Real College?

This week I received the following excuse for late homework via email : "I apologize for missing class I just have not been feeling well the last month or so- must be the adjustment to a different climate or withdrawal from the social life of a real college" (emphasis mine). I must admit that my first reaction was anger at the insult to Yavapai College. I was further incensed by the implications that if YC was not a "real" college then perhaps this student was not seeing me as a "real" professor and the rest of the people in his class as "real" college students, all of which has been reflected from time to time in his classroom demeanor. I am assuming that in his mind a real college has to be a university, and that most likely on the East Coast. Although I know this student had been attending such a real college, I do not know what brought him to Prescott and how he ended up choosing to take a 100-level class. 



Once I began thinking about the privileged experience of a university, I realized how thankful I am that I teach at a community college. The open door philosophy of a community college provides many opportunities that a four-year college does not, and as an instructor I get to interact with students each semester who would not, could not, or may never go to a university.

Having attended community college myself, I know the benefit of being able to explore options for majors without having to go into debt.  I was able to take many classes from Sociology to Marine Biology as I tried to determine my direction. I did not officially declare a major until I transferred to a university in Texas. In fact, I don't believe universities should demand that incoming freshmen declare a major. When my daughter applied to Cal Poly as an architecture major, she was told that if she tried to switch majors within the first year, she was not guaranteed continued acceptance at the college.  She was also turned down at other schools because of limited space within the architecture programs even though she would have been a highly qualified student for the college in general. At University of Arizona, it only took her one semester to figure out she did not like architecture.  Who knows what might have happened to her college career at one of those other universities. As an instructor, I encourage my students to take full advantage of their community college experience to try different classes that they might not initially find attractive.

Another reason I enjoy teaching at a community college, especially 0-level classes, is that I get to interact with students who would never have thought to apply to a "real" college. Granted, not all students who enter our 0-level classes will succeed in college, which makes teaching at this level a bit messy and sometimes discouraging, but if students can test into the classes, they get to try. It doesn't matter if they flunked out or dropped out of high school. It doesn't matter if they hated school before. It doesn't matter if they were hidden away in some special program.  It doesn't matter if life obstacles or their own choices took them on a detour for any amount of time.  Here at the community college they get to try. And if they succeed, they may choose to pursue a degree. My husband flunked out his first year at Fresno State University and ended up enlisting in the Air Force. After completing his tour of duty, he registered at a community college on the GI Bill. When he transferred back into Fresno State, his GPA was 4.0. All he needed was some maturity, life experience, and a second chance.  Haven't we all worked with students for whom one success becomes the impetus for reaching beyond what they originally dreamed possible? Some students discover for the first time that they are quite intelligent and talented. In fact, in my class with the East Coast student, I have several students who are just as bright as he, and Yavapai College is giving them an opportunity that they could have never afforded at his prior school. 

As I reflected this week about teaching at our college, I realized that all my frustrating moments are worth it as I participate in the lives of students who gain the confidence to strive for greater goals. Yes, as an instructor for required and/or remedial classes, I often face students who don't want to be there, and I may deal with students who resent their placement and students who hate English classes. Sometimes getting them to do their assignments or to participate in class feels like futility epitomized. However, as the semester continues and some figure out what college is all about, I get to see the light bulbs go on, which makes all the extra effort and energy worth it. Even though I have some students who are not going to succeed every semester, I also have others who started out with failing grades but end up doing really well. 

I guess I don't teach at a "real" college according to some, but I get to teach people who might have never envisioned themselves as students before.  At our not-so-real college, students experience the rigors of college with a lot less expense and a lot more individual support. I am proud to be a part of that.