Welcome Back

Welcome back to school. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Michael Wickert and I am the Basic Skills ACE for writing. Almost every course here at Southwestern College has a writing component, but not everyone considers himself or herself a writing instructor. That's where I come in. It is actually part of my job to help you all with your writing assignments, and all you need to do is ask.

The beginning of your semester is probably quiet hectic, but now that we are back in the swing of teaching I would like to get focused on some ideas to help our Basic Skills students. Basic Skills students are in many of our classes, and at times you might even wonder why they are allowed to be there, but the reality is that they are there. Each of those students has made a conscientious decision to attend Southwestern College, and it is our responsibility to give them the best education possible. As you well know, that is a task that requires a teaching repertoire that needs constant updating and improving.

This is where each teacher needs to seriously consider his or her individual teaching philosophy. Do you want to help each student in your class do well, but just the idea seems overwhelming? Do you want to give students extra help, but just don't know where to begin? Do you want them to learn some personal responsibility by giving them the correct tools? Most of us want what's best for our students and we want to be a source of motivation and inspiration, but those are some pretty big challenges. Still you can do it in a number of ways.

Throughout the semester, I will post some teaching ideas that might be able to help reach even the most academically unprepared students in your class. Take what works for you and leave the rest. There won't be a quiz at the end, there are no perfect solutions, and you don't even have to agree with what gets suggested. Anything posted here is merely meant as a suggestion or potential strategy to be considered, modified, and hopefully attempted.

With this introduction comes the first idea: be nice to you students and allow them to make a few mistakes in the beginning. Many of them are still learning what college is, so they will forget their homework, their lab materials, and they will even forget to come to class. But give them a break. You can be firm and still be understanding. You never know what potential sits in those seats in your class until you let them succeed a few times.

Have a good week. Feel free to respond directly to this blog or you can email me here at SWC. Please contact me for any writing support regardless of your discipline.

Michael Wickert
Southwestern College
Office 430K
619-421-6500 ex 5444
mwickert@swccd.edu