EDUCATORS

    Years of observation and a number of acquaintances in different fields in the community have led me to conclude that academics are by-and-large strongly egocentric, to a degree not typical of other professions. And why not? They teach, which automatically places them a notch above. It has been so since the heyday of the Greeks and the Romans, and even before that, extending to the present to tribal leaders and witch doctors.    
    Whether this is the best situation for the student, who arguably has priority over the other pursuits that occupy academics, such as publishing and research, invites examination. That privilege has a negative aspect in that it leads to hiring of low-paid  adjunct professors to do the lecturing and conducting examinations (Something like hiring Mexicans to do stoop labor).
    Academics have other advantages. The air of superiority that characterizes the egocentric favors facing a compliant, timid, if not  fearful, student body. And that environment is easily come by.
    No one informs the student, before entering college, how to manage their relationship with their teachers in order to get the most benefit from every moment of their attendance there.
     When my grandson was about to enter a university, I took him  aside and proceeded to offer this advice: First and foremost, be fearless, but courteous. Your teachers are paid to work for you, so take advantage of that fact and make the most of it. Make them come through. Get them to know you. Ask questions. Whenever possible, draw them into conversation. Timidity makes life easy for them and you come out the loser. Look for, and take advantage of opportunities they may be aware of, take them on and perform them professionally. The payoff could be substantial, and  incidentally you help the professor become a better one.
    In my grandson’s case this worked especially well, if graduating magna cum laude  from the university, and a subsequent four-year grant from the National Science Foundation for a fully paid doctorate program are any measure.
    It may be  that improved quality of teaching is an outgrowth of closer teacher/student relationship rather than administratively designed and  imposed protocol. If so, everyone wins. It’s clear though, student preparation  for interaction with academics deserves  more  attention far in advance of entering college.