We rise by lifting others (Robert Ingersoll)

Description

One of the unavoidable sides of being a teacher/lecturer/facilitator is the human aspect. There are classes, tutorials, laboratories and assessments that require planning, preparation and practice that it can easily become a routine and sometimes the students become mere receptors of this information; bodies in the classroom and numbers in examinations. When in reality people are complex; and while it is not impossible it can be very difficult to separate personal lives from college life. As a teacher your interpersonal skills are as important as the information you provide. I experienced this first hand this year as a student contacted me about exiting their course. The student, who I will refer to as Sarah, emailed me and asked if I was free for a chat, this was out of the ordinary and I felt that it may have been important.

Feelings

This year has been my first experience as a teacher and I felt somewhat overwhelmed. I went to meet Sarah and it soon became apparent that this was an important conversation as she was asking information about how to leave her course and who to contact in relation to this. It was also obvious that Sarah was emotional and visibly shaken by confronting this issue and speaking with me about it. There was no time to consult a colleague or a longer serving member of staff so I decided to do what I would hope someone would do for me if I was in that situation. I listened to Sarah’s concerns surrounding the lab work and forthcoming exams and how hopeless she was feeling. She was querying if there was procedures in place to repeat lab sessions if she failed this aspect of the course and who she would need to contact to find out this information. I had no idea. I was aware of the week to week procedures for late lab reports but that was as far as my procedural information stretched. We had arranged to meet in the common area of the college, and it just so happens that the students union is in this area. I told Sarah that although my knowledge was limited, the students union would be the first place I would go for this type of information, and that if she wanted I would go to the students union with her to find out information. Sarah and I went to the students union and they provided information and also points of contact for any of the information that the students union could not provide. Sarah was advised that the best place to start was the course coordinator and even though she found this individual to be intimidating, she realised it was a conversation she needed to have.

Evaluation

As a teaching assistant the information relating to support services and how to manage a situation like this one is not readily available. In the initial meeting held for these labs there were copious amounts of information surrounding the grading and submission procedures but there was very little information relating to the individual and procedures for extenuating circumstances. While this information is important especially as the labs were for final year students, I would argue that the procedures and information for students struggling is as important in their final year. Even though I was not properly prepared for the situation I do feel that I did the best I could for this student. Going to the student’s union with Sarah also gave me the opportunity to become familiar with such protocols for a student in difficulty, while also being a support for her. Another positive that I can draw from this situation for me personally, is that this student came to me for help. While some people may find this to be a bother or an inconvenience, I was happy that I had obviously portrayed myself as being approachable, and this is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher.

Analysis

The interaction and submission for this particular class group was very poor and noticing a trend in any one individual’s progress would have been difficult. For this reason I think that Sarah’s struggle was not recognised by the lecturing staff. Also the lab sessions are designed to be very student driven and the lecturers and teaching assistants have a facilitating role. Throughout the whole fourth year lab process, each lecturer is responsible for particular experiments, so week to week there will be a different group of students each lecturer will facilitate. I think that moving forward I will request such information when taking on a teaching role, especially in final year labs.

While the help I provided Sarah was sufficient for that particular situation, with the information and experience I had, I do feel I may have taken on the role of counsellor as opposed to facilitator. While this may have been comforting for Sarah I think that if I continued to deal with students in such a way I would develop an “Atlas” complex, and take all of their worries and concerns on board. What I could have done differently, was listen to Sarah’s concerns and point her in the right direction, as opposed to accompanying her to the student’s union. In future, now that I have information about this process I will be better equipped to manage such situations. I think this will enable me to facilitate students to develop their problem solving skills and encourage students to become resonsible individuals with the ability to seek help from the right places.

The positive that I can draw from this situation is that my teaching style is inviting and I do try to be as approachable as possible. This was reinforced for me when Sarah approached me for help as opposed to the more experienced members of staff. From my personal experience I have felt the helpless and hopeless feelings through my academic studies that Sarah had experienced and know it can be hard to ask for help, but when you do it gets easier and the people around you are generally happy to help. While I plan to have more defined boundaries with the students I think I may struggle as my empathy may get the better of me.

Conclusion

I have learnt a lot from this experience. I know that was under prepared and need to become more familiar with the protocols and procedures and also the help that is available in DIT for students. I think that if I had have known the wealth of resources available to a student in need I may have taken a more “hands-off” role in this situation. I have also become aware that that my willingness to help could easily infringe on my other duties and roles as a PhD student and that I need to be more aware of my boundaries. The most important part of this process for me has been the validation that my attempts to be open and approachable in my teaching practice are working.

Action plan

To be more prepared for this type of scenario in the future I will become more familiar with the strategies available for students in difficulty and make sure I am aware of the relevant people that have this information when it is needed. I will make sure I have the contact details for the relevant groups and agencies to hand for student support services. Over time I think I will develop boundaries and know my limits when it comes to helping students, I feel that this is a skill that is acquired overtime and is developed through dealing with these situations.