How much impact I really have on students.
It seems that the students in the hallways, classroom or any where else on campus are influenced by my performance, my attitude, and professionalism. I seem to go through life thinking about my own daily issues and sometimes forget about the needs of the students. They are under alot of stress trying to learn the material we have to deliver and sustain their family and personal needs as well. It makes me feel good to be a sounding board for them and sometimes guide their thinking prosses to show value in what they are dooing. Teaching and mentoring go beyond the job. Our mission statement of changing one life at a time now means a lot more to me now.
I thinks instructors sometime do not relaize the impact they have on students, that's why we have to be careful what we said to our students. Students really respect their instructors when they know how much you care.
The students that continue to contact me are usually the ones that needed the most support throughout the semester or session. The more connections I seem to make, the more likely they are able to find the energy to finish. Sometimes it feels like they are holding on by a thread and we are the ones holding them up until they can complete the class or finish their degree so that they can achieve their goals. They usually thank me for all the encouragement, support and ability to inspire them to finish.
Scott,
Excellent, Scott. This is very important.
Dr. Larry Banks
I always try to give my students the "real" world situations and ask they come up with a solution. I know that if I can add that little extra it may go a long way to help them in the future.
I will agree with you 100% the students do see how excited you are about your job and how much you like to teach them. The more excited you are the more excited they will be to be there. Thiere perception can and is altered in the hallways the parking lot and every encounter they have with you as a mentor. Teses people look up to you you are their Teacher.
I agree with you. To be a teacher is a great "calling." You can make or break a student's life by how you encourage or discourage.
Dr. B
I believe that a teacher can have a great influence on a student or be a terrible influence. I believe teachers must always choose their words wisely and be careful how they come across to the students.
I have many students that keep in touch with me, they always mention the things they learned or what I thought them and sometimes how hard and stricted I was. But they say: "thank you for not making things easy for me".
The best compliment as instructor, I ever had was from an student on his last day in class: "you were the hardest one to please, thank you."
I love teaching also and i feel i make a good impct on my student becaause after they graduate they come back to thank me for what they learn and i want to add that I also learn from them.
Yes, you are role models and students look to you for advice. You have the right idea... be sure to tell them what they need to know and do in order to get the job.
Dr. B
Very nicely put,
We, as Professors, Teachers, Instructors are the role models for our students, and we must be aware that our attitude, Professionalism and even our success has a tremendous impact on our students, therefore we have to make sure that the impact is always a positive one.
I am in the same boat and have been teaching for just over 2 years. I consistently get positive feedback from my supervisors and students which is a wonderful feeling. I had a student come in just yesterday to let me know she passed her state boards test and that I was her favorite teacher and that she wouldn't have made it without me--talk about choking me up:) I think as teachers we don't always realize how significant we are in our students' lives...makes me so proud to know I am really serving a purpose when I go to work every day. I think mentoring is a God given talent that teachers should feel blessed to have!
i think one of the keys to successful education starts with the real life experinence of the teacher (or the lack of it)in the field being teached. too much emphasis is sometimes placed on the comfort of the student and not enough on the fact that we are also supposed to make them prepared for the real life that follows. if we can make all students happy all the time / all of them- that's wonderful but i think we must not forget the Quality of the actual education. some students learn easier, some have a little more stress- we try to help every single student but sometimes the student is simlpy not ready for a college environment and therefore has a higher stress level in order to succeed.
I have been an instructor for approximately 3 1/2 years now. A relatively short period of time. During this period I have discovered that mentoring has become one of my strong points and has assisted me in becoming an instructor that students know they can come to for quality advice. I've been able to assist with a wide variety of student issues. I've also found that mentoring can be very rewarding for the individual doing the moentoring.
We all will agree that effective admission procedures, Well planned orientation programs, Excellent mentoring of all students, Excellent placement strategies that helps students gewtting great job and make positive difference in retention.
Perfect. Work examples make a huge difference.
Dr. B
I also try to icorporate true work experainces and rewards of doing agood job in the work place that they are going to as we go thru lessons. This helps them to look forward to graduation. The positive will always overcome the negitive.
Yes. I love teaching, because we do learn from students, too. The key is to keep the vision of graduation alive. This is why many schools perform student advising, centered on career themes.
Dr. B
The feeling needs to be mutual. The impact that an instructor has on a student is detrimental to the learning experience for not only the student but the instructor as well. The students main goal is to graduate the program with the knowledge to be successful in the automotive industry. The instructor as well as every faculty member that has interaction with the student has the ability to mold the future of each and every student. On the flip side, the faculty cal learn from every student. The instructor must alway be able to take a little back from each student they teach to help fine tune their teaching skills.
