Welcome to the start of the new academic year! I hope you had some downtime, combined with that sweet feeling of catching up on research. As we kick things back into gear, I wanted to touch base because recent survey data suggest that many faculty find it difficult to speak openly about divisive issues and worry about the consequences of being misunderstood. In times like these, how can we best show up for our students and ourselves?

In support of your new semester, I’d like to share some recommendations that I’ve gleaned over the years, both in my more than a decade of experience as a faculty member and in my currently role supporting faculty as Director of Academic Initiatives at Interfaith America. I’ve personally seen all these suggestions work wonders to help students and professors feel supported and empowered to explore the material fully, engage one another authentically, and commit to a more robust pursuit of knowledge.

1. Establish community agreements to support engagement across religious and ideological differences. This is perhaps the single most important advice I can offer. Agreements might include things like, listening to understand and speaking to be understood, taking seriously the things others hold dear especially when we disagree, refraining from interrupting each other, not making faces when we disagree, etc. Create these together with your class, rather than imposing them and include yourself in these agreements to model adherence to them.
2. Stay curious. Stay curious about what you think you know and what you don’t know about your students. It’s easy to make assumptions about new students who remind you of others you’ve had. It’s easy to feel like you know them already. You don’t. Each student is their own person, navigating their own challenges. Your job is to get to know each of them and unlearn any assumptions you made about them. That said, one assumption is always well-placed.
3. Assume best intentions until proven otherwise. We have intention-seeking brains that readily infer the beliefs, motives, and intentions behind other people’s actions. When we feel threatened or on high alert, we may be especially likely to interpret ambiguous behavior as hostile. So, if a student asks a question or writes something you find deeply offensive, start by asking clarifying questions before drawing conclusions about what the student intended. Relatedly…
4. Treat student missteps as teaching opportunities. Recent controversies in higher education have followed a troubling pattern: a student makes a poor decision, and a professor responds with another. When a student puts their foot in their mouth or otherwise exhibits poor judgment, treat the moment as an opportunity to help them along their educational path. In my experience, the biggest payoff comes when a punitive response is available but deliberately left unused.
5. Take your students’ beliefs seriously, especially when you disagree. Taking a belief seriously does not require agreeing with it. It means asking curious questions, seeking common ground where it exists, acknowledging genuine differences, and engaging those differences with the intellectual rigor they deserve. In doing so, you also model a foundational practice of democratic citizenship.

I hope these recommendations help you enter the new academic year with greater confidence about the task ahead and curiosity about the students entrusted to you. You can be sure that the difficult conversations in the classroom will still be difficult but remember that they can also be where transformative education happens. Helping students think more carefully, engaging difference more authentically, and pursuing knowledge together with your students remain among the greatest privileges of faculty life. Enjoy the ride.