I Have Looked Into the Eyes of Our County's Youth...

[AMGoff]

... and was scared by what I saw!

I may have mentioned this in another thread, but I can't quite remember... I took an adjunct faculty position at one of the local county colleges this fall. It was just something for a change of pace since my schedule allowed... and it's only two freshman level classes.

Talk about the lights being on, but nobody's home...

Granted, it's not like I'm teaching classes at Princeton, but still... Maybe I just haven't been around that age group for any appreciable length in quite some time. I can say one thing though... the whole cell phone thing has already driven my up the wall! Each and every time I scanned the class during the first week, I saw at least 6 kids just texting away on their phones! However, the next week when they were greeted with a basket at the front of the room for them to place their powered-down phones in, all of the sudden many of these kids who hadn't muttered a single sentence in the prior week, suddenly developed the ability to speak... or more appropriately - argue.

"You can't do that," this one girl exclaimed... "What if there's an emergency!?!"

I pointed to the phone by the door and said - "if there's really that big of an emergency, all one has to do is call the college switchboard, give your name and class, and voila! The call will come through to that phone... As amazing as it sounds, calls can still travel over wires..."

"But... but.. but... what if blah blah blah blah...," she continued to go on and on.

I said, "Miss, I don't care what your old high school teachers or even your other professors here allow you to do... You're an adult now... You (or your parents, or the government) paid to be here, and you (hopefully) made a conscious decision to be here. If you can't manage to devote a couple hours of your week to this class, then I'd highly suggest you go back down to registration and get your money back."

Then she just gave me a dirty look like I raped her dog or shot her grandmother and tried her best not to make eye contact the rest of class. Was I really that much of a hardassed SOB?

Anyway... to be fair, there are a handful of good students... some young kids who seem eager to learn (or at least get a good grade), as well as a few older students who actually like participating... which is refreshing to say the least. I even have this one old guy who's really cool... He has to be at least in his late 60s/early 70s, who told me after class one day that he just enjoys taking a class or two each semester just for something to do! Needless to say I was impressed and give him much respect and kudos for it... I hope I still have that sort of drive when I'm that age.

Either way... it looks to be an interesting fall!

I can say one thing though... regardless of whether they can actually put together a coherent thought or not, I forgot how... ahem.. pleasing to the eye.. ahem.. them thar college girls can be... Don't tell the Mrs... lol.

[Playdrv4me]

Originally Posted by AMGoff

Then she just gave me a dirty look like I raped her dog or shot her grandmother

[gdwriter]

I've taught at the community college level since 1997, on campus until 2003 and online since 2006 – business communication and intro to advertising.

In my experience, the students were either very good or very bad – not a whole lot of in-between. My favorite students are working adults who are taking the class to get ahead in their job or deciding to go back and get a degree having goofed off and not finished college the first time around. These students are motivated, and I really enjoy working with them.

Teaching online, I never meet my students face-to-face (the college is in Arizona, and I'm in Oregon). It's just e-mails back and forth, plus a lot of corrections and comments when I grade their assignments. But even without the face-to-face, I can see students who get it and apply the lessons well. That's the reward.

When students don't do the work or do half-assed assignments, I don't hesitate to flunk them. After a shock of reality, some will straighten up, learn from the experience and go on to do well in the rest of the course. The ones that don't, well that's their problem.

When I taught on campus, students' cell phones weren't a problem. I simply asked on the first night to put it on vibrate or turn it off; if they had to take a call, they could step outside.

A bigger problem was there was usually one student in every class who had to express an opinion on everything, often completely off topic. I had one who turned every comment into a diatribe against Microsoft. I finally had to tell him, as nicely as I could, to STFU.

I wouldn't want to make teaching my full-time job, but it's fun as a second one. Have fun with your class.

[dkozloski]

I taught aircraft mechanics at the local community college to U.S. Army helicopter techs trying to get their civilian license. These guys truly are the best and brightest this country has to offer. Their workday started at 6:AM but they were in my class from 6-10PM five days a week, giving it everything they had. It was a real pleasure for me to have guys that were like a sponge soaking up everything I had to teach them. The Army paid for the course unless they flunked it but nobody even came close to doing that. The state was paying me $36/hr and I figure I earned every dime of it. I learned at least as much from them about helicopters as I taught them about fixed wing. A couple of my students were in the Air Force stationed at Eielson AFB and they had to commute 50 miles to attend. It really put the pressure on me to perform at the same level they were.

[gdwriter]

You're exactly right, Koz. Those motivated students motivate you to do the best job you can teaching them.

In your case, making sure all the systems on those aircraft are running properly is a huge safety issue, so I'm glad to hear your students took everything seriously (my Dad was a B-52 crew chief for most of his USAF career, and I've always respected how meticulous he is with all things mechanical). In my case, nothing crashes and nobody dies if one of my students writes a crappy e-mail or godawful PowerPoint.

Still, I take my time grading each assignment and try to give the students some useful feedback. It seems to be appreciated, judging from the course evaluations I see.

[Spittin Game]

Like you said, they are paying to be there. Let them decide if they want to pay attention, pass or fail, or whatever. As long as they arent bothering other students and the phone is on silent, then let them be.

[AMGoff]

Originally Posted by Spittin Game

Like you said, they are paying to be there. Let them decide if they want to pay attention, pass or fail, or whatever. As long as they arent bothering other students and the phone is on silent, then let them be.

