The mystery (and fear) surrounding office hours

Office hours can be intimidating for a lot of students. But developing a relationship with your professor is key. Grace HeeJung Kim for NPR Happy Sunday, Ask just about any college student, and they'll tell you: Office hours are scary, and can sometimes be a mystery. Students often don't know what office hours are — or what they're for, or how they're different from class time. These crucial hours are part of what some students say is a hidden curriculum — the set of rules on a college campus that no one ever tells you about. "Office hours are a way for your professor to get to know you," explains Anthony Abraham Jack, a professor at Harvard University and the author of The Privileged Poor. "You gain access to institutional resources, you gain access to a professor's network. You gain access to a professor's support — for adventures and experiences that you may not even know about." It's a valuable part of the college experience; a time when your professor can transform into an adviser and ultimately a mentor. For students who don't know this — or are too nervous to take part — they may be missing a crucial component of what they're paying for by enrolling in college. "The students who are least likely to go to office hours are the students who would benefit from them the most," explains Jack. He says colleges and professors need to do a lot more to make office hours more accessible. A good place to start, he says, is to actually tell students what office hours are — not just when they are. Want to learn more about how students can take advantage of office hours? Click the button below to read more from Elissa Nadworny. [Office Hours]( Now, let’s get into some news... Chicago teachers are on strike. As of Saturday night, the Chicago Teachers Union and the school district have noted that there has been some progress, but in a statement the mayor and school’s CEO said they did not anticipate that classes would resume on Monday "given that critical issues have yet to be resolved." The two sides have made some headway — mainly in placing a moratorium on charter schools, and creating a pipeline to hire more teachers of color. CTU has also received a written commitment regarding two of its biggest issues — class size and staffing — but wants to make sure there is a way to enforce these promises before they sign off. [Read more from WBEZ here](. There are still issues in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Four U.S. senators told the head of the nation's top consumer protection agency Thursday that they want her to launch examinations into serious problems with a program designed to offer loan forgiveness to public service workers. [An NPR story this week]( revealed that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau attempted such examinations but was thwarted by the Trump Administration’s Department of Education. [Read more here](. E-cigarette maker Juul Labs announced Thursday it will suspend sales of most of its flavored products, including mango, fruit and cucumber. These types of flavors are considered an on-ramp to vaping for teenagers. The move comes as the industry faces immense scrutiny. Several states have instituted bans on flavored products, and the Trump administration has [signaled that a federal ban]( may be in the works. [Read more here](. The Department of Education has proposed some changes to a survey that collects information from schools on some key issues. Among the changes, the 2019-2020 version of the Civil Rights Data Collection would remove questions that focus on preschool and school finance. The proposals would also add in more questions about sexual assault and bullying based on religion. Some changes are drawing criticism, however. The 2013-14 CRDC data, for example, found that black preschool students received one or more out-of-school suspensions at [3.6 times the rate]( of their white counterparts. The proposed survey would not break down suspensions by race anymore. [Read more here](. California is pushing back school start time for most middle and high school students. The change is the result of a new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Under this new law, classes for high schools will start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and classes for middle schools will start no earlier than 8 a.m. [Read more here](. Science teachers: Are you ready for a new podcast? This week, NPR launched a new daily science podcast called Short Wave. So far, they’ve tackled topics ranging from magic mushrooms to vaping. Click the button below to listen and subscribe. [Short Wave]( And before you go, something to make you smile… A first-grader in Wisconsin lost his tooth – and potentially some money from the Tooth Fairy – at school. Getting through the bureaucracy at the Tooth Fairy’s office can be a challenge, so naturally young Landon’s principal, Curt Angeli, stepped in and wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy on the school's official letterhead. “Please accept this letter as official verification of a lost tooth and provide the standard monetary exchange rate you normally use for a real tooth,” Angeli wrote, according to Yahoo News. [Read more here](. See you next week. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! 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