going back to school
What do u think can be done to assist in informing adults about the fact that its never to late to gain an education? because for some they talk themselves out of the thought of more schooling.
Tracy,
Thank you for sharing your story with us. It is inspiring because you put yourself in a high risk situation to prove to yourself you could do it and you did. I know your efforts are making an impact on the students you work with. Go ahead and become a teacher we need individuals like you impacting the lives of our students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
well gary i was afraid to go back to college because i thought i wasn't college material. well, i decided to go back to college and prove to myself that i can straight A's instead of graduating with c's and d's like i did in high school. i did prove it 2 myself twice because i graduated from berks technical institute twice. back in '93 and just back in '11. i went through struggles but i overcame them because of the instructors caring about me and seeing what was inside of me. Now, to this day i am a teachers assistant helping my fellow instructors out that taught me the things that i needed to know for the medical field. i was scared because i was 38 when i went back to school. i was tired of being laid off and wanted something challenging in my life and that is why i chose the medical assistant program at bti. everyone there was really great helped me learn things that i thought i would of never learned about. now i believe i just might become a teacher in the future. Overcoming your fears is what makes you a better person from day to day.
Lisa,
Good way to help students become integrated into the campus setting and starting to feeling comfortable with their new adventure as students. Being a college student for the first time can be scary no matter what age you are.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I believe it important to support this type of student immediately on the first day of class. I assign student mentors, their role is to help new students with navigating campus facilities, give suggestions on note taking, and organizing their notebook, provide study tips, and most important be a peer advisor. Students relate well to each others challenges and can provide support to each.
Robin,
This is a critical part of retention for adult students. If they know they are respected for the life experiences they have and those experiences can be used to be successful as students even after being out of school for a number of years then the students will be engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
from my opinion i find that a majority of my students are adults making a career change. there is nothing wrong with this! it is important to pull them aside individually when you can see they are getting down about a topic and let them know that they are just as capable now as that were when they were 20!
Grace,
You are a valuable resource to and for your students as a result of your extensive life/professional experiences. Use these experiences to reinforce your course content and you are going to have engaged learners as a result.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Thank you, that holds more weight than I ever realized and I also had more knowledge than I ever knew myself after 30 years of working in private practice
Grace,
Glad you have had such a wonderful experience teaching. You brought at age 54 a life time of living which translates into stories and examples you can use in your teaching to effectively get your message across to your students. They get to see you as a role model for life long learning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I began teaching at age 54 and as each year passes i get better at what I do, so we shoud encourage each other to try and go to school to better ourselves.
Anthony,
You raise an important point about the type of program a student is in. Knowing if they are short or long term helps to provide the kind of support that is needed to help them continue to move forward toward their career goals.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think it also depends a lot on what they are going back to school for. Is it a certification that will take a class or two? Or is it a four-year degree that they are pursuing, that may tak a lot more time and resources. That may take a little more motivation, and would then fall to the counselor for continued motivation.
Kisha,
Good question but a tough one to answer because there are so many different variables that impact adult learners and their success. I try to help them make the education personal, in that they create a mental picture of themselves being successful so they can build their self confidence. Another is to let them know I am there to support them if they will put forth the needed effort. I bring passion for my field to the classroom and try to get them to get excited about it as well. I want to help them see themselves with a successful career. If the can capture that image they will see the value of continuing their education.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
