I Am Haunted!

It's true! Every semester I am haunted by one or two students who fill my waking hours with ponderings, prayers, and perplexities. At the community college level, we encounter many different students from all ages and all sorts of background experiences and capabilities. We never know who may walk through those doors the first day of class. I have had students from 16 to 75 years old, students with learning disabilities of various kinds, students who I swear were brighter than I ever could be, students who have disappointed me, and students who have surprised me. Often I find myself praying for my students as they face unexpected circumstances beyond their control and as they attempt to overcome whatever obstacles have sidelined them in the past. So I am going to be personal with this blog and introduce you to some of those students who have haunted me--with pseudonyms, of course.

One of the first students to haunt me showed up in my Business English class at College of the Redwoods over 15 years ago. "Shawna" was in her late twenties or early thirties; it was difficult to tell because she had experienced all the physical ravages of meth addiction. Having completed rehab, she was now pursuing an Associates degree, engaged to a wonderful man, and finally raising her two children. As I worked with her in and out of the classroom, I was struck by her immaturity. There was one particular incident that mystified me early in the semester: she approached me after class to get clarification regarding an assignment from our textbook, which was to write a business letter requesting further information from a company. As I spoke with her, she began to point more and more vehemently at the page in the text, asking me to explain word for word what should be in the letter, from the date to the signature. As her frustration surfaced, her voice rose. It was then that I realized that she wanted me to tell her exactly how to do the assignment, without incorporating any thinking on her own. Perplexed, I consulted one of my psychology colleagues who confirmed my thinking:  meth can stunt the maturation process. Shawna was exhibiting the maturity of the thirteen year old who existed before meth took over her life. With my new understanding, I was able to adjust how I communicated with her. I still meet other Shawnas from time to time as I teach.

Then there was "Stuart" who was a star athlete from a private Catholic school. He thought he should have been at a university, but his parents sent him to a community college instead. This became the chip on his shoulder exhibited during every conversation we had. When Stuart wrote his narrative essay, he talked about the impact of the accidental death of his older brother, his only sibling whom he adored. Although the accident had occurred at least four years prior to his entering college, it was obvious that he was still processing through his grief. His entire football career was in honor of his brother, and I think he may have perceived, imaginary or otherwise, that he needed to live up to his brother's image. That is quite a burden to bear. He failed the first semester with me because he did not come to class, and he refused to write his essays according to the assignment instructions. During that semester, he accused me of disrespecting him. The following spring, he showed up in my class again; I assume this may have been required by his parents. The same pattern continued with the absences and writing whatever he felt like writing. When once again he was facing a failing grade, he accused me of not having read any of the papers he turned in. Stuart perplexed me continually. He tried to maintain a tough veneer which expressed itself in a superiority over his classmates, but this veneer was crumbling around the edges in ways he could not control. I hope that he is doing well and has come to believe in his own personal value, not as a substitute for his brother.

I also met an amazing young woman "Elizabeth" who took several of my classes while enrolled at College of the Redwoods. She had already earned a BS, but she lost all that knowledge when she was run over by a tank in a North African desert exercise while serving in the Army. With a mangled left hand and a loss of long term memory and struggles with her short term memory, she decided to enroll in college again even though her neurologist told her not to. When she shared with me that she was forgetting her assignments by the time she would get to her apartment, we started working together regularly, and I asked her to teach me about brain trauma. Elizabeth was an amazing student!  She not only learned to adapt by typing one-handed, she also learned to make up for her memory shortages. Her neurologist began having her accompany him to conferences to talk about the "miracle" of her recovery. I keep the photo of Elizabeth in her graduation regalia on my bulletin board to remind me of how amazing we humans can be. I just shared her story and photo with my students in the Student Success course in hopes of inspiring them to set loftier goals for themselves.

A few years ago, I had "Michael" in one of my composition classes. An absolutely brilliant older man!  He had attended one of the military academies until drinking and drugs brought his college career to an end. From there, he moved around from the East Coast to the West Coast, and everywhere in between, living for the next high until he got caught in the middle of a drug deal gone bad and almost lost his life. Through rehab he got clean and decided to try college again. The man was humorous, wise, and compassionate. I saw him around campus helping disabled students struggling to maneuver our hills. Unfortunately, he found out that he could not pursue a nursing career because of his past. He kept taking classes for awhile, but then he disappeared. I fear that he may not have been able to give himself permission to succeed. I still think about him and hope that he will find himself.

