Mentor of Pushover?

In reading Bean, I was struck by a quote culled from Meyers on page 8 that states “teachers of critical thinking will often spend much of their class time as ‘referees, coaches, and mentors rather than as lecturers and purveyors of truth . . . For most of us,’ he continues, ‘this is a worthwhile but difficult shift’”. While I’ve been struggling (like many of you seem to be) with what sort of assignments to assign, I’ve also been wondering how, exactly, to run my classroom. One of the most difficult portions of shaping my syllabus has been, in fact, the tone. While I’d like to strike that oh-so-appealing balance of strict yet kind, decisive yet open-minded, I am acutely aware of my own faults—namely, I’m a pushover. I’ve tutored long enough to realize that the obviously false ‘my dog ate my homework’ sorts of excuses often too easily persuade me. I feel a degree of comfort and ease between teacher and student is essential to open discourse, but a degree of distance is still a must. This tension also surfaced when reading the cautionary section on the home/cell phone number on page 20 of _First Day to Final Grade_. While I had initially included my cell phone number on the syllabus (for emergencies only), I removed my number after reading Curzan and Damour.

I’m torn between this a desire to assist my students in whatever way possible and a fear for my own graduate career. My best teachers have been those that acted as Meyers’ description of mentors and coaches; I felt these instructors were always available and excited to assist me. I, however, would never call a professor at 10:00 pm, a courtesy I fear every student will not observe. I’d like to act as the 7-11 of graduate instructors—open and ready to advise 24 hours a day—but my own study demands attention. Where do we draw the line between our role as teachers and our duties as students ourselves? How may be act as approachable coaches and mentors, yet retain authority over our classroom? Any ideas/suggestion?