That's right... they made a choice and paid to come to class - not to sit in a chair and text the whole time. The bottom line is that it bothers me. Call me old fashioned perhaps, but I think it's disrespectful... (Had there actually been text messaging when I was in school) I would never had sat in class the whole time and diddled with my cell phone. Furthermore, I politely asked the week before for them to put their phones away and nada... still texting away, so hence the basket. It's not my problem if this is their first lesson in having to respectfully do something they don't like.... If it's that big of a problem, then they still have time to withdraw and sign up for another class.

[gary88]

Speaking as a "youth", people on their cell phones all the time in class even annoys me. I mean I can't believe some people would rather reach into their pocket, and spend time fiddling with their phone just to tell someone "OMG this class is teh suck plz talk to me!" rather than spend an hour and a half paying attention in hopes to better themselves. Class costs roughly a dollar a minute for me, so I'm going to make sure I get as much as I can out of every class.

[Night Wolf]

Hey, don't put us all in the same boat now..... or... if ya do, atleast leave me a lifeboat with a small outboard, or even just a paddle!

But...yes.... I see it all around me.... well not so much anymore, cause I work around people that are mostly 30-45, and can relate to them very well.

Originally Posted by dkozloski

I taught aircraft mechanics at the local community college to U.S. Army helicopter techs trying to get their civilian license. These guys truly are the best and brightest this country has to offer. Their workday started at 6:AM but they were in my class from 6-10PM five days a week, giving it everything they had. It was a real pleasure for me to have guys that were like a sponge soaking up everything I had to teach them. The Army paid for the course unless they flunked it but nobody even came close to doing that. The state was paying me $36/hr and I figure I earned every dime of it. I learned at least as much from them about helicopters as I taught them about fixed wing. A couple of my students were in the Air Force stationed at Eielson AFB and they had to commute 50 miles to attend. It really put the pressure on me to perform at the same level they were.

I understand the types you mention.... but at the same time, when I was going thru A&P tech school, some of the biggest goof-offs, some which ended up dropping out of the class, were prior military, then working airlines, again, some of the biggest goof-offs there were prior military.... not all, but I was just surprised at first I guess, especially since I wanted to go into the service after high school, but they would not let me in due to medical reasons... all said and done, I am glad with how things ended up as they are now... and, I never would have thought but I ended up working on military aircraft that support our forces.

I guess you could say I was raised in a military family, my mom was in the air force, then the guard for 18yrs growing up.... I used to think very differently of the military however, as growing older I see alot of things in and out of the service itself that just dosen't seem right to me.

[MauiV]

My wife is back in school and I occasionally take her to class when I am off and sit in one of the lounges and read while she is in class. I have sat in on a couple of classes (World Religions taught by a former Catholic priest at a Catholic college was my favorite) and "the questioner" exists in every class. I agree, STFU and let the expert teach.

I dont think banning the phones is a problem at all. I was tempted to put some dumb bit&h into the wall today on my way home from work because she was on the phone in the left lane doing 50mph. I would want to choke someone texting while I was instructing anything.

Oh yeah, Im pretty much on campus for the scenery. My wife has taken an 18 year old and a 20 year old under her wing and they spend quite a bit of time at our house and that is a very good thing. Im going to charge my buddies admission to my next cookout.

[eldorado99]

Originally Posted by AMGoff

... and was scared by what I saw!

the whole cell phone thing has already driven my up the wall! Each and every time I scanned the class during the first week, I saw at least 6 kids just texting away on their phones!

I can sympathize with you on this one, I just don't get the cell phone during class thing. Even the ones who don't use it during class usually forget to turn it off or silence it and it inevitably interrupts the class to the heavenly sounds of a heavily compressed ringtone version of "Who let the dogs out" or some other pop culture trash coming out of a tinny speaker. I can't recall a single class where that hasn't happened. Drives me nuts...

[dkozloski]

This is the way the kids of today have been raised. There is no respect for their parents, no respect for elders, no respect for anything. The only thing that matters is self. It started with the hippies back in the 60's and has exploded across the entire country. Look at the way people act on this forum, whining about every little thing that affects THEM; like how their students lack respect. It must be something similar to the mother's curse. Did you ever have a teacher look you in the eye and say, "Someday I hope you have a room full of students just like you".

[AMGoff]

Originally Posted by dkozloski

This is the way the kids of today have been raised. There is no respect for their parents, no respect for elders, no respect for anything. The only thing that matters is self. It started with the hippies back in the 60's and has exploded across the entire country. Look at the way people act on this forum, whining about every little thing that affects THEM; like how their students lack respect. It must be something similar to the mother's curse. Did you ever have a teacher look you in the eye and say, "Someday I hope you have a room full of students just like you".

I know exactly what you mean.... Much like that one old guy that constantly gripes about how everyone whines, or how everyone's some liberal pansy, or how things just aren't done like they were in Nineteen-ought-six... and even worse when they have always have some random story that accompanies the gripe even if that story sometimes has very little to actually do with the thing everyone else is talking about...

I know just what you mean and am in complete agreement...

[Jesda]

Aren't you like 23?

[AMGoff]

Originally Posted by Jesda

Aren't you like 23?

Me? Not quite... I realize my posts can be a bit long for your liking... but where have you been this past year?