I use the term "teacher" here loosely. I don't get caught up in terminology. To me, teacher=faculty=instructor. Here are a few things I learned from my teaching experiences.
First, your faculty are probably not nearly as prepared as they seem to be. When I started teaching I took on 5 separate subjects for which I had no preparation. No slides made up, hadn't even read the text. Granted I had these classes as an undergrad and so remembered some stuff, but I felt like I was "faking it" through most of my lectures.
Second, many students don't stand out. There is a much talked about 'middle of the class' for which the teacher may not have any recollection of. If you miss class, or get failing grades and I have to put you on a 'watch list' to the administration you will stand out. If you sit in front of class and answer questions or if I read your paper and I feel that you have done a good job you will also stand out. However, if you do you work at a minimum and attend class but do not raise questions or responses I may not remember you at the end of things. I feel somewhat bad about this but it is a reality of having a lot of blank faces stare at you day after day.
Third, some students are just meant to stand out. In line with rule two, a student that emails for clarification on the finer points of respiratory alkalosis, every day, may stand out. A student who sends a succession of 9 panicked emails because they got a B+ on an assignment and their average has been drug down to 98% tends to stand out. It seems invariably in each class there are one or two of these type A students. I completely understand where they are coming from. These people are sacrificing time and money to earn a degree and so want the best return on their investment. To be sure there are often misprints in test questions and sometimes the 'correct' answer has been incorrectly identified by the IT personnel who translate paper tests into electronic format. Each quarter a test is administered it gets 'better' just because more people have taken it. Also it is true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If a student can logically argue why they put an answer on an assessment and I agree with them I will often award points even if it is not inline with the answer I was looking for. I usually identify these students early on and only answer their emails after my various other weekly tasks are done.
As an undergrad I was a BAD student. I would often skip class or not turn in assignments. I could rectify this by doing well on tests and usually got good grades. As an instructor I feel that if I take the time to make up an assignment it is often not just for my own enjoyment but because I feel that it will help the students to master a certain subject; and as such it is sometimes a personal affront if they do not take the time to complete certain things. Lesson learned, attend class, and do assignments even if they seem stupid or a waste of time.
Don't act a fool in class. I never did this as a student, but if people are talking in class. (I went to school in a pre-texting age, but cell phones are annoying as hell). If you attend class, be attentive. If you cannot wait until after class to have a conversation / (text or other wise) please leave.
I do enjoy my students and like to feel that I am helping people leave a factory/waitress/stay at home mom occupation to make more money for their families. As many complaints as I have about a few bad apple students by biggest complaints about teaching are administration. At the schools I teach at, I am expected to take attendance, monitor dress code, police food/drink in classrooms. I feel that at the post secondary level students should be treated as adults. I feel my job as faculty is to teach. Many of the career colleges have to guarantee to their accrediting bodies that the students attend a certain percentage of classes. I am even expected to note if a student comes in 5-10 minutes late. I feel that I have better things to do than monitor this type of thing however.
In summary, I think that after being in the driver's seat I would be a much better passenger.
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