student preparation
students are ultimately responsible for their own education, however instructors should make the learning enviroment comfortable, fair and open to all students. include everyone nad be open to new ideas.
Melissa,
Students with this type of mental attitude is common in the majority of our post-secondary schools. I am troubled by this because as you mention many of them are not functionally academically at even a high school level and yet we are expected to get them prepared for a high wage high demand career.
I still enjoy working with such students and helping them as much as I can. I can fix the deficits but I can help them to toward their career choice and increase their self confidence and focus on their careers.
Keep up your good work with your students. I commend you for your effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Your students sound a lot like mine. They feel a sence of entitlement since they are being charged for their education (I used "charged" instead of "paid" since so many of our type of student is in default). They feel they should be handed a good grade just for showing up. However, I have also noticed that for some of my students, they don't do the necessary things to turn in good work because they don't think they can. I have had students that can't read higher than a 4th grade level, that were pushed through the public schools. For them, it's more of an "I can't" than an "I don't want to". But because I paid attention to their writings and listened to the way they formed sentences during communication, I was able to assess their reading abilities and get them help.
Jim,
Well said. There is a sense of entitlement in the minds of many students today. They have paid tuition so they are entitled to an A, without the necessary work that goes with earning an A. I work hard to be a good instructor and treat all students with respect and in turn try to earn their respect. For those that chose not to participate in the learning process I encourage their departure and I will not let them disrupt the learning of others. I am sad when I don't reach each student but I know that I have worked hard to prepare, was consistent in my treatment of all students and have shared my career experience with my students. This makes me a professional educator and I am satisfied with that. For the space heaters I know they are going to continue their path.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
We are discussing the minority of students but they can disrupt the learning of students that do not learn quickly. They do not open a book until review day. We review the day before finals. I have recieved bad reviews because I did not give questions word for word and the answers to the test. The one or two that do not open books during class or take notes for material that was advised as potential test questions. They frantically write every thing on review day. Students that have to work hard to understand the material are dissrupted. Too much is done to placate those that never open their books in the name of student retention when they cry he did not cover the test material.
That type of space takers should be allowed to go their way,if they do not figure their problem after assistance and advice and bad grades.
Most of us are facilitators in various trades and technologies the real students will find their diplomas have been degraded by potential employers after dealing with a space taker that cheated or cried into graduaion.
Chanda,
I have the same students as you. Unfortunately at the end of the course that button has not been found and they are not magically smarter if they haven't done the work and it is at this time they start griping about not passing. Always sad to me because learning as we all know requires effort. That is how we became teachers. We worked at learning just as they have to as well.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think it depends on the individual student. I have some students on are always prepared to learn and are active participants in the process. These students take the inititative to look at the syllabus and read or skim forward to see what is coming next. The other students sit there as if we have a button that magically puts the information into their heads without them opening a book.
Sometimes I find this to be the hardest part of teaching. As instructors we should make the learning environment comfortable, fair, and open but the students should still be prepared for class. Often times I find that students do not want to have to do the extra work required to prepare for courses but rather think it should be the instructors responsibility to get the information into their head.