"Trevor" took two of my classes. Not fitting into the regular high school, he had been sent to an alternative school where he was told not to pursue any education past graduation. he had spent his four years of high school in special education classes. Even so, after graduation, he decided to give college a try. My summer class was his first exposure to college. Although his first couple of weeks were rocky, he began to figure out what he needed to do. His scores continued to rise as he got the hang of the reading, thinking, and writing. Through sheer determination and a lot of extra effort, he ended up with a B in his first college course--the kid who was labeled as "insufficient" to attempt college. Trevor is now pursuing his BA at Grand Canyon University.

This semester I once again have students who haunt me. Some I worry about, and some just irritate me for various reasons. Some are going to make it and do really well, others maybe not. Some aren't ready yet, and some are more than ready. Every semester is different, every student is unique, and every prayer for students is offered humbly in hopes of making a difference in each life.

Reading, Writing and Rrrr...eality

"The majority of Arizona high-school graduates’ scores on two popular college-admissions tests — the ACT and the SAT — indicate that the students are ill-prepared for college and would likely need to take remedial classes once there, according to reports from the groups responsible for administering the tests.
Of the more than 31,000 Arizona high-school seniors who took the ACT last year, only 21 percent stand a strong chance of earning a C or higher in first-year college courses related to math, science, English and reading, according to one report." Karen Schmidt.

Reading, writing, and 'rithmetic--the three basics that have been the foundation of our education. All three have been affected in interesting ways with the advent of technology. I will leave the math instructors to address the impact of calculators and computerized math programs on their field. We college English instructors are dealing with the impact of the Internet and technology upon reading and writing. Yes, students are actually reading and writing more than was predicted at the advent of the technology. However, the nature of both has changed drastically. We saw this in the essays written for our composition classes for several years. When texting first became available through the number pads on those old cell phones, we read many essays using "i", "cuz", and many other abbreviated words. I still have a copy of an email that I had trouble deciphering because of  the text-speak used. The development of those small keyboards helped because most students returned to typing whole sentences instead of chopped up phrases. Now smart phones automatically capitalize the first letter after a period for those people who can't be bothered or, in the case of some of our students, may not know that is how you begin the next sentence. Student writing is also impacted by the fact that texting and Facebook encourage short messages. As a result, students facing academic discourse must adjust to writing longer "text" that reflects more complex thinking.  This only comes with practice, practice, practice--something most of our students have not had enough of when they enter our classrooms.

What has affected writing has also affected reading. Students are not accustomed to reading longer text. Since their technological world is adapted for short, quick reads, they are losing the attention span for sustained reading of longer paragraphs and multiple pages of text. And they assume that the reading skills they use for the Internet and texting are sufficient for academic text. As a reading instructor, my main learning outcome for students beyond the stated learning outcomes of my courses is to strengthen this attention span for longer interaction with text. Because of this, I want to use books and readings that will grab the attention of my students. If I can get them to re-discover the joy of reading, I can reach that outcome. Thus, I must be very careful about the material I choose.

I am always looking for new books to use in my reading classes that will engage my students in ways that will prepare them for this sustained attention. For ENG 082 and 083, I have to be very careful about the reading level because I want the book to challenge the students without discouraging them. Thus, I seek out books that they will find interesting and approachable. Once I find a book, I design my assignments to encourage students to become active readers.

One book I have used is October Sky by Homer Hickham, a great selection because his memoir focuses on his high school experiences--some humorous, some sad, some inspirational, and some touching.  Every student can compare his or her teenage years to Hickham's. Because of this, I have been able to design the reading responses to be both personal and interactive with each new section of the reading. Rather than asking short answer questions about content, I ask students to write two detailed paragraphs. In the first paragraph, they give their reactions to the reading: Was anything surprising or unexpected? Did they find the section boring or interesting? For the second paragraph, I have them interact with content specific within the chapters. Sometimes they are asked to compare their experience to Hickham's. Other times, they might compare their education to that of the 1950s. This allows them to bring in their own knowledge and experience while showing me that they indeed read the assignment.


A book I am using for the first time this semester is Havana Real by Yoani Sanchez, an award-winning blogger out of Cuba.  My motivation for this choice came from reading Generation on a Tightrope by Arthur Levine, et al. In this compilation of survey and interview results from current college students, the authors conclude that this generation is globally more aware but internationally ignorant. When I found Havana Real, I was attracted to the short, personal blogs of a woman who chose to return to Cuba in hopes of bringing about change. The added benefit is that she is still actively blogging whenever she can, so my students can read what she is currently posting. Through Sanchez, I and my students are learning about daily life in a Communist country while making a personal connection to the author. My students can view the inside of a country that they have only known before through history books. With the added benefit of technology, students can also view YouTube videos of Sanchez, read blogs by other Cubans, and research Cuba with the motivation to learn personally. And they are being challenged by the courage and audacity of this woman, and her fellow bloggers, who dares to speak across the Internet. As a result, not only are my students getting hooked on active reading and proactive research, they are also becoming more aware of the ordinary people living in other countries. As with October Sky, the reading responses ask for personal interaction with the text and critical thinking about the content.

