Educator

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="094f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="095203c0.jpg" border=0 width="32" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Buzzard's Roost</B></FONT><B>      |  </B><A HREF="http://home.covad.net/~hlbusbyco/Lobby" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://home.covad.net/~hlbusbyco/Lobby"><U><B> lobby</B></U></A><B>   |    </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Buzzards Roost Home Page"><U><B> </B></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Buzzards Roost Home Page"><U><B>home</B></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Buzzards Roost Home Page"><U><B> </B></U></A><B>  |   </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Careers"><U><B>up 1 level</B></U></A><B>   |   </B>                  <B>   |   </B><A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact me"><U><B>contact me</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="U.S. Navy Sailor"><U>U.S. Navy Sailor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Computer Consultant"><U>Computer Consultant</U></A>   |   <B>Educator</B>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writer"><U>Writer</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="093f2f02egerdp.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dcccd.edu" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dcccd.edu"><U><IMG SRC="0ee292d0.png" border=0 width="41" height="45" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>     <IMG SRC="0eb282d0.png" border=0 width="40" height="45" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0f0b6b60.png" border=0 width="182" height="182" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=346 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="096f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>Educator</I></div> <div> <B><U>El Centro College</U></B></div> <div> I taught computers at El Centro College from 1980 to 1986, and at the American Trades Institute from 1985 to 1989.  My time behind the podium was the most enjoyable, challenging, and satisfying work that I have done.  El Centro College is the downtown Dallas campus in the Dallas County Community College District. Built into and expanded from the old nine-story Sanger-Harris store building (near the West End), El Centro is a credit to downtown Dallas. When I was teaching there, they had an excellent nursing program and a well-known Food and Hospitality Management program. </div> <div>                                      </div> <div> I was a part-time instructor teaching adults at night (introduction to computers, programming logic, and programming). I found these students in general to be highly motivated, probably because they were in school by their own choice and out of their own pocket. </div> <bR> <div> <B><U>American Trades Institute</U></B></div> <div> I taught quite a variety of subjects at the American Trades Institute (ATI). The list includes basic electronics, drafting (manual and CAD), computer programming, accounting, typing, office skills, databases, spreadsheets, and word processing. </div> <bR> <div> My students at ATI were quite an interesting group of people. Most were highly motivated and intelligent, although some were unsure of how to be students. They seemed to have a theory that all they had to do was show up in class and that I could somehow pour knowledge and skills into their heads. I was thrilled when I could get one of these students turned around. </div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Students</U></B></div> <div> Considering all of my students as a group (junior college and trade school), I noticed some general groupings which seemed to emerge. I never really trusted these impressions, for as Judge Learned Hand said, "No generalization is worth a damn ... including this one!" </div> <bR> <div> At one end of the scale, perhaps the top 5-10%, were the real scary students. Put an idea in front of them, then jump out of the way real quick, for they would grab the idea, wrestle it, consume it, and then cause the idea to reappear in new and wonderful forms. </div> <bR> <div> The middle groups varied in their study abilities, but they would all grasp the ideas and use them according to their abilities. </div> <bR> <div> The remaining group had problems, many of which surprised me. Some seemed to have a theory that all they had to do was show up in class and that I could somehow pour knowledge and skills into their heads. Some were unsuited to their study field by temperament or talent. I was surprised to learn that some students did not read. I don't mean that they were illiterate, just that they never did recreational reading - books, magazines, or whatever, and had no idea of what to do with a textbook. I was thrilled when I could get one of these students turned around and joining in the adventure of learning. </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=24 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="094f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> ©2001 Gerald L Busby, Dallas TX USA</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>