It wasn’t so long ago that I was a student in the dental hygiene clinic! I remember that there were some instructors I dreaded to be assigned to and the ones I was relieved to see on my schedule. There were some instructors that I thought were nit picky and some that gave me A’s on everything! Naturally, I tended to like the “easy” graders, the ones I had a good rapport with, or the ones that gave me praise after praise. Now as I look back, the ones that challenged me to do better, took the time to show me what they were trying to explain, and were enthusiastic about their job and the profession are the ones I appreciate the most.
Teaching in the clinical setting isn’t always easy. It would be great if everyone could get glowing feedback regardless of their performance, but the reality is that one of the duties of a clinical instructor is to correct mistakes or make a student aware of their deficiencies. And that is not the easiest thing to do! Later in the semester we will learn about how to give that type of feedback, but for now I’d like you to think of your clinical instructors during your dental hygiene education. Think about the one who wasn’t necessarily your favorite or gave you the best grades, but the one who taught you the most.
For Blog Post 2, I’d like you to talk about the clinical instructor who was most valuable to you in your education. What characteristics did that instructor have that made them so good? Discuss your experience. Were they the same characteristics that were identified in our book and the article posted? How do they compare? How do you think your most valued characteristics compare to an administrator or department head? Then, be sure to comment on two of your classmates blogs that may have a differing opinion than you. This week we will start implementing the participation points, so please ask me if you are unsure of how those points are being calculated.
Happy blogging and feel free to make your post more interesting by changing up the font, breaking up the blog, and adding a picture that depicts what you’re describing. And, don’t forget to check the grading rubric on Carmen!