My Dearest Professors,
School has just begun. We are all getting used to setting ten alarms on our phones and looking presentable early in the morning. We are trying to make the transition from relaxing summer to stressful school year. On behalf of the student body, I beg you to please not teach on syllabus day. There are some students who will advocate for not teaching the whole first week but all I'm asking for is just the first day and here is why.
We want to get to know you. It is important to build a comfort level between students and professors that comes from being familiar with one another. This is also true for building a comfort level in between students in the classroom. Instead of teaching on the first day, have us all introduce ourselves and then go over the syllabus with us. Building relationships on the first day will lead to a better and more open flow of communication and learning in the classroom. Students will feel comfortable asking questions and responding to discussion in class thanks to these relationships.Learning your expectations of us and what the course is going to look like will help us take it all in better.
On that note, the first day back at school is overwhelming. Moving back in, getting back into a routine, waking up early, finding our classes, meeting hundreds of people, and walking a lot more than we are used to is a lot to take in. Add learning in our classes and add more stress to the already busy day. During the summer we were free to make money at summer jobs and/or relax at summer homes. Now we are entering a stressful time where we have many responsibilities and are broke again from paying tuition.
Because most of us are broke, unless you teach a freshman class, it is unlikely that we will have the book on the first day. Freshmen buy the book two months in advance, but by our upperclassmen years we have found that sometimes the syllabus or bookstore says the book is required and then we find out in class that it actually is not. For this reason it is financially a good idea to hold off on buying books until after the first day of class. There are a number of students who use financial aid to pay for books and that doesn't come in for a few weeks. Since we don't have the book yet it is a little hard to follow along with you.
At the end of the day, it is your decision to teach on the first day or not. If you choose to, we will crack open our freshly bought 5 star notebooks and take notes like the diligent, bright-eyed students we are. If you choose not to, we will be eternally grateful.
Respectfully,
The Student Body
