Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by RealClear Education on May 05, 2025. It has been edited to match MTC’s style guidelines and is crossposted here with permission.
A graduate student I have worked with over the past year recently emailed me to share the exciting news that he will be teaching a course this fall. Being able to design and teach his own course has been a dream of his for a while, and I was thrilled for him. His email asked for advice for a first-time teacher, and my guidance was quite simple.
Every teacher develops a unique style and rhythm in class that takes time to find and refine. The most important attribute that any new teacher can bring to the classroom is authenticity and passion. Teaching is not about impressing students with how much you know. Rather, it is about communicating—in this instance—his love of social science and helping the world through research and discovery.
I explained to him that today’s students are innately empathetic and deeply observant; they have been raised in a world of social media and endless streams of information and misinformation, and they can recognize when professors genuinely care and are trying to connect and educate. Students see their teacher’s passion and thrive from it. Many students do not mind mistakes and are understanding when they see you learning with them; when the professor is in the flow with students, they will be excited to learn with you.
My advice comes as higher education is in the national spotlight. This past semester alone saw student protests at Yale targeting Zionist Jewish students and the Trump Administration squaring off against high-profile universities. Amid the turmoil, it is worth reminding ourselves that students are generally not part of the problem; they are on campus to learn and better themselves and their communities.
The real issue is that over the past decade, higher education—and the nation—have capitulated to a small, well-organized, and heavily funded, social media-savvy mob with a political agenda to create chaos on campus. While relatively small numbers, these students and their outside supporters have created a dangerous environment for many and an illiberal environment generally. However, most students reject this mob mentality and their behavior, views, and tactics, but are afraid to speak up and challenge them.
I want to advise my graduate students and any other new professors that when they enter their classroom, they should be aware that there are students who are looking for trouble, but far more have a great interest in learning. This is why tone and authenticity matter. Data from a large, statewide 2024 survey of Florida college and university students is illustrative. When asked to choose between the statements “political correctness helps people avoid offending others” or “political correctness has silenced important discussions our society needs to have,” 64 percent of college students in the State University System in Florida believe the latter.
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Students in Florida, too, are far more politically diverse and far less divisive. Among the dozen state schools in Florida, 25 percent are Democrats, 22 percent are Republicans, and the overwhelming majority are not affiliated. While some areas like New England schools have larger numbers of liberal, Democratic students, many regions and places like Florida have overwhelmingly centrist and balanced students. As for wanting a diverse set of views in the classrooms and the political leanings of their professors, 60 percent of students agree with the statement that they “would be concerned if most of my professors or course instructors held the same political beliefs.”
Moreover, students in Florida recognize that it is far more important to “expose students to all types of viewpoints, even if they are offensive or biased against certain groups” than to “prohibit offensive speech on campus that is biased against certain groups.” Finally, there is actually little patience and support for the disruptions that have become so common nationwide. In Florida, 71 percent of undergraduates agree with the statement “My college or university should discipline students who deliberately disrupt classes or events to prevent the voicing of views with which they disagree.”
The numbers in Florida are not far off from the national trend data either. The national picture uncovered by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is one where slightly under a third of college students are Democrats. While only 13 percent nationally are Republican, the majority remain unaffiliated and in the center. Add to the story the fact that CATO has found that 71 percent of Americans say that political correctness has silenced discussions society needs to have—a number that is only slightly greater than the Florida students—and our nation’s college students do not look particularly extreme or out of sync with the country as a while.
Regrettably, national empirical data showing how reasonable college students happen to be today is limited, but in my own experience and the recent data from Florida undergraduates do reveal that there is far less interest in protesting and creating trouble despite the omnipresent videos of protests and disruptions that dominate social media. If my graduate student as an instructor can take control of the tone and tempo of the class and showcase his genuine interest in the material and in teaching, it is quite likely that his students will embrace him, want to work with him and each other, and everyone will learn, collaborate, and become better thinkers for this is where most students are today.
Image by Monkey Business on Adobe Stock; Asset ID#: 119098828
