Mentoring and tutoring are among resources to encourage student success.
Educators across the nation affect students in ways that are too often undervalued or overlooked. This was the message Dr. Victor Rios, sociology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, delivered to faculty and staff at convocation Aug. 21 in the auditorium of McAllister Fine Arts Center.
He said educators can impact students in such a way that their futures are filled with failure or success, depending on the environment an educator provides.
Tutoring, mentoring and leadership programs all serve to build confidence in students.
As the student advocacy center’s website states, “With just a little bit of help, students who might otherwise resort to dropping out of school can persist to complete a degree or certificate.”
That is what it is all about: Impacting students in a way that will allow them, encourage them, to continue on the path of higher education in pursuit of greater life success.
There can be many obstacles along the way.
Fortunately, there are countless educators available for support and encouragement.
On the flip side, colleges can hinder success when registration seems impossible, or an educator can negatively affect a student’s journey with a few passing words of discouragement.
When negative words enter a student’s mind, those words can have a life-long impact.
Students can become so frustrated they opt for taking off a semester or longer.
That does not mean educators cannot be blunt and offer constructive criticism, but they should be careful with their power – the power of words.