I'll just say this - many students when they become teachers forget that they were once students. They have unreliatic expectations are not accomodative towards students, don't be that.

Keep updating yourself. A teacher in my UG program had slides for contracts that he had been using for several years. He scolded a friend when she made notes of all the slides and it became one of the unofficial course material. In contrast, my PhD supervisor keeps updating himself, experimenting with different class participation exercises, completely revamping his slides, constant updation of course material to remain relevant.

I will push back on this practice-oriented part a little. It is great if you can keep in touch with the industry. But I think this point is going way too far towards advocating for consideration of "industry relevancy" in designing research topics. That will only dilute the quality of the research. Tarun Khaitan has explained why, very well, so I don't need to.

I'll tell this- very few of the empirical legal.research that's happening is not garbage. A notable example of good empirical research is Pranav from NLS.

Btw, Scopus indexed journals take a out an year to get back with the review. So be ready to be frustrated with them as well.

Okay. I mean honestly I know what I’ve tried and what I haven’t. If you can sit online and say shame on me for not being “inspiring enough” and that it’s my fault this is how multiple educators across multiple institutions feel. That’s just a choice you have made.

While yes a small number of students were consistent in being hungry and wanting to learn when we were in college- it wasn’t 1. at least in my batch at law school there were ten solid people who were driven and motivated and consistent and competed with each other to become the best we could become and genuinely liked and wanted to learn the law. And that small number you could depend on. Now basically everyone thinks law is just a scam they can pull by chat gpting their way through it.

But nah. It’s just me. I’m just bad at being inspiring. Okay. Shame on me I guess. Don’t worry buddy I’ll leave soon.

If teachers like this, no wonder the education system is in drains. You are the adult in this situation, you are incharge of guiding and motivating the children. Instead you turn it around and blame the students.,who barely have become adults. Remember your own days, how many 'highly' motivated classmates did you have ? We all know, it was like just 10% who really wanted to "learn". The rest wanted to just enjoy their college life, or complete attendance quotas or worry only when assignments and exams were due. Yet, remember there was always two or three professors who always had everyone's respect, who held the gaze and attention of all. Those professors never cribbed and complained like you do. They didn't blame the students. Instead, they empathised with the lack of attention of students, and taught in a way that helped everyone. Shame on you to not highlight these kinds of professors, yet come here and just cry.

be interested in your subject area, show/fake genuine enthusiasm, if you show interest your students would also become interested, interest is always infectious. It is difficult to show enthusiasm in your fourth class/tutorial of the day where you may have to go over the same topics which you have done for the last two years - even then adress your class as if it is the only topic in the entire world which matters.

be punctual, stay the course, do not show favortitism (although you may have favourites), use examples/analogies to explain concepts (this is the true mark of a good teacher), provide feedback, have an easy go attitude (esp outside class)

try out empirical research (if you are interested), it is sorely lacking, publish only in scopus (it is not a marker of quality, but is required for promotion), do not publish a book until you feel that you have acquired some idea/knowledge in the field, keep in touch with the industry, ultimately law is a practice oriented subject so it has to have some practical utlity (not just Kelsen), focus on how the impact of the law is and try to bring in the why

Oh yeah. I definitely will change careers. That was the point of the post. But I would push back on the idea that this is just some personal failing. People I have worked with across different institutions, male and female, old and young , foreign educated and not, all feel that something has changed. My older colleagues have told me that post covid batches are not like what we got before at all. Consider that it’s not always the teachers who are insufficient.

Are you denying that the trend in university education has gone way too far towards the "student-as-customer" model and that that is a bad thing? If so, why? Instead of name-calling, please provide meaningful responses. Moderators, please include a 'trollish' tag in addition to the redacting that has already been done.

Don't do it. Or if you do- consider that teaching might not be what you want it to be. There was a point- say 8 years ago- when teaching still meant there were young hungry minds who were excited to learn and liked you for teaching them. They wanted professors who taught them rigorous course materials. They liked the law and wanted to be good at it. Even then they werent always consistent or the best students- whatever- 70% of the time you were teaching you knew there was a point to it. Someone was listening and someone was learning. At worst- you had students who were disinterested. But you never really had students who were gleeful about humiliating and insulting you and getting you fired.

Thats not what it is today. Today teaching is- a test for you- go and prove to students who couldnt be bothered to do the reading everyday that you know what youre talking about after years of study. Because they might plagiarise their tests but they still get to sit in judgment over you because theyre paying customers. They might have a panic attack at being told to read a twenty page paper but they know they are smart and virtuous from social media and no adults in their entire life has had the courage or honesty to tell them they might have scope for self improvement. Go and prove you can speak for extended stretches of time without any indication that anyone is listening or even cares. Go and prove you can remain chipper and enthusiastic even when students are lost in their phone. That you lack the self respect to even be annoyed when only one student in a hundred is even engaged- after all, that one student is engaged- what else do you want? Go and prove that you dont take yourself seriously enough to even say anything when you ask students questions in class and they come back to you with chatgpt answers. Go and prove that you can dance around the political minefields, because while they might not listen to you teaching labour law or criminal procedure, they will be sure to record you the second you say anything they disagree with whether its politics or whether its simply "you guys need to work harder". Go and prove that you are malleable enough to play the game, fudge attendance, fudge grades, create assignments that a monkey could pass- anything at all to get good evaluation scores so you get a bare minimum cost of living raise and so you dont stand out when all your colleagues also play the game marking yourself out to be some sort of easy target. Prove your worth to university by organising events and doing administrative work because you arent hired for your knowledge of the law- youre just a worker in big corporate firm and students want to say they belong to a university where there are all of these frills. Go and prove your worth to university by "getting jobs and internships" for students by leveraging your contacts instead of the students just earning what they get on their own. They are customers and its your job to give them what they want. Because if you don't their parents will call your boss/ the registrar or VC and you will lose your job because you are some how the one who has failed. Honestly why would someone want this job when its turned into this?

I gave up other opportunities to spend a decade trying to make it work in academia. It has only gotten worse and worse over time. Do yourself a favour and know that youre not getting what you think you are. If you must do academia, then do yourself a favour and stick to public universities. I have yet to encounter a private university that was not 100% depressing.

Just be the most authentic version of yourself. Be truthful but not too brutal, kind but not at the expense of being harsh when needed. You aren't here to be our friend. You are here to teach, as far as you can, what you know. Please don't be a gatekeeper to any part of the legal profession. Don't the vague sort of thing where you form an impression based on a protected characteristic like disability that somebody isn't suited for something, and in general terms, say that "someone like you isn't suitable". Try to look past your preconceived assumptions and advise based on that. Obviously, if someone doesn't have the objective skills or ability (or abilities) to be successful at, let's say, courtroom advocacy, tell them so.

Also if you wanna justify, you need to change your thinking slightly. You are thinking being a teacher is the major part of being an academic. This is a very typical mistake based on which many Indian unis operate. You are as much a reader, thinker, researcher of, and writer about, the law. Continue your research and develop your teaching, accordingly. This means that your role morality is as much to speak truth to power as to do that to students.

I am currently pursuing my PhD. I am absolutely sure to get into academia despite knowing the lows and limitations. However, I don't want to join it just cause there's nothing else. I genuinely want to give my best to research and teaching, especially teaching. I don't want to be a passtime teacher. I want to help inspire and motivate and be the small change in a student's life. So, with your experience as a student, since we all have been one or are one. And your experience as a teacher, or administrator or parent or anything that's related directly or indirectly to academia, what advice would you like to give me ? What should be the dos and don'ts to help me justify my role as a teacher, professor and academic ?

Please give geniune replies, will help me with honest feedback.