SIXTEEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE FACULTY. Inside Higher Ed's pseudonymous Shari Wilson offers advice for Moving Past Survival, particularly in those required courses that pay the freight yet can become a burden on students and faculty alike. The entire essay is worth careful reading, but consider in particular point 7.

While first teaching developmental English composition at an urban community college, I was given a peer evaluation by a senior professor. He confronted me in the hallway after class and said, “You’re teaching compare and contrast, and classification modes to students at this level?” I replied, “Sure. Aren’t we supposed to?”

Yes, we are.