Our students do need to learn to work in teams. How do you teach them to work in teams in your classes?
I am sure that all of you you have experienced receiving little tokens of appreciation from students, perhaps on the last day of class or during graduation, for all the "things" you've done for them. The thank you cards that says they couldn't have done it if not for your coaching, persistence, and not giving up on them; and even the short words of encouragement you thought didn't mean a lot at the time, but were huge to them because finally someone believed they can do it. That is what so great about the business of Changing Lives.The coolest thing is it's not really hard to do, you just need to care about every single one of the students that is sitting in front of you. They came for a change in their lifestyle and we have to show them the way to do it.
Last week I identified a student in my class who was having some real problems. He ended up failing the course, but I believe we had a success. He is relatively new to the area nd has family 3 hours away that he is very worried about and his father is very ill. I talked with him and we had a good conversation about his goals, the importance of what he is doing for his future and how his family may need to rely on him more in the future when he has a career. I believe I was instrumental in keeping this student in school, through encouragement and understanding. I also found him someone else he can keep talking with for future counciling. If this student stays in school because of my efforts, his life will be changed for the better, and it helps our completion rates and profitablity. A win for all of us.
Thanks, Todd.
Getting students to realize that they can rebound from failures is very important. Too often, students jump ship at the first sign of trouble. They need to know that failure is not fatal to their goals if we learn from it.
That is outstanding! I could not agree more. I think that we impact our students just by the way we invite them to learn more, to achieve their potential and experience success in pursuing their dreams and aspirations. It is a beautful way to work and live in everyday life as well as in our profession. It is really great to instill a sense of personal pride and accomplishment in our students and all we come into contact with on whatever level we are able to touch them. It also has a definite positive effect on those who are providing the positive, uplifting direction to others.
Trying to change students lives considering that the school is also a business
