I'm the Teacher, You're the Student

A Semester in the University Classroom

Patrick Allitt

• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780812218879
• eBook ISBN: 9780812200409
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Classroom Management

What is it really like to be a college professor in an American classroom today? An award-winning teacher with over twenty years of experience answers this question by offering an enlightening and entertaining behind-the-scenes view of a typical semester in his American history course. The unique result—part diary, part sustained reflection—recreates both the unstudied realities and intensely satisfying challenges that teachers encounter in university lecture halls.From the initial selection of reading materials through the assignment of final grades to each student, Patrick Allitt reports with keen insight and humor on the rewards and frustrations of teaching students who often are unable to draw a distinction between the words "novel" and "book." Readers get to know members of the class, many of whom thrive while others struggle with assignments, plead for better grades, and weep over failures. Although Allitt finds much to admire in today's students, he laments their frequent lack of preparedness—students who arrive in his classroom without basic writing skills, unpracticed with reading assignments.With sharp wit, a critical eye, and steady sympathy for both educators and students, I'm the Teacher, You're the Student examines issues both large and small, from the ethics of student-teacher relationships to how best to evaluate class participation and grade writing assignments. It offers invaluable guidance to those concerned with the state of higher education today, to young faculty facing the classroom for the first time, and to parents whose children are heading off to college.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1. The Introductory Course
• Chapter 2. Getting Ready
• Chapter 3. Early Class Meetings
• Chapter 4. The Discussion and Lecture Routine
• Chapter 5. Educators’ Excursions
• Chapter 6. Technology and Technique
• Chapter 7. Papers and Plagiarism
• Chapter 8. Treats and Tribulations
• Chapter 9. Radicals and Patriots
• Chapter 10. The Conscious Professor
• Chapter 11. Long Dry Spouts and Levels Unheard Of
• Chapter 12. Mid-Term Misconceptions
• Chapter 13. A Dry Pleasure
• Chapter 14. Vietnam as Ancient History
• Chapter 15. First Drafts, Draft Dodgers, and Deadlines
• Chapter 16. From the Hitler-Stalin Pack to the Peace Treat
• Chapter 17. Inflated Grades and Sentiments
• Chapter 18. Finals and Farewells
• Appendix Syllabus, Handouts, and Exam Answers
• Index