Christopher Brown

I understand the sentiment that they are customers, but treating them like people...like someone you want to see succeed is a better analogy. A customer, to many people, is someone who you have a brief (if friendly) interaction with and then they leave with you rarely thinking of them again. As I said, I get why they use the customer term, but I think it is more than that.

I have discovered that more often than not if a student is failing or not showing, it is most likely an external factor rather than the subject matter. Life events such as a death, loss of vehicle, or hours change for work can be more impactful on their attendance and performance than anything in the class. We need to know what options there are for students in these situations.

I encourage each student to save projects for their portfolios. I also offer to take and print images for them if the project isn't on a computer and they can't take a screenshot. I also recommend they note which skills/traits were learned and used during the project. This way they have a collection and a progression of their learning of each type of skill. 

I often ask them how best they've been able to learn a task (whether it was school or not). Then I challenge them to apply a similar strategy to their subject. Giving them a nudge towards tools without just giving it to them allows them to discover the best path. Discovery leads to more engagement and personal responsibility. 

I think that it is important to be seen as not only the subject matter expert, but also someone who is willing to help (within reason) them work through any external issues that may be affecting their participation or performance.

If a student and their support structure is involved and invested, the outcomes will lean more towards the positive.

Motivation cannot just come from one person. It should be a combination of the instructor being energetic and passionate about a subject, the student wanting to improve themselves, and their support structure encouraging them. 

Keeping student personalities in mind as well as their life experiences can help to understand them and where they may need assistance. I don't believe that it should change the curriculum, but it does allow us to possibly tailor the presentation of the curriculum in different ways.

I wasn't aware that the housing provider also fell under the FERPA protections: 

"A student housing facility owned by a third party that has a contract with an institution to provide housing for its students is considered to be under the control of the institution (whether the rent is paid directly by students or by the institution on their behalf). Therefore, records maintained by the third party or the institution, related to students living in that housing, are subject to FERPA."

I wonder if this applies to someone who, for example, does not have a contract with the school, but… >>>

I found the part about the hiring practices interesting and funny. One day, if we are together chatting, I will tell you why. Just know that sometimes the hiring practices are taken too literally...