Gale Allen

The admissions office should not tell potential students anything about what instructors will do. It is better for these students to find out about the coursework after they enroll. The potential students will enroll as long as you tell them what is right and they find out that what you said was true.

Telling students of my experiences helps to motivate them to complete their program. I always tell them that no matter what happens in life, don't ever give up. Always finish what you start. The greatest day of your life is walking across the stage on graduation day and your name is called for completing your degree, certificate or diploma.

I have learned there are many teaching methods. It may work to have the students present the material to help keep them engaged. Students enjoy being the teacher at times. I have found that if a student is given a topic they work really hard to develop that topic for group discussions and presentations.

I have found that positive reinforcement works very well with immature and mature adult learners. Letting the students know they are doing a great job helps to reassure them. Those students that are not doing must be encourage and given feedback as to how they can do better. We must always offer assistance when needed and perhaps let the administration know that a student might require a tutor.

I have found that several of the techniques taught in the lesson have always been good coping techniques for dealing with stress that cannot be eliminated. I have found that listening to music is helpful. Usually easy listening music is always comforting. Since most people enjoy music why not incorporate it into your daily routine to cope with stress.

I have found that stress from the workplace is a major cause of stress for me. The standards that are set may be in conflict with my personal experience teaching. Some students want to do what they want, when they want to and the instructor does not feel that the administration supports decisions they make in reference to students. It appears that the student is in more control than the instructor. This is stress times ten.

I have found that if a younger student connects with an older student, they both tend to have success in the classroom because they can encourage each other. Older students tend to play the mother/father role to the younger less experienced student. These types of students also are a help in retaining younger students. Younger students on the other hand can help the older student understand the information, use technology, and study for test. Older students can also be a great support system for younger students who lack transportation to school since some of them have cars.

Normally I teach the same courses. I use the support materials that come along with the books from the publisher. I use the power-point slides and exam creation tools. I also organize my courses in separate folders on a flash drive. I have a folder for each course and sub-folders within those folders for exams, homework assignments, and project assignments. If another instructor is assigned to teach the same course I usually offer them the information within the folders to help if they so desire to use it.

Meetings are important, but last minute meetings can disrupt time management. There are times when there must be a last minute meeting, but make sure that all meetings are productive to the individuals who attend. I have found that most meetings are unproductive even if they are scheduled. Most of the information can be placed in an email or sent through an interoffice memo. People must remember that wasting your time is your business, but wasting other people's time is disrespectful.

I have learned that I use a series of learning styles in my classroom. I try to engage the students whenever possible. I have learned a lot about the attention span of adult learners. Sometimes they seem to be the most difficult learners especially the ones that have been out of school for a long period of time.