carol,
Consistency is a real key in serving our students, as long as consistency does not keep us from being flexible enough to meet student needs.
I wanted my students to meet deadlines, but I also knew that most were juggling family lives, employment challenges and school. I set up my policies so that students who turned in late work were "subject to" penalization. If they contacted me and asked for extra time, usually they received full credit.
I had a mentor that used a policy was fair, friendly, and firm. I knew this person was consistent and I could trust them. I have used this philosophy and I believe that my student can depend on me to deliver the best information, timely and consistent.
Yuhan,
You've summed up the difference quite well. Thanks!
For traditional students, oftentimes it seems that class is just a continuation of high school, except that there are more freedoms. On the other hand career college students are more directed, knowing that it's their dollars and future involved. Other issues, such a confidence seem to plague older students, especially if it's a math class (my subject) they haven't taken in decades.
Yuhan,
What is one thing you have had to do differently with career college students as opposed to traditional students?
Jeffrey, indeed true -- Having taught at several large state colleges I can say that the demographic I teach now has almost no overlap with the traditional colleges. It been quite a change for me to be in contact with older mature age students with significant life experiences.
By being available for them whenever they need help with the concept.
Yuhan,
Thank you for this post. Being able to see things from our students' perspectives is an important thing for a teacher to do. Many career college students are juggling home, work and school and need our support and understanding to be successful.
Career college faculty need to be more flexible and provide more options that might professors at a traditional college where students are expected to focus almost exclusively on school. We can still have high expectations and set high standards, we just have to provide some alternative paths for students to take to get to their goals.
Thanks, Susan. How did your sophomore history teacher demonstrate concern and caring? Was there something specific he did?
Tareq,
Thank you for this post. It is great that you experienced the impact of an effective mentor. How can you ensure that your students see you that way?
I can think of my mentor from my first job out of college in the IT Industry. I learned more from the mention in couple month that what I learned in my entire 4 years of academic life in the state University. The reason for it, I always have had my mentor's undivided attention. I cannot think of a time when I needed help and the mentor was not there for me. Unfortunately, I did not get the same level of attention or help from my professors while I was a student at the University.
I agree with you when you asked, what better mentor could someone have? I often think that the world would be an amazing place if there were more mentors like the one you describe in your post. A true mentor is passionate about what he or she does. Passion makes all of the difference when mentoring others.
I once had a history teacher in my sophomore year of high school. Even though this was a long time ago, I would have to say that he was a mentor and an inspiration to his students. I remember him vividly because of his passion for his subject and the concern and caring attitude that he showed to his students. He was a role model, and I think my career path would be different if he had not been a part of my life.
It took me a while to answer your question, because it seemed difficult at first for me to recognize that I did have some mentors in the past. As far as my college years were concerned there were two professors who did take the time to talk to me and took some interest in my future plans. As a result I ended up in grad school and got involved in my professional subject field.
I do realize that many students need the personal connection to feel involved in the class. I try to do what I got from these professors - taking an interest in the student. Putting myself in their shoes, and remembering the numerous impersonal classes I took, I hope they have can have a better experience.
The same customer-service ethos should apply in the classroom. If at the end of the day, the students *think* you are wrong, then it really doesn't matter if you were 'right'. The challenge then becomes making them believe you are right... or better yet, them believing they themselves are 'right'. Reaching collaborative conclusions is one way to achieve this and achieve student learning at the same time.
Steve,
How might one apply this advice in a classroom?
Ronald,
Thank you for this post. I look forward to interacting with you in the other discussion forums.
You were fortunate to have had two excellent mentors in your life. Now as an educator, you are in a position to mentor so many others. It is clear you understand the responsibility we have.
One of my mentors, the college president, told me early on that "sometimes it did not matter whether you were right or wrong; what could matter more at times is whether people think you are right or wrong." Best customer-service advice I was every given! And since I spent 20 years as a VP/CIO at colleges and universities, it was advice well taken.
In my professional career both in financial services and in academia I have had the pleasure of having two mentors who have made a huge difference to me personally and professionally.
In my career in financial services my mentor was someone who served as the ideal model for any up and coming young executive. This mentor was a great source of knowledge and an inspiration to me to acquire as much formal and informal training and education in the field of financial services as possible. His leadership, mentoring and modeling made my 20+ year career in financial services a great success and in many ways laid the foundation for my second career in academics.
My second example of a great mentor was the chair of my dissertation committee who provided me with sound advice and continuous encouragement in my pursuit of my Ph.D degree. Without my committee chair's encouragement and indeed his championship of me with a difficult member of that committee I would not have survived the process and completed my degree. His mentoring has shaped the way I perform my duties as a department chair and professor to this day.
You really hit the nail on the head here, Charles. Thank you!
Good teachers know that students "get it" at a different pace and through different intelligences. Patience is a real key.
