Student Retention
I have the reputation in my program as being theInstructor you love or hate. My students will say they love me because I am fair, firm consistant, honest and will help whenever I can to help them be successful. They will tell other students - You will love her if you are here to learn and succeed but if you are here just to waste time you will not like her. Just being in class is unacceptable in my class. You have to work hard and earn your grade. I have had a 93-99% retention rate for the past three years.
Ingrid, how would you describe a classroom that reflects a nurturing environment?
It's very hard to try to motivate and retain students when so many personal issues they are confronting arise. A welcoming environment as well as due diligence in helping makes retention easier. Classrooms should be a nurturing environment.
Student retention is on both parties, getting good grades is an achivement. I all so enforce that in the work force even though they get good grades in school the have to also maintain profesonalizm.
Students who aren't motivated quickly learn bad habits like being a seat slug. Unfortunately, they bring those behaviors with them when they enroll.
It is unfortunate for many students that they have been conditioned that being a "seat slug" is acceptable as part of their learning experience. Showing up for class is the first step and then participating, leads to a more successful student outcome. We, as instructors, must be diligent in changing this previous conditioning and not "give" grades but instill a desire to "earn" them.
congratulations, i also agree that students must earn their grades, my motto is "a nail with no drive will not earn a spot in the door."
Congratulations on your results, Cathy. I think most of us respond positively to people who are fair, firm, consistent, honest and helpful.
