If I Ever Became A College Professor...

Show me you are learning – the continuous paper.

It's certainly a career path that has crossed my mind on several occasions, mostly because I know I like to talk a lot, and I like people who are good listeners and are understanding and receptive towards other people. So long as I was teaching the right topic, I think I would absolutely love being a professor.

On the first day of class, for whatever class I might be teaching, this is what I would tell the students:

“Here’s what I want you to do. This is a class about [insert class topic here]. Over the course of this quarter you will be continuously picking up new bits of information, with each of your acquisitions building on past acquisitions. There will be no midterms, but there will be a final, and depending on the way you look at it, you may find it will seem difficult and daunting, or extremely easy, and more importantly, enjoyable and fun.

From this day to the very last day of lecture, I want you to write a continuous paper, a journal, if you will, of how your thoughts reorganize themselves after you pick up new information from each lecture. On the first day, you will start with something along the lines of, “I know little to nothing about this topic”, while on the second day, you’ll be saying something like, “I came across a very compelling piece of information today”. Whether it be from listening to lecture, interaction with your fellow classmates, interaction with other sources of social contact, like the internet for example. It doesn’t matter, its information of some sort, so write it down. There is no minimum or maximum page limit, and you will turn in this journal/essay of your metacognitive (get used to hearing and using that word a lot) processes on the day of the final. Really, all I ask is that you show me that you are making some sort of advancement of your own, whether it be through developing a better understanding for yourself, a better understanding for others, or even a better understanding of the world around you and the many miniscule variables that affect it’s current state of being. The purpose of you keeping this journal is to show me that you are making an effort to make some kind of intellectual or cognitive thought process, whether it me internal or external. The best part is when you go back to the first page on the last day of lecture and realize just how much information you have picked up, it's truly an amazing feeling to really see the progress you make. While this may seem like pressure to perform a certain way or at a certain level, I promis you it isn't. We may all move at different paces, but so long as we are all always moving forward, then I will be happy.

When it comes to lecture, students, please, please do not hesitate to ask questions, as I’m almost 100% sure that someone in this room, whether it be me, one of your very knowledgeable TAs, or one of your probably equally knowledgeable classmates, will have an answer for you. Don't ever feel intimidated just because you feel that you may not have as good a grasp on certain concepts as others. Believe me, I know what it's like to feel like the only lost guy that's lost in the entire lecture hall, and it's certainly not the best feeling in the world. Concordantly, if you feel that you have an appropriate answer to a question, feel free to offer your answer. As a professor my only role is to stimulate thought, while it is your job to really engage in your own profound thinking, which in turn will help you to better understand why things are they way they are.”

I suppose this is really just an idealization of what I wish school was really like. No pressure, and limited inter-peer comparison, which from my experience can have detrimental effects on the learning experience, and maintaing good self-esteem.

What do you guys think, would you take my class?

-nesqu!k