It would seem that we are one business with many facets. Students come wanting a better life, a brighter future. Education is the key but before some can realize their goals there are may be many layers that have to be dealt with. Since any business has to be profitable to continue the students have to be successful for it all to work. With this said, we tend to be not just educators but counselors, coaches, and resource finders just to name a few. We have to find ways to change the mind set of many students from I can't do this to I can be successful.
I believe we need to understand where the students are coming from and be willing to listen to them. I dont how ever believe we should be giving certain advice. I think it puts the educators in a bad position.
Dana,
It is a complements when students want to talk to us about these difficult issues. It is important for us to remember we are not counselors, th0ough we can be empathetic listeners. Does your school use a counseling service or have a list of available community services that provide students with the "human resources" they need to address these issues?
yes. we have to help, listen and deal with so many different peoples day to day issues,lifestyles and personalities that i do beleive i feel that way alot of times
Part of preparing a student for a skill or trade is getting the correct mindset for the job. A large portion of students have little to no job experience to build off of on how to approach certain situations. Your mind must be at ease to do a job correctly so it is up to us as instructors to prepare them. This may be done by simply telling them what to expect or it may be more involved on a one-on-one case.
I agree we are in more than 1 business. We need to help the students from the education side and also help them as mentors along the way.
We are in the everything business as students need so much help from time to time. Students are looking for answers and information and that is where we come in to provide it.
Absolutely! Without a positive "can do" attitude, it's unrealistic to think that students will succeed. Life presents a number of challenges and competing demands that range from responsibilities (i.e. work & children) to distractions (i.e. friends & social commitments) to self-sabotaging (i.e. procrastination & skewed priorities). If students don't actively work to overcome these roadblocks, they'll never achieve success.
As instructors we must work with our students and assist and encourage them to work past these obstacles. Check in when a student is falling behind or suddenly performing at a lower level then they had been. Reach out to share your own methods of overcoming these obstacles in day to day life or during your own academic journey. The more students feel that you can relate to them, the more open minded they are about assistance and support. By assisting and supporting the students you can maintain good "mental health" within the classroom that will benefit all participants in working through the material.
Once a proper mindframe has been established, learning can happen.
Thanks, Victoria.
It is important for teachers to realize that most career college students have life responsibilities that cannot be left at the door when the school day starts. We have to teach students how to find balance.
I agree that we are in more than one business because students come to us for guidance and skills. There are many issues they face as students and they look to their instructors for help in the emotional arena.
Well, I would answer that with. No. We are in one business, but we wear many hats. At the end of the day, we must follow the mission/vision to educate our student. The other obligations we encounter, I say...change hats!
I do agree we as educators have a large group of people that depend on us everyday. A very large number of these students are away from home for the first time in their lives. We as educators get to see alot of emotions from these students everyday. Some are overwhelmed and others just need someone to talk to. I belive we are role models teachers counselors mentors and even a little bit of friend to th e student.
it is easy to see we are affecting the students. Every time the studentent start looking diengaged in the topic I will start to tell a story of something that happened in the feild and they all perk up and listen.
David,
Great teachers are great story tellers.
I agree 100%. At my last job, we did not have a councelor on staff, so we were literally in the mental health business. Now that schools are facing budgetary restrictions, including not wanting the liability of having a coucelor on staff, student services deals with these sorts of issues on a daily basis.
I agree, most students are trying to improve thenselves and & be happier in what they do.
We wear more than one hat every time we go into the classroom. We are teachers, spiritual advisors, a banking system(at times) and much more. This is the profession we chose
Sure we are. The experience with my students compares to most others in this thread. We are everything from financial advisors,day-to-day relationship counselors,and advice on getting jobs (all within reason of course!). The confidence factor in some of these students is very low for many reasons and we try to give them insight into the reality that they CAN do this if they apply themselves.
Guy,
Thanks. Confidence is often lacking initially for career college students who may have had difficulty in school prior to joining us. Building confidence is a key. We need to be sure we give them opportunities for success early and often.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Yes because we also help students with issues that do not pertain to academics or the school program.
