If you cut corners to try and manipulate the system and become a numbers only type of institution, your programs are the ones who suffer and in turn so does your school.

When taking the assessment I knew the material quite well however, I was constantly interrupted and thus continued to score low. The more I took it and the more times my scores came back less than what I thought it was, the more I pressed to get them all correct. The last time I took the exam, I got them all correct because I enabled myself to not analyze but to just answer the question. Leasson learned, stress is self inflicted.

I have found that many times the very things our faculty and staff want to hold our students accountable for, they arent doing themselves. I have often told my Department Chairs that they are the faces of their particular program and that the students they teach will take on the personality of their leader. It is the paying attention to detail that allows us to find the needle in the hay stack.

I think the first key element to a successful retention program is to first figure out who on your faculty and staff are supportive in your quest to improve your current situation.

I have found that probably the biggest mistake we make as educators is we tend to have an "I want to fix it" attitude and alot of times the students simply just want someone to vent to.

Stress is what you encounter when you are unprepared for a particular set of circumstances that find their way into your world. How you deal with these circumstances many times will determine your stress level.

It has been my experience that retention is similar to someone shopping at a chosen store. If you maintain that customer, then they have bought into what you are selling. When you lose a student, just like when you lose a customer, they no longer are interested in your product. Even though at this time it can be difficult, you have to find out why.

I find it is easier to motivate myself once my students have been motivated.

I have often used the analogy that teaching is like stand up comedy. You had better get your audiences attention very quickly or you will lose them. Also, you better not use the same material too often because then you are predictable.

Many times in dealing with students I have found that with a little detective work before meeting with them, you can discover what the "real" issue or issues are. There is no such thing as asking the wrong question, it actually is asking the question the wrong way.