strive to empower individuals to want to learn, work hard and improve all for their own benefit, no one else's.
