"How Do We Find the Student....?"

June 2, 2011

“How Do We Find the Student…?” Response Questions

1.      This essay appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, a weekly publication for college and university professors and administrators. How do you think this audience influenced Baker’s analysis of types of students? What about his tone and language seems appropriate for this type of audience?

I believe that the professors and administrators see more in their students then the way this essay is set up.  Some cases I’m sure some professors see this, but they want to see more out of their students.  His tone is just mainly blunt and how he feels about it, he’s just explaining how he feels.

2. Baker deliberately creates, rather than avoids, stereotypes to establish exaggerated

representatives of types…do you think his classifications are fair? Do they accurately reflect the whole spectrum of students? Why or why not?

I don’t think it’s fair, because many students go to school to get a degree rather than plan to drop out, or plan to work full time and go to school full time and never graduate.  I don’t think that the essay reflects all students.  Some students can fall under the essay, but most go to get a degree and leave it may take longer than others but that’s the main goal to most students.

3.This article was published in 1982: How well have Baker’s classifications held up to present conditions? Do these groups still exist? How closely do they mirror the student population at USI or other colleges (or high schools) you’ve attended? Explain your answer.

I think times have definitely changed since 1982 people are more focused on getting a degree and getting out of college rather than staying in or dropping out.  I think every college has a people like this, but the times have changed and there are less and less drop outs and more graduates then in the past.  I believe not too many are like this at USI.

4.      Which category (or combination of categories) do you fit? Explain your answer.

The worker ant, working full time/part time and going to school full time somehow to make it through college.

5. Based on your experience, how would you define the relationship between students and

faculty? What stereotypes does each group (fairly? unfairly?) hold about the other?

I believe that the faculty wants the best for their students and that most of the faculty are there to help and lead the student in the right way.  If they need help or have personal issues I believe they are there for you and or can have someone help you when you need it.  They always offer office hours and email and phone number so they are open to their students.  I believe the stereotypes in the story there is someone out there at least at every college knowing how big they are and how many students attend, but I think each have a hold, because they are each a student that first have the same goal, but their lives change through college and it takes some people longer to figure out what they want in life.

ESSAY

Starting with work, everyone works with people that are leaders, strong in what they do, decent and try their hardest at their job, or straight up lazy people that like to sit around and get nothing done and let the other person do all the work.  Working as a C.N.A, you find many people in these categories.  People get hired in and train then quit a week later, or you find a really good worker and then they quit three months into the job and then they hire a new crew and the same thing happens over and over again.  It’s hard working in a nursing home, because people come and go in that job and only a few people are the long term workers.  Working in a nursing home you will have employees become great workers, or get comfortable and become lazy workers and depend on you to do everything.  For example a call light will be going off right next to them as they are chatting at the nurses’ station and wait until you finally get there to make a move when you know they saw it.   

In a nursing home there are workers that are strong.  They will help you out whenever you need it.  They work extra hours during the week, stay over or come in early.  They are there for their patients and give them respect and the help they need.  They don’t leave anyone hanging they get their work done within the shift and help you out with what you need help with.  They are there for you and will always be that way. Then there are workers that are decent.  They are still new to the job and haven’t been a C.N.A that long and try, but still need help or they still seem lost.  They will eventually get the hang of it and become a strong worker.  It takes time and time to learn the patients.  With being in a nursing home they can move you around and being new to the units its hard to get to learn a routine and the patients as well.  It takes time, but the decent workers that are new will learn the tricks and become strong workers.

Then there are workers that are have been there a long time.  So they feel they have the upper hand.  They train the new workers and are there for them when they are training, but once they are done they expect them to know everything and be a hard worker, so that they can more or less not have to work as hard since they think they have been there so long it doesn’t matter anymore.  Then there are workers that are straight up lazy.  I mean even if they are new, been there years, or just don’t like to work they show it.  Being a C.N.A, it’s a fast pace job and there’s no time to sit or hardly sit and chat with anyone.  There are workers that don’t do anything and maybe answer two call lights with in the eight hour shift.  It’s not fair and they aren’t doing their job to 100% it’s not fair to the patients either.  So there are workers about every place you work at fit in these categories.  Hopefully there are more strong workers and willing to help get the job done, instead of lazy workers because they aren’t getting anywhere in that case.

In a different case dealing with college students, there are students somewhat in the same way as workers.  There are students that try so hard and still are average students, there are students that don’t have to try and get A’s on everything, and there are students that are lazy and don’t do any of their work.

Students that try hard they are average students that have to study their butts off to try and get a good grade but still end up with a C.  It doesn’t come easy to them and they have to try extra hard.  Compared to the students that doesn’t have to study and get A’s on everything.  They could go out and part the night before a test not even open their notes or book to study and still ace the test.  Then there are students that can ace every test, or still try their hardest and not do any of their homework, not study for any test, and not care at all.  These students usually fail out, or drop out and end up working full time and never going back to school.  Each of these students fall under some of these categories at colleges and I doubt I am the only one that sees that.  College and jobs, people fall under categories but it’s something you don’t really think about.  This essay we read over gives a good over view and idea of some reality at jobs and at schools.