Get Your Students Hired
I find there is a very thin line between being taken advantage of and giving a student the benefit of the doubt...when my students come to me with excuses.
Accepting late work, with attached excuses, really pulls on my emotions because I want to believe my students are being honest with me and that I am being a benevolent person by taking the work (minus points for being late)...but it gets very tiring when it's one student after another. And, it's more work for me, keeping things organized and getting everything graded.
With technology, now days, I am even starting to question if the Doctors' notes are real/legit or if they were created in PhotoShop!
I am a fairly new instructor, on-campus as well as online, does anyone have advise or "words of wisdom"?
Hi Michael,
Great response! As the old saying goes, "Your word is your bond." Once someone loses trust in you, it is hard to regain.
Patricia
I let my students know at the beginning of class that I believe a persons word is an important part of their character. I will believe them as long as they do not give me a reason not too. Do some of them fool me? Sure they do, but I let them know in the long run they are only hurting them selves. That out in the work place it does not take long to see who is for reel and who is not.
I think that little by little you learn to read the student mind. Some time I talk about trust with them and tell them about the importance of keeping it, because once you loose a trust in some, it will be very hard to get it back.
Shantelle,
For adult learners, it goes back to the "What is in it for me?" context. If behavior such as late work is becoming commonplace, try role play.
Create scenarios of supervisor/subordinate, client/sales rep, etc. Use these scenarios to have the students provide their own answers to why prompt, concise work is important.
Make the exercise fun, and after each role play, discuss the lesson learned with the class. While this may be a departure from your normal syllabus, it may be time well-invested.
Regards,
Christopher
I sometimes try to turn the table an hae the student imagine themselves as the employeer. Would they accept this substandard preformace in their shop? i admit it takes a mature student to "get it".
Rebecca
Hi Shantelle,
In these situation you have to use your instinct. Wisdom comes with years of teaching, you'll get!
Patricia
Hello Robert,
Tell the students that this type of behavior is not going to get them anywhere in the workplace.
Patricia
I am an instructor of almost 3 years. I have a problem with students not caring about their grade and submit late work, minus any penalty for it being late, just to get through the class. What can I do to help them realize that this substandard behavior will result in a sunstandard career?