I tell my student throughout the semester three important results from active, habitual reading, the kind in which the student becomes immersed in our written language:

• The more you read, the better you read. I am convinced this is why most of my students test into ENG 082 or 083. Our culture does not encourage reading for pleasure. Most students will confess to their loss of reading pleasure around seventh or eighth grade. Part of this is the educational shift in these grades to more non-fiction such as textbooks; part of this is because this is when the students' lives get filled with other time options such as sports, video games, etc.
• The more you read, the better you write. This was the conclusion of my research for my Masters degree. The premise is that fluency in any language requires immersion in the culture. Students who learn a language through grammar drills, test really well, but lack fluency in speaking. Students who are immersed in the language, usually by moving to the country, speak fluently even though they may not test well on specific grammar functions. This same principle holds true for reading and writing. The more students immerse themselves in our written language through reading, the more fluently they will be able to express their ideas through writing. Thus, trying to teach students to write better without having them read will be a very slow learning process. This is why some colleges are now moving toward combining developmental reading and writing into one course.
• The more your read, the better you think. We humans are wired to interact in very interesting ways with words on a page. This activity actually develops our ability to think critically, even from childhood. For example, in Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think and What We Can Do About It by Dr. Jane Healy, a chapter discusses the importance of reading for children. Reading stories during a certain age range promotes imaginary thinking, a stage which is vital to later development of critical thinking. If children watch the movie (Thank you, Disney!) instead of having the book read to them, this imaginary thinking is not developed in the same way in the brain. But all is not lost if a child is never read to, as long as that child develops into an avid reader later. 

None of this comes from the passive activity of the eye tracking words across a page. Yet how many of our students think that this is all that is necessary to get those reading assignments done? 

Reading, writing, and 'rithmetic: 12+ years of education to prepare students for college. Technology has changed the lives and habits of our students, but it does not prepare them for the expectations of college learning. Many are shocked to discover how much of college learning is expected to take place within the pages of written text. They will continue to balk at the reading until they become engaged in the subject and  until they can sustain the attention for longer texts.

"According to a similar annual report on the SAT, Arizona high-school seniors who took the test last year scored an average of 1498 — below the benchmark of 1550 that predicts students will achieve grades of a B- or higher in their first year of college. Students who meet the benchmark are more likely to earn a higher GPA in their first year of college and more likely to graduate, according to the SAT report." Karen Schmidt

Making Connections Count

When I was teaching composition classes, I required that my students conference with me at least once during every essay cycle. This helped me to develop a mentor/student relationship. As a result, the students learned to trust me as I critiqued their papers and suggested ways to improve how and what they were communicating. Yes, it took time out of my busy schedule, but the pay off was priceless. I had the opportunity to encourage them one-on-one in their skills and to watch them develop as students. Not only this, but the students better understood and accepted that any failure fell upon their shoulders, not mine. I too have experienced the horrors of being yelled at for some poor grade or some lost points, but those episodes have come from the students who never came to conferences...which supports my argument for making student connections.

When I switched to teaching reading classes, I no longer had a reason to conference. I found that because of this I was not getting to know my students as quickly, and it took longer for them to trust me and to figure out the value of the class. If I only conferenced with students who were doing poorly, we were already in a perceived adversarial situation. I realized that I needed to make connections with these students as much as with my composition students. This has become one of the cornerstones of my teaching style. I found this to be especially valuable because not only do I teach those required courses that many students don't like, I also teach those courses for which grading gets disputed. Students understand when they get a math problem wrong; they do not have as clear an understanding when they are told their arguments are weak or their answers are incomplete. The stronger connection I can make with a student, the more the student accepts my standards and requirements. Thus, I am going to incorporate conferencing into all my classes.

The traditional student is coming from a generation who want to relate, who want a voice in their education. Although they will settle for walking in and out of class without getting to know their fellow students or instructor, they enjoy developing those connections and a sense of community within the class. When I have utilized small group discussions and activities, which I do a lot, students have reported this has caused them to come out of their shell and has helped them to realize that they do have something to say.  As they get to know me as their instructor, I have found students generally become more participatory in class and take more pride in their work.

This is for me one of the added benefits of teaching in a community college, rather than a large university. If we take advantage of this, we can help students adapt to the college culture. In many universities, it is "sink or swim." Some of my daughter's classes at UA had her sitting in auditoriums filled with 100-300 students, and her work was graded by TAs. Education factory style! I did not go into teaching in order to lecture to large groups; I am here because I want to see individual students succeed.

