The Cult of the Student in American Higher Education
Buyer beware.
Those who work in higher education are accustomed to hearing people say that students are the reason we all show up to work every day. Even though they tend to see students primarily as numbers, those who work in administration want to be seen publicly promoting the idea that higher education is firmly centered on the student. It’s common for schools to describe themselves as student-centered, and it’s common for them to demand that the teachers they hire subscribe to a student-centered teaching philosophy.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with being student-centered. Teaching is essentially a service job, and teachers are employed to serve students. But asking teachers to be student-centered is code for a greater sacrifice that can be damaging to a teacher’s career. A student-centered teacher in higher education will be expected to prioritize teaching and service over research and work/life balance. It is extraordinarily difficult to serve 100+ students a semester and conduct research. Academics often take student-centered teaching gigs because they are the only ones available.
You might assume that having student-centered teachers would be good for students, but it’s complicated. Schools tout their student-centered approach without really explaining what that means, and…
