Thomas Demos

Discussion Comment

I always call students who fail to show during Week 1. Sometimes, they don't even realize that the new semester as started and they just needed a simple reminder!

Thomas Demos

Discussion Comment

Student Peers as Support

I advise my students to make friends with another student peer on the first day of class. I encourage them to exchange phone numbers and email. This way, when one of them doesn't show up to class, they are more likely to ask their student peer about what was missed.

Thomas Demos

Discussion Comment

First Day of Class Homework Assignment

So many of our courses require a textbook. Students often wait until Week 2 or 3 to get ahold of the textbook and this sets the course way back! One solution I have found is to email the students BEFORE the course meets for the first time to set an expectation about timely textbook acquisition.

Thomas Demos

Discussion Comment

First Impressions

I have found that it is extraordinarily important to make a great impression on the first week of class. I try to be as enthusiastic, positive, funny, and engaging as possible to ensure that we all get off to a great start. If you lose the respect of your students on the first day of class, it is nearly impossible to get it back.

Thomas Demos

Discussion Comment

Workplace Stress

One useful way to reduce workplace stress is to communicate more effectively with your colleagues. Avoidable conflict is often the result of misunderstanding.