Mentoring
I highly agree with Mentoring and getting to know your students. I have had many students tell me, if I had not encouraged them and helped them think outside the box, they would have dropped out. Many of the students we are teaching need not only the education in the chosen field, but a lot of times, professional and life skills. I know, sometimes, I forget that. Some of these students have very difficult lives and are just barely making it to class.
Mentoring is so important. I always show interest in my students and they know that its genuine and not done as a job. I really do care and I take pride when my students do well and graduate.
Jason,
Thank you for this post. Good faculty members continue education well past the bell and well outside the classroom. Thanks for pointing that out.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Very true, even our students are at school for a few months i often develop an informal mentorship with one or two students that will check in over the course of their schooling for career guidance, or just to say hey. It's clear to me that our role as an insturctor doesn't end with each class.
Tammy,
The students you describe are reasonably common among career college students - adults who come to us with little success academically and a lock of confidence. Their teachers need to deliver lessons that go beyond the subject matter.
Jeffrey Schillinger
