I'm certain it depends where you teach, and I don't mean what part of the country. I've heard from CC teachers that they've got the students who -- while not the top-scoring -- are truly motivated, whereas lots of kids at the big state schools are there because they're expected to have college as a kind of stage of life. I've met both kinds.
Part of the art and joy of teaching is tricking students into thinking critically. You frequently have to sneak up on them with a few examples they're not already emotionally invested in. They develop their chains of logic there. Then you ask them to apply the same logic to something else. Poof - minds blow left and right. I did this to an MA student in post-colonial studies a few years ago and to a colleague in another field who was sitting in on my class, and I've also seen it happen with first-years. It only takes a couple in each class to give you that buzz.
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branchandroot
Teaching
Date: 2010-07-24 07:59 pm (UTC)Part of the art and joy of teaching is tricking students into thinking critically. You frequently have to sneak up on them with a few examples they're not already emotionally invested in. They develop their chains of logic there. Then you ask them to apply the same logic to something else. Poof - minds blow left and right. I did this to an MA student in post-colonial studies a few years ago and to a colleague in another field who was sitting in on my class, and I've also seen it happen with first-years. It only takes a couple in each class to give you that buzz.