Back to School - Meet the Professor

[Offingapp]

There are three important points to remember:
- Communicate with your professors
- Know the rules
- Disagreements happen

Who are these "professors" you speak of?
In front of every classroom is the professor (or instructor or TA--and some people are very picky about the title). This person has specialized information--due to either training, study or experience--that they want to pass along to you. You, as the student, want to receive this information to help achieve your goals. Box of fluffy ducks, right?

The relationship between the professor and student is . . . well . . . what it is. As someone who is experienced in the art of professing and has had both positive and negative encounters with students, let me give you a few tips on surviving the crazy person in front of the room.
See, they do smile
Talk to them. Really.
A professor in front of the class is looking to make a connection with the class. He or she wants to have a positive teaching/learning experience and that is much easier if there is a rapport between the class and the professor. One way this is achieved is through simple conversation. Most professors try and arrive a bit early to class to have time to interact with students. The topics of these interactions are typical bull sessions--they will flow from the weather to sports to what's happening on campus to, even, what's happening in class. Here you will see the professor in full-on "human being" mode.

Warning number 1 : Not every professor likes to interact with students. Some will become downright hostile if you approach in less than full grovel mode. This type of professor is referred to by the scientific name "largicus jerkicus" and is generally not very well liked by his peers, either. It probably had something to do with his or her toilet training. This type of professor is best left alone in the classroom or office (and probably should be tagged and released back into the wild). During my undergrad years I had a professor yell at me for showing up to his office hours and slam the door in my face. These creatures do exist are best avoided.

Warning number 2: Some professors want to know too much detail about students' lives. These should also be avoided. Any professor who begins a conversation with "So, how's your sex life?" is seeking too much information. Avoid these professors at all costs unless you absolutely have no choice and must deal with them--then make sure you are up to date on your vaccines. But, seriously, if you feel a professor is being inappropriate, go to your advisor or the department chair and let him or her know what is happening. Chances are you won't be the first and maybe your information will be enough to resolve the issue.