Motivator Role - Stark Change from Academia
I am rather new to teaching and have had no previous affiliation with career schools or online teaching. My professional and scholastic experiences have centered around traditional academia. So for me, the most difficult bit of teaching at a career school is the idea that I need to serve as a "cheerleader" to my students. I have no problem doing it and I am beginning to better understand this role, but I must confess that I am having difficulty shaking my previous experiences in which it was my responsibility to go to class and participate. My former teachers were always interested in the whereabouts and academic progress of students, if one elected to stop coming to class and turning in assignments, that, while frowned upon, was fine. It was the students decision. As a career school teacher, I feel like fulfilling the role of "motivator" almost steps over boundaries that I never felt teachers should cross. Has any one else grappled with this issue?
Hi Bob,
You make a key point about motivating the students. If they can continue to see the light at the end of the preparation tunnel for them they will generally stick with the training. Examples of successful graduates and the money they will make are all good ways of keeping their interest.
Gary
At our school we also deal with the problems of students working while going to school etc:We often see and/or hear students talk of giving up. What I usually try to do is show them why it is all worth it [well paid career] and might even tell them some success stories of others that were in the same situation. In many cases this will make a marked change in the attitude of the student.
I also agree that the students have alot to deal with beside getting a education, for the younger students its there first time away from home and they have to make there own discussions and the big one pay bills, then there is the student working full time and going to school full time. I found that these two groups of students need more encouragement to keep looking at the big picture, also you have to be careful not to cut any coners or lighten up on there grading because you start feeling sorry for the ones working full time. Its a fine line we have to walk.
I agree with Gary that part of what makes the career college experience different from academia is that the students often have a lot more external factors to deal with: jobs, families, small children, etc. As such, they often need to be encouraged and motivated to keep their eye on the big picture and to keep going.
Also, many of our students have not had the most rewarding or enjoyable experiences with traditional academia. Some of them may have had problems in traditional school settings because they do not fit the mold of the "ideal" student. Sometimes, they have low self esteem or expectations about what they can do and it's up to us to encourage and push them to go beyond what they might have thought they could do. They very much need us to believe in them because they might not have had many teachers in the past who did.
Hi Matt,
Good question about encouraging students. The hardest part is the fact that these students are adults that have chosen to come to a career college to get training in their field. Why then should a teacher have to encourage them? It seems that for many students the making of the decision to come to school is a big one and then they start to second guess that they have done the right thing. Plus, many students have many external factors in their lives that may hinder their success. So even though they want to do well and remain in school they sometimes start to falter. This is when they need to be encouraged and supported. Personally I don't like to have a single one of my students drop out and I will do everything possible to keep them in class since what I am offering them will help the achieve their career goals. What I won't do is compromise the standards of my course. They have to do all of the work but they know I will help coach and mentor them along the way.
Gary
