Perspectives on Effective Teaching: 38 Lessons Learned from 50 Years on the Job
Professor Emeritus Araya Debessay 1
University of Delaware
December 2025

Abstract

In this manuscript, I share firsthand reflections on the successes, challenges, and lessons I experienced over my 50-year professional life as an educator at the University of Delaware. The manuscript presents a summary of 38 of the most important lessons I myself have learned in that process, which I hope will benefit those preparing to enter the teaching profession. My goal is to offer insights that may guide aspiring educators toward becoming effective and reflective educators. I also hope that experienced educators will find some ideas that reignite and refresh their passion for the classroom. Above all, I hope that those striving to excel in their teaching careers can avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way.

Introduction

I had my first teaching experience when Emperor Haile Selassie, the king of Ethiopia at that time, issued a new decree requiring all university students to complete a one-year national service as a graduation requirement. Hence, I had to spend my senior year teaching 9th and 10th grade students at Dekemhare High School in Eritrea. Previously, I never thought I would become a teacher, but that year, I enjoyed teaching so much, I decided that all I wanted to do in life was to become a teacher. After graduation, I was offered a scholarship for a master’s degree in the United States to be a lecturer at the College of Business Administration at Haile Selassie
University.

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