Potential
November 11, 2015
by Naomi Medina
In addition to having the privilege of teaching Psychology at Austin Community College, I am also a licensed therapist. In the context of counseling, I embrace Positive Psychology, which has had an enormous influence on my approach to teaching, and how I view each of my students. In our discussion of Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” I use this perfect opportunity to express to my students that I believe they each have enormous potential, and that self-actualization is a human right we are all given. I emphasize that education has the power to provide the support necessary to reach their full potential. I am sure that many of my students did not grow up with words of praise or encouragement from family, and many of them simply do not believe they are smart enough to excel. But if we, as teachers, sincerely express our belief in them, this could be all they need to continue their studies, and succeed, not only in academics, but in life.
Responses to "Potential"
Terry - November 11, 2015
Insightful. And from my experience, TRUE!
Mary - November 19, 2015
I’ve taught for 20+ years at ACC (and 5 years in AISD) and my experience has been that the majority of students I’ve worked with at ACC have an inflated sense of their skills and abilities; most do not need to be convinced that they are smart or capable. Most of the students I’ve worked with at ACC are not prepared to succeed in college and they need much more than a “You can do it!” sort of attitude to do well in college. Based on my experience in AISD (and from conversations with my students at ACC), it seems to me that most students get lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement, but little to no constructive criticism (or even “real teaching” of skills needed to succeed in college). At the beginning of my time at ACC, I felt that in each of my classes, there was a small group of students who were well prepared for college (in terms of skills and abilities) and a small group that was far from prepared; most students fell somewhere between these two extremes. Over the years I’ve seen the “bottom” extreme (the students who are far from prepared for college) expand, the middle group shrink, and the “top” extreme stay about the same. I find this situation very sad and discouraging, and not something that can be fixed or even addressed by telling students that they have unlimited potential and are smart enough to succeed.