WEEKLY ADVICE FROM ALOCKI THE ALIEN FROM THE PLANET ZATORIS

FOR ANYONE WHO IS A TEACHER,  DEVELOPING A STUDENT’S SOCIAL OR ‘LIMBIC SKILLS’ IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS DEVELOPING HIS OR  HER ‘CEREBRAL SKILLS’

As a full professor of Throop in astrophysics I am appalled some of the behavioral traits of some of my students….Yes these students average over 2200 on their SAT and despite the  fairly difficult concept, fast pace of the class, and their demanding workload, follow the material I present  fairly well.  I recall giving only a handful of below C grades in the last decade…..THEIR CEREBRAL SKILLS ARE QUITE DEVELOPED BUT THE SAME CANNOT NECESSARILY BE SAID OF THEIR LIMBIC SKILLS.

‘Limbic skills’ are the personality/social skills which are just as important as ‘cerebral’ or thinking skills if one as an adult wishes  to have both social success and career success.  My students at times bring food into the classroom,  talk in class, do not pay attention when I am explaining the concept, text message to each other in the classroom, and do other things that are unacceptable in a classroom environment…I have become firm with these students and tell them that their academic grade will in part be affected by their behavior in the classroom.  I have also taken away such things as cell phones and ipods and told them they can come to my office to pick such things up…I also tell them the next time they play with such a device in class I will lower their cumulative grade one half an academic grade.

I also have these students working in groups to do projects together…While each student is to individually type say a twenty page report,  they may work together in making a presentation on the project they are working on…In other words I am fostering team development as students need to learn work with many different people and learn to be part of a team when they go on into their careers…

During the summer break as I also have a California Teaching credential I substitute teach at both local private and public secondary schools out here in Los Angeles.  Some of these schools have ‘year round schedules’ or I substitute at summer school.  I am appalled by the language these young people use…I tell these students it is not acceptable to use terms that starts with F or S or B or slurs that are offensive to people in  my classroom.  I immediately give consequences including contacting the parent if the student consistantly violates my rules..I am thanking for having a Spanish colleague at Throop who has taught me to speak Spanish, a language very useful when one teaches in Los Angeles. 

I also tell the students to address me using propor protocol.  One male  student recently addressd  me as ‘Hey Lady.’  I told such a student my name is not ‘Hey Lady’ but Dr. Alocki or Professor Alocki.   Again like I do in my college classroom I have these 7th through 12th grade students sitting and doing assignments while working in teams.  I am there to help them work on their team building skills as well as their academic skills.

In summary  it is important for any teacher today , K-12 or college/university, to help foster students in developing their limbic/social skills as well as their cerebral/thinking skills.  The parent today cannot be the sole person in teaching students social skills.   Many parents are so busy with work or other family obligations they do not have time to teach studnets good social/reposibility skills, some parents themselves do not have great social skills.  You will feel you will ‘make as much a difference’ getting a student to perhaps develop a strong social skill such as respecting another person or developing patience than learning the concept you are teaching.