Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education)

by Jessamyn Neuhaus

There are even options for those with teaching styles not particularly nurturing or supportive. These can be things as simple as an occasional kind comment, a bowl of candy set beside the student chair in the office, or conscientious responses to email queries. Expressions of caring should be genuine, but they can be varied and should fit comfortably with your teaching persona.15 The possibilities are indeed “varied” and “can be expressed in different ways,” but what caring about students really boils down to is being fair and treating students with basic courtesy and respect. Or as Ken Bain summarizes in What the Best College Teachers Do, effective teachers “tend to treat students with what can only be called simple decency.”16