Get Your Students Hired
Hi Timothy,
You must strive to create a balance between personal and professional information you share with your students. In support of your comments about sharing your professional credentials, I would say keep up the good work. Your students need to know that you have been successful in your field and that your are willing to share that knowledge and expertise with them so they can be successful as well. The sharing of personal information should be to the extent that they see you as a ordinary human being that cares about them.
Gary
Hi Jo,
Sometimes students forget that instructors have had a previous life or they wouldn't be instructors. By sharing information about your previous experiences, as well as career trials, you become both a human as well as a authority figure to them. This helps with the development of respect for you by them.
Gary
I like to show examples to the class of what I have created in the professional workplace to show my knowlege of the industry. I give the class personal info such as wife, kids, dogs, hobbies. I also give them my e-mail and home telephone with restrictions on how early and late to call. In the eleven years that I have been teaching I have had only one student call at an inappropriate time. I feel this gives students the feeling that you do care and want to help them in every possible minute you can.
I concentrate on my credentials as their instructor first and foremost. As the class progresses, and the situations warrent, personal information may or may not be introduced, but never so as to be "too personal."
I keep everything around 5 minutes. As time goes on, the student get to know me & I tell them more about my self. I changed carrers @ 33 so people really have a good laugh when they hear about my past. I like to work them into my past becasue it shows the students that they can grw & make changes with their lives at any time. My students are an extension of my knowledge. I welcome them in my life.
Hi Donald,
What you are doing is creating a professional image of yourself with a little bit of personal information added. By sharing this type of information you are establishing your credentials but also letting the students know you a human being concerned about their success.
These are the steps to creating rapport with your students which will make your instructional efforts easier. The students are being assisted in creating an identify for themselves in relation to your class. This helps them to understand both the personal and professional aspects of what is going to be required in their chosen career field.
Gary
I try to give enough professional background to establish my competency in the field. I usually mention some personal info, children, dogs, etc. I do not give out home address and phone number unless it is necessary or until I have gotten to know the students. (They can contact me at the school if necessary)
Hi Liz,
Good question. You have to decide about the personal information, but a guide can be share to personal information that applies to the work setting. Information about different employment, work experiences, and training are always well received by students. You may also want to share a bit of your personal information about your family(if you have one) as it applies to making arrangements for child care, transportation, etc. This information can help students to understand that you face many of the same situations as they do and that you have to make arrangements for all of these factors as well. The point is to show them that not only are you an instructor but are a human as well.
Gary