College Student Challenges

Teaching college students can be challenging. But for those who love what they do the challenge is what keeps us going. Every year new students come in and out of my lecture hall. Some you will never talk to, some you somehow can’t get them to stop talking, and then others leave a lasting imprint on their fellow peers, faculty and staff. Our students are relentlessly challenging what we thought we knew about a subject and class that we have been teaching for numerous years. But as a college professor and mentor this is what we hope for. We want to walk around our campus and see our students engaging with others and accomplishing goals they have set out for themselves and when you take a step back you feel a sense of pride for them. We want …show more content…
Of course when you are an athlete deciding which team and coach atmosphere fits you the best makes the decision a little harder. Jacob wanted to play basketball. But in order to go to a school you must have the grades to get in. Jacob had an educational gap in his studies, so he had to start small, while maintaining a positive attitude to accomplish more. Because of this, he made the decision to go to Wallace State Community College all the way in Hanceville, Alabama straight from high school in order to better himself and his grades before choosing a four year college. Starting small does not always mean that you will lead to small accomplishments. It is okay if your dreams don’t unfold exactly where you thought that they would. It is also okay to have failures and set-backs it is all a part of life. Jacob desired to have an educational journey that was bigger than a community college. With this determination to better himself, his confidence turned into success and he became the first in his family to graduate and he then received an Associates in Science from Wallace State Community in May of …show more content…
The reality of our society today is for young people to feel pressured to have it all figured out. That unfortunately is not how life works and Jacob has shown that. Life is a continual process of adaptation and changes. Dreams will change, life will change and people will change. But when you stick to your guns, keep pursing what inspires you, work hard to get to wherever you’re going you will succeed. Tomorrow we may wake up and we will have to change everything we thought we once knew. But we must be more like Jacob. Wake up every day with the simple smile, crack the seemingly funny joke, greet your peers with respect and decency and take on each day knowing that it will be better than you expected. You can sit back and let life go by, or you can take advantage of your own success. Jacob