Each of us are responsible for our own actions. As for me, I really dont look up to people for inspiration. Most of the time we eventually are going to do what we want anyway. It it nice to have someone to talk to because we think by doing so helps us define what we are and who we can become. When ever I talk to someone who feels like they are lost and seemed confuse about what to do. I simply tell them that they must do what is in their best interest and they can be come and do whatever they disire. Utilmately it is in your own hands.
My life was greatly impacted when after having been raised in such a negative environment,I came across a teacher of whom I shortly began to admire. She handed me a dictionary and ripped out the word cannot.She spoke life into me and allowed me to see that it was fear of words spoken over me that had kept me from moving forward in life and not, that I was stupid.The constant "you will never make it, no one in our family has".
This experience has truly allowed me to see the good in students and serve as a role model to them. We serve a population of students of which I can definately relate to. I look forward to receiving from you even more life changing words I can grow from and pass on to our students.
There have been very many different mentors in my life, but most specifically related to career education, our Dean of Education has had a huge impact on the way I've learned to work and interact with our students. I came from outside the educational field before I started at our school and I gained a huge amount of insight into building relationships with students by watching our Dean. Our Dean has always been a huge proponent of building rapport with our students and I've watched as she made small talk with students to get them engaged and find out more about them personally. She's also shown me the importance of being very positive with students. This module made mention of Self-Efficacy and sharing examples from your own life, but I've learned that sharing examples of former students, who either have similar backgrounds or come from a similar geographic area is also a great tool in helping students succeed. I believe that watching her has made me much more receptive to our students’ needs and has given me some very important tools in order to work with students effectively. Hopefully, I’ve become a good mentor for our students as well!
My father and his teaching of self responcability. I always tell my students that ultimatly it will be there ethics and self drive that will help them achive the goals they set for there lives.
Sports and positive coaching taught many of us a lot of things as kids. Some of our best Mentors as children are positive coaches. We never forget them.
One of my mentors that have truly impacted my life was our President of our college who retired a year ago. He was former marine and used many of the military leadership thought process in his day to day dealings with staff and students. He always led from the front and taught us how to be a team and root for one cause, which was "students first". We actually use to start every meeting with that slogan. As a for profit educational institute, we are always worried about numbers but I learned from him that people make numbers, not the other way around.
One of my mentors that have truly impacted my life was our President of our college who retired a year ago. He was former marine and used many of the military leadership thought process in his day to day dealings with staff and students. He always led from the front and taught us how to be a team and root for one cause, which was "students first". We actually use to start every meeting with that slogan. As a for profit educational institute, we are always worried about numbers but I learned from him that people make numbers, not the other way around.
My mentor was a athletic coach, He constantly made sure that your were on your game and could tell if you weren't and would ask you what was wrong and if he could help. He was always going above and beyond to help the students in his class and in athletics.
It has been my experience that if you set your students down talk to them and try to get to know them after you have set the base rules for your class the respect and respond effectively to almost all your request.
One person in particylar was my first CEO of the first company I worked for in career education. He became a mentor to me in that he instilled in me that even though we are a business, the first and most important thing to learn was to treat students with dignity and respect and be sure we are providing them what they are paying for. Even if your margins are a bit below expectations, if you don't give the students what they are paying for, your margins will plummet. Students come first and you give them the attention they deserve, while also making them understand the boundaries or rules of the game under which they must act.
That has been my belief and practice through the years and, I believe, is what has most contributed to my success as a career educator.
During my first year as a college student I had a couple of instructors that took a personal interest in me where I was able to have discussions and debates with them about our course work. I was treated with respect, listened to and looked forward to coming to class.
I had a mentor push me to take the route that made me happy. He pushed me in this direction versus pushing me to what was expected. His persuasion to follow passion rather then expectations has made it possible for me to make my life what it is. This has in turn made me open to others passions and to encourage them to follow those passions.
