Retention (3 M's)
It feels so strange but just a few days ago a couple of my students told me about how they will like to be as successful as I am. They were talking about my abilities as a model, mentor, and monitor. I was taken by their comments without realizing my role.
The actions of faculty and staff are extremely important when it comes to retention. The time and dedication we spend with our students exhert a great deal of positive influence when the student is considering leaving school.
The success or failure of the institution is on the hands of all stakeholders when it comes to retention.
Luis,
You make a great point when you say that "the success or failure of the institution is in the hands of all stakeholders when it comes to retention." What are some specific things the non-academic departments in your school do to help the institution reach its retention goals?
I too believe it takes the entire organization to have a sucessful program. The more everyone is aware of the the better.
Thank you, Catharine.
What are some of the specific things your campus does to help make sure all departments are aware of what other departments are doing?
I to sometimes receive comments of what it was as to how I became successful in my chosen industry, I model by my behavior of professionalism not only as an instructor but also as technician in the industry,
I mentor to students you have doubts of their skill sets and encourage in times of doubt or lack of self confidence in their ability to perform,
while I monitor their performance and keep my students honest in their jobs, I will not spoon feed my students, but call on them to learn the how what and why as opposed to just showing them and saying that what you did was good enough.
All to often in this day and age, it seems like th student body feels a sense of entitlement to a certain degree, here I am, i showed up today, i did my project so give me my gold star, but god forbid if I can tell you the how what and why I did it.
Peoples lifes are in my students hands, sad as it may seem, the don't neccessarily see it that way, all they see is a machine and forget about who is operating it and what can happen if they, my student, when they get out into the real world are not on top of their game when they perform the job in real life and someone gets injured or dies because of their lacksidazical attitude while in school,
I have been to known to "fire" students while in lab (performing projects) because of their attitude towards the task at hand (oh this isn't important, it's only a training aid), but if it weren't, that customer could be injured or dead because of their actions or lack there of. When I say "your fired" it certainly wakes them up, as those are two words nobody everlikes to hear. In this industry, you are only as good as your last job.
Luis,
I am somtimes taken back when a student comes into my office and thanks me for information I have shared or even for being patient with them. Then when they leave my office I realize that it is my job to make them feel comfortable and have a great learning experience. I believe it is very important for us as educators to care about the education of our students the same, if not more, than they do.
My organization has weekly meetings. The managers meet on Tuesdays to update the other functional mangers about what is going on in our different departments. The entire staff meets on Fridays to be updated about what is going on in the departments and the college.
Taneshia,
This seems like a good strategy. One challenge schools have is that the adjunct faculty and part-time staff often are not present for these types of meetings. How do you keep them in the loop?
I have also been taken back when a student says thank you for what I consider proper conduct. That probably means it is not common place in their life. I believe EVERYONE should treat others as they want to be treated. Being patient with someone or taking time to listen goes a long way with students. By taking time with students, to help them with small tasks can make a HUGE difference in their lives. My example is simple-I took the time to help a student understand the components in the class he was taking (not my class) near the beginning of his time in our school and he recently shared with me that he got a 100% in that class on the final and it gave him confidence to continue on. Yesterday he shared with me that he will be graduating and already has a job opportunity waiting. I did not know I was going to make such an impact with someithing as simple as showing a student I cared early in his educational process at our school. Those kind of THANK YOU's are what make teaching rewarding.
"Yesterday he shared with me that he will be graduating and already has a job opportunity waiting. I did not know I was going to make such an impact with someithing as simple as showing a student I cared early in his educational process at our school. Those kind of THANK YOU's are what make teaching rewarding."
Thanks for sharing this, Charles. This is why we teach!
as a cosmetology instructor i provide my students with hands on experience with their manniqins. i walk by and monitor their work to make sure everthing is accurate to recieve a grade. thats how i keep my students retention by checking on their work and making sure every practical is right to prepare my students to get certification and license to do hair.
