student retention
It is important to create a comfortable environment to help students stay actively involved. They need to feel the instructor wants them to be there.
Hi Gloria,
Thank you for sharing this story about both loss and success. Your attention to the immediate needs of this student set the stage for him not giving up and realizing that he could attend to the family needs while being able to come back to school the next week.
Gary
Ialso have an open door policy. These adult students have families. One student received a phone call, his cousin had been shot. It was the second week of an 11 week term. He said. "I won't be back." I took him into another room, talked with him, and because I am a minister, I also prayed with him. I attended the funeral of his cousin, the next week he was back in class.
Class retention, depends on trust level the student can see in the professor.
John,
I think there is a fine balance between creating a comfortable environment but also keeping in mind what the student may face in the field. It heavily depends on what he or she is going to be doing. There are some cases where the environment needs to be a certain way and create some discomfort so that the student is trained well in how to react and deal with certain scenarios.
In business, environment can have a lot to do with how a business negotiation may be worked.
Ideally though most subjects should have an environment where it is easy to concentrate and where the student feels safe.
Good Luck!
Matt
Students need to feel like they bring value in the classroom. Most of my students are adult learners, and they want to feel like they can apply what they learn in a creative way. I try to provide my students with the opportunity to contact me anytime they have a concern or need assistance.
Michelle, you must have a lot more energy than I do! One year I felt emotionally drained since most of my students seemed to have overwhelming issues (one lost a sister in a suspicious fire the same year she lost her brother, and as a result, her mom was losing her mind, and my student was afraid to leave her house). The good thing about many schools is there are services to which we can direct such students for help. Best wishes with your outreach!
I offer my students an open door policy to come to me with anything thing they feel is important in there lives.
