“Be Kind to Yourself and to Your Students”: Lessons from a Generation of Sociology Teachers

Abstract

This survey project conducted in winter 2023 presents sociology teaching advice given by former students enrolled in a graduate teaching sociology seminar. The sample frame consists of 112 students who participated in 13 class cohorts between 2004 and 2022. The final sample consists of 40 respondents, for a response rate of 42 percent. Among those who remained teachers, their careers ran the gamut from adjunct and lecturer lines through tenured and tenure-track positions. Although their careers in snapshot were diverse, their advice was coherent and simple. They advised new teachers to know their professional goals and set clear work-life boundaries. They emphasized the benefits of joining a teaching community and developing supportive professional relationships. As a practical matter, they routinely stressed accessing teaching resources and being flexible as successful pedagogical strategies. Most important, they discussed in rich detail the need to be open to students and their diverse needs.