Students Coping with New Lifestyle
I'd like to mention all the students I chat with that are new to college. Their main concerns are transitioning to a new environment. Many times housing is one of the biggest problems, and this really effects their school work. I had a student the other day say that she and her roommate had to leave class because they had no place to live and was in the process of trying to get another apartment that was safe (the other one was broken into).
This is why you really have to listen to your students, especially the ones that are first time away from home.
Bad grades or missing class is not always about the student not caring about your class.
Hi Jennifer,
Student rapport is so important because they know someone at the college is aware of what is going on in their lives. This is so important since it keeps them engaged in the learning process while working through their personal issues.
Gary
We often have similar issues. I have had students talk to me about dying family members, problems with childcare, issues with money, and so many more.
I have learned that often they simply need to have their problem recognized. Most of the time, there is not much that myself (or the school) can really do for them except to support them in their endeavors. For example, there is not much we can do about a dying parent, but we can be flexible with them in terms of when they hand in their assignments and reschedule tests when necessary.
I also find that, once the initial conversation has occured , checking in with the students helps to give them confidence. It's important that they feel that we care about them and what they are going through.
It creates a relationship with them and the more relationships they create within the school (not the student body necessarily), the harder it is for them to leave.
Hi Josh,
Verbalizing a problem can be an excellent way of seeing how the different parts of the problem can be solved. You make a good point about listening. We need to do a lot of it as instructors.
Gary
Listening to students is very important instructors may not be able to offer a solution to a problem, but listening helps. Usually just being able to voice a problem helps to open a different way of thinking.
Josh
Hi David,
The point you make about listening to students is a great one. We as instructors often don't know what our students are dealing with outside of the classroom. By having some knowledge about their various issues we can be supportive which may involved referring them to a source that can help them with the problem. Student rapport is important and we need to work at keeping the rapport high as the students go through the class. This will help to retain them and allow them to make progress toward their career goals.
Gary
