Transforming Roadblocks into Stepping Stones
Bruce M. Mackh · 2024
Students leave higher education for many reasons, including financial hardships, frustrations with the institution, personal difficulties, academic challenges, and social disconnection. Faculty cannot solve every problem their students might face, nor should they be expected to do so. Nevertheless, we have many options available to help students in distress, assist them in persisting with their studies, and see them through to commencement. Our informal interactions with students can profoundly impact their persistence as we offer support and encouragement when most needed. Our classroom policies, the way we deliver feedback on students’ work, and the environments we create within our classrooms can support or discourage students who have encountered roadblocks along their path. Responding with kindness and empathy is more than a matter of “being nice” to students – it’s a strategic action designed to support retention, transforming students’ challenges into stepping stones to their achievement.