Even in these days of active learning, inquiry-based courses and anti-lecture sentiment, many college students come into class hoping they won’t have to say anything out loud or have to think too hard. When I ask my students, in a first-week short writing assignment, to reflect on what kind of class format they prefer, the majority still say they prefer organized, information-rich lectures. A few like group work, but they are reluctant to trust each other to provide “what they need to learn.

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There’s a rhythm to life as a college professor. In August and January you prepare for the coming classes. September through December and Janua ry through May you surf the teaching wave, up and down, twisting and turning with the students, from one class to the next.

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Nothing satisfied her.
At the end of the first class session, Chrissy approached me, the scowl on her face accentuating her facial piercings. “I’m only taking this class because it’s required for my major,” she announced petulantly.

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You’ve heard the adage from Robert Fulghum’s poem, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” Seems like a joke, right? But, think about what you learned: to read, to write, the alphabet, adding numbers. Some pretty powerful stuff.

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