I have discovered added benefits for making these connections with students. One is that it gives me the opportunity to change the consumer mentality that some students come with: Since they paid for the course, they deserve a good grade. As we communicate one on one, they learn the importance of their personal commitment to their courses.  It also helps students to see the value of attending a community college where they can get this individual attention when needed. I have also found that it gives me a chance to do casual advising, even if this is simply recommending that they see their advisors. A personal benefit is that this connection keeps me motivated as an instructor when I hit those mid-semester slumps or overwhelming weeks. Knowing my students as individuals keeps me focused on giving them my best effort. And these connections remind me that the few times I do have difficulties with particular students are the rare moments, not the norm, in my semesters.

Now the issue becomes learning to keep my schedule open for students, which means saying no to other things.

Education: A Distraction to Their Distractions

The Friday morning Student Success class was rolling along. Scott Nardo, the adviser connected to our class, was presenting the dilemma of distractions as we discussed time management. The students had brainstormed in small groups, sharing their most common distractions to studying.  Now they were reporting out to Scott who was madly writing on the whiteboard all of the typical culprits.  "Cell phones!...Netflix...Video games...parties....women! (snickers around the room)...pizza....Internet ...Facebook...jobs..." Once the contributions began to wane, we ended up with about thirty items on the board. Then Scott said, "Let's prioritize these distractions. Which ones would you be willing to give up?" 

Utter silence...blank faces.

Here is an issue we face as instructors working with the new generation: What we see as distractions they see as integral parts of their lives. When asked if he would be willing to turn off his cell phone to get uninterrupted sleep, one student replied, "I can't. It is my alarm clock." And yes, he admitted that, if the phone pinged at any time during the night, he would respond to the text before falling back to sleep. For whatever reason, the distractions can't (or won't) be shut off, put away, or ignored. Their lives are filled with entertainment and connections 24/7. When they were in high school, their time for these distractions might have been limited by high school schedules and parental guidance. Now that they are in college and looking at all of that free time in their schedules, is it any wonder that students report playing video games for twelve to twenty hours a week? To these students, college becomes the distraction. Annie Murphy Paul is quoted in the article as saying, "Multitasking while doing academic work — which is very, very common among young people — leads to spottier, shallower, less flexible learning" (Sullivan, NBC News).

My point is not to gripe. Rather, in light of this, we need to consider how the distractions impact our classrooms. In one sense, we are challenged to create assignments and teach in ways that reinforce the intrinsic value of learning. Students don't arrive on campus already knowing this. Rethinking our instructional modes is not an overwhelming task, but it does require that we be more mindful of how we utilize the time within and beyond the classroom. We cannot deliver the same content in the same manner as years past and assume that our students will get caught up in the spell of our enthusiasm. One quote I gleaned from a CCSSE presentation at the 2013 FYE conference speaks to this: "If a student has never experienced high levels of engagement in high school, how can we assume that all of a sudden they will be highly engaged in college?” Many of our students have misguided ideas about education in general and about college specifically. It is up to us to communicate the new expectations.

If there ever was a course that students would consider a distraction, it would be the Student Success class. We are asking them to take three credits out of their already busy schedule to study something that they think they already know how to do. During the first few weeks of class, that attitude accompanied many of the students as they slouched into their chairs and tried to surreptitiously check their phones. Not all the students, mind you--some came with a desperate hunger for ideas that would help them succeed in this new college environment. However, in either case, I knew I needed to make the course lively and practical, switching up activities, throwing in good videos, promoting self-reflection, etc., but as entertaining as that might be, it could never be enough. I think one of the most important things I do is the intentional infusion of the reasoning behind every activity. These students need to know that this class is worth their time above and beyond Netflix and video games. With each new class, attitudes are coming around because more and more students are getting the idea, not only about the value of this class, but about the value of choosing to devote time to their college education.

My point is these students do not know how to be college students. We need to "convince" them that time spent focused on their learning in college is worth the distraction from all of those other "distractions."  In high school, most of their learning took place within the walls of their classrooms; college is the opposite. They don't arrive on campus knowing that we expect most of the learning to occur on their own time and are shocked as the assignments and reading pile up for each class. One of my STU students told me he did not have time to do my assignments because he was already loaded up with work for other classes. When I looked at his weekly diary, he had studied 12 hours that week for five 3-credit classes. He had also played several ping pong games, viewed a couple of movies, and had time to hang out with his friends. His choices reflected the fact that he was not willing to give up any of the latter in order to study more for his classes. That is the lingering attitude coming onto our campus. Thus, part of our job has become helping students understand the culture of this society called college.

I wonder if in our attempt to "market" college we have given the wrong impression of the purpose of and commitment to a quality college education. No matter the answer to that, we instructors need to be diligent to prepare our students for the requirements for being successful not only in our specific classes, but for all their classes.