First Week Fears
Making them feel at home in your school and classroom is very important. I found that letting them know that it does not matter how long you have been out of school or what the age variety there is in the class room they are all there for the same education and skills needed to move on in there new career path. So for the first week getting the students to bond and treating everyone equal is also important grounds in keeping them.
My class is toward the end of their program, but it is still important for the first week to set the expectation and tone for the class.
Helping the students through their "butterflies" is a huge task that must be mastered. Some of the kids are away from home for the first time. It is our job to ensure we protray a safe and inviting environment. This will hepl squash the home sick syndrom.
I agree with this! We have students ages 18 - 70 in our classrooms, and they all come in with some degree of apprehension - we try to make them feel at ease and have a little fun doing silly icebreakers, or short self-assessments to get to know one another. I am often the first college teacher they have ever had, and I am so flattered to be in that role! My psych. class is a prerequisite class that everyone gets, and what a joy to be there for their first day!
I completely agree with this notion. Explaining to them that it doesn't matter the age or situation that lead them to school, we need to assure them that they are making the right choice.
Providing real life experiences, success and failure, are vital to a students retention and sucess. There is less pressure and more encouragement on the student in the first week, however, the instructor needs to provide encouragement and vigilence for the remainder of the term.
Bruce ,
I agree! Providing real-life examples (wins and mistakes) can be very inspirational.
Susan Backofen
I agree with you opnion, easing their fears in regard to age, how long they were out of school, their status and competing with other "smarter" studens is not a reason to have doubts. Their ultimate goal is to succeed and fulfill their individual dreams thus achieving their goals in life. Each one of these students are unique and they bring richness to the class that makes each student very special.
I find that giving students feedback as what to expect in the industry and how it pertains to class, helps them feel more comfortable in certain areas in class. Also, by sharing mistakes made in the industry personally, seems to bring the students around quite a bit, as they realize your human too. Treating everyone equally throughout the phase and always goes without saying.
