42 Things Every Honest College Prof Should Tell You →

This morning I came across a terrific conceit -- the "Shadow Syllabus" -- by writer Sonya Huber. It's everything she wants to tell her students on the first day of class -- to break the awkwardnesses, to inspire authenticity, to have your students see you as a real person. 

Here are the first five:

1. I’ll tell you exactly how to get an A, but you’ll have a hard time hearing me. 
2. I could hardly hear my own professors when I was in college over the din and roar of my own fear.
3. Those who aim for A’s don’t get as many A’s as those who abandon the quest for A’s and seek knowledge or at least curiosity. 
4. I had bookmarked a citation for that fact, and now I can’t find it anywhere. 
5. The only way to seek knowledge is to open your hands and let your opinions drop, but that requires even more fear.

Read the rest of Huber's Shadow Syllabus!