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- Be entertaining without going over the top. I love anecdotes, but other people might not; in a general sense, though, you have /got/ to keep the students interested and involved.
- Be well-prepared and well-organized. I once had this crazy-good history prof. She'd start the lecture promptly at 1PM with an "mm, okay", then talk for exactly 50 minutes. Had a full set of lecture slides (Powerpoint, running off a PBG4 (bonus points)) for every class. Came off as mildly anal-retentive, but the lectures were pretty cool and fairly educational.
- Grade fairly, give good feedback. And write your margin comments clearly, for fuck's sake.
- Don't repeat yourself if someone doesn't understand, unless they can't hear you talk. Rephrase it, come at it from some other angle, but don't just bash your head into them. And, on the same note, pay attention to body language. If they're nodding emphatically and sighing, stop talking at some point.
- First name works fine. My most-hated profs are the insane fuckups who insist on being "Doctor whatever" at all times. The cool ones have always just said, "first name is fine, really." The only thing that, in my mind, undermines classroom respect is hypocricy and, to a limited degree, the really insane-nervous profs who have shrill high-pitched valleygirl voices or just sort of tremble and sweat profusely. They're getting better, or my ears are getting worse, though.
Someone already said it, but be honest instead of bullshitting to "save face".
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