Take responsibility for what is covered:

Too many instructors have been lulled into this new pedagogical notion that the students should decide what gets taught in the classroom. Not in my classroom. I have been around longer, have seen techniques come and go, and because of that, I believe I know better than they what is important for them to know to be successful after they leave my course. Ergo, I decide what gets covered. I am very concerned about this fashionable notion of letting the students decide. Many students want instant gratification -- a technique they can use today, whether or not it will be useful downstream. It is up to instructors to take charge of what goes on in their classrooms.