Gene Bartholomew

I use a calendar and on it I list what I did every day throughout a course, next time that course comes up I start a new calendar and use the last one as a reference to see where I was, what I covered, should I rearange the order?, should I change the pace?, etc etc, each time it will get easier. Also create a course file on your pc and save info, files, etc there so next time you just print, if you teach the same courses over and over and each start is a panic stricken disaster something… >>>

Basically some people will alwasy try to be the Alpha Male or Alpha Female and attempt to run the show. Don't let them. It may take a sidebar. Eventually they could become a great aid in the Lab. Don't let them steer the conversation. Some of them have an attitude where they think because they are paying to come they get to run the show. You have to quickly quell that and explain to the class that they are paying for a specific content, they do not get to decide what it is, how it runs or the results. They… >>>

These are all things I have done for decades, I was mentored when I started teaching by the best. I do see many intructors making many mistakes because this school has no training/indoctrination program for new instructors, they don't take care of the instructors they have so when someone leaves abruptly they need to fill the seat and a person is given an ipad and shown their room and then they're on their own and without guidance they make the cardinal mistake of being their students buddy. They let the students call them by first name, they give their home… >>>

It just cemented what I already know

I go over how interesting HVACR is in the field and all the interesting places you get to go, places no one else gets to see by places I've been, famous people's homes, nuke power plants, sub base in Groton, Rx R&D, NASA space suit development, etc etc, HVACR is everywhere so we are everywhere and everyday is different. No other trade has our diversity.

If you're not prepared it's going to show, I use a calendar and try to prep a week out, next time that course comes up I pull the last calendar and use it as a guide, I tweak it, and each time that course comes up it gets better and easier. 

I have already been doing this because our material is old, dated, sometimes in error and has grammar mistakes.  

I don't see how an instructor with a set curriculum and labs and 60 students can alter everything for every student, it's not logical, doable or practical, what they can do is look at the students that aren't doing well and see if it's in their character that the problem lies and work with that, but we are doing job training and employers are not going to alter every little thing every little task that all are required to do.

Looking into a suvey for students so they can access their skills and readiness, most of our students are not college bound or ready, they are heading into a hands on career, this is a big leap for them, many are having trouble adjusting and many drop out due to the switch to blended learning.