It's Very Rare: A Story of How One Class Made Its Own Community

One of my classes this semester was an all-male Life Skills course. Life Skills is a class reserved (and required) for first-semester freshmen who fail out of university and want to come back to attend winter semester. The purpose of the course is basically to train them to do all two things they failed to do during first semester: work and study. We also cover topics like goal-setting, life-planning, time management and study strategies, etc.

When I tell people I teach a course like this, I'm often met with pretty confused remarks. Often I hear: "I didn't even know they let such low-functioning people into college. How did they even get here to begin with?" I can't answer that question, of course, since I don't work for Admissions. So my reply is usually something like: "Even if it ends up that they don't succeed academically, in my class, it's my job to make them feel like they can." I really believe that, too. I value each and every one of my students as individuals-- that's why I know everyone's name and also a bit about each one-- hobbies, hometown, etc. Attention to details like these can really make a big difference in a Life Skills class. My class this semester formed a very close bond to one another... they even asked to do their final project in groups-- I allowed it-- and when I said, "OK, choose your groups," they said, "No, you choose them. We don't want anyone to feel left out if they get chosen last."

On exam day, the groups were to present their final projects. The exam period started at 10:00 AM, and by 10:45, all of the groups--but one-- had presented their work. They had been waiting for their third man to arrive, and he still hadn't. We were discussing what to do about it when the fire alarm went off in the building. We all vacated the building (there was no fire) and during that time outside, his group members called him and reminded him that he needed to get to class ASAP. Once we were back in the room, he still hadn't arrived. The course policy is such that if you miss the exam period and don't complete the final, that you fail the class. The missing man's classmates began a discussion:

Student 1: Andrea Devenney, what are we going to do? We can't let him fail! Can you imagine how much that would suck after working all semester long?

Me: Well, I don't know what to say. He must know the course policy... clearly the rest of you do. His group members have called him and he still isn't here.

Student 1: We can't let him fail!

Me: His group will have to go without him, I think. We've waited awhile already. If he hasn't come yet, he isn't coming.

Student 1: We have to go get him!

Me: What?

Student 2: I know where he lives...

Student 3: Can we?

Me (baffled): Are you guys serious? You're going to pick him up?

Student 1: Yes, yes!

Me: Uhhh, I guess.

(The whole class, with the exception of myself, walked over to this missing kid's dorm room to wake him up and bring him to class-- thus ensuring that he completed the final project, and avoided failing the course.)

In a Life Skills class, this isn't the type of responsibility or concern one typically witnesses from one's students. Most often, it seems they care mostly about themselves. I was really in awe of my students that day. I feel like there's a lot to be said for their actions-- they were acting concerned, involved, and responsible. We should all go the extra mile--once in awhile-- to help each other succeed. That's what being a Student of Life is all about.