Students Not the Best Customers

It is still amazing to me that when giving the lecture of my life I look around the class and see a sea of blank stares and sleepy faces. It makes me wonder what they could be thinking -- if at all -- during class, even in classes designed to engage the students 100% in the learning. 

It is at those moments when I see the sea of disinterested faces that I ask them to consider the folloowing scenario.
You drive toWalmart.  You park your car.  Walk inside and look around.  On your way out of the building you walk up to the cash register and hand that person $50 and walk out with no merchandise exchanged for the purchase? 

They of course say, "Hell, nobody would do that!"  I then remark, "You are doing it right now and many have been doing it all semester!"  You are paying for an education and you are doing as little as possible to get your money's worth.  There is then a moment of reflective silence and the kids have a different perspective on their role as a paying customer and more focused for at least that class period.  Their interest will wane but there is always another question to ask to get them back on track with the learning

In fact, I had a boss who once said that "students are the one customer that complains the loudest when you give them what they are paying for!"  So the message for today is do anything and everything you can do to give the students what they are paying for, even if they do not see the value proposition at the time where the less they do in class they like you as a teacher.  Pedal to the metal all the way, baby!

Post-Secondary Student Engagement

To learn ways to improve the quality of my teaching I got into the habit of attending straight up education conferences early on in my teaching career and still attend at least one on an annual basis.  That is why I would like to share an announcement of an upcoming engagement conference to be held in May at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan but co-hosted by University of Windsor.

The universities' joint conference will be hosted this year by Oakland University in Rochester, MI, May 19 and 20. This year's conference, themed Student Engagement, will explore student engagement among post-secondary students, including the challenges and successes of engaging students in the university classroom. Participants will examine effective practices, curriculum models, outreach strategies, research, and academic and student service programming designed to promote student learning and foster student success.

Proposals are welcome from faculty, administrators, staff, and students from post-secondary institutions. The deadline for proposals is February 26. For more information, visit http://cleo.uwindsor.ca/oakland/index.php

Academic Exchange Quarterly

I want to call your attention to the Academic Exchange Quarterly (AEQ).  The AEQ has lots of information on its website that would be of interest to culinary arts and hospitality education.  According to the editor, you will find much to read and note on this website, but the variety of postings and online material may be a bit daunting for the first-time visitor. Allow me to share a bit of history with you, guide you to some key links, and encourage you to take a bit of time to explore the website.

History and Mission: Academic Exchange Quarterly, begun ten years ago as a traditional publishing print-format journal with key editors from the same college, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Fall 2007. Currently, articles from Academic Exchange Quarterly are available in four formats: print, online, digital, and HTML version. Due to this journal's virtual organizational structure, AEQ editors and authors come from all fifty states and forty-four foreign countries.

The Academic Exchange Quarterly is dedicated to the presentation of ideas, research, methods, and pedagogical theories leading to effective instruction and learning regardless of level or subject. It is an independent double-blind-peer-reviewed print journal that also publishes key articles online. You can also check out Editor’s Choice, Readers’ Choice, and back issues for a variety of online published manuscripts, and you can order back issues of your favorite key topics at http://www.rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/

Please note that the reason I continue to share this kind of information on the blog is that many of these sources are those I turned to early in my career to learn ways to improved the quality of my teaching and student learning and IT WORKED.  I hope it will work for you, too!

Stakeholders’ in Culinary Arts Programs at Community Colleges

It is the hope of FELC to share the teaching research of members and others on home page of the website, http://www.fooded.org/.  To start off this new service to the culinary arts and hospitality eduactors in our learning community there is now an article written by Samuel Glass Samuel Glass M.Ed CEC CCE AAC , School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culture, Toronto, ON, sglass@centennialcollege.ca.  The synopsis of his master's thesis can be downloaded but if have further questions please be sure to contact Sam.

Here is the introductory paragraph to Sam's article:
The hospitality industry in both Canada and the United States is growing. With that growth is a demand for qualified workers to fill available positions within all facets of the hospitality industry, one of them being cooks. To meet this labour shortage, community colleges offering culinary arts programs are ramping up to meet the needs of industry to produce workplace-ready graduates. Industry, students, and community colleges are but three of the several stakeholders in culinary arts education.

For those of you who would like to share papers or presentations you have made on culinary arts and hospitality education send a request to Mick La Lopa at mlalopa@fooded.org.  We will be happy to post your work for the benefit of culinary arts and hospitality educators everywhere.

Student Contract

One of the best teaching tips I was ever given as a young faculty member was the concept of a student contract.  The contract is signed by students at the start of every semester indicating they have read and understand the syllabus.  You have no idea how many student problems have been resolved at the first meeting when questions are raised by students at the end of the semester that "did not know" or "did not understand" one thing or another and the reason they deserve a second chance to improve their grade, etc.

Once the students sign the contract the TA then sign each one to verify the signature belongs to the student who signed it. This second signature is another way to handle students who claimed another student signed it so not bound by it -- which has happened.

In fact, I just now completed this activity in my sales and HR class.  The student contract for the HR contract is shown below.  I encourage all faculty reading this to do the same and you will find a tremendous reduction of end-of-semester "I did not know's!"

STUDENT CONTRACT

I have read the syllabus for HTM 31200, spring 2010. I completely understand the terms and conditions regarding the basic course information, course objectives, policies, grading procedures, and so forth. Therefore, I will comply with the terms and conditions set forth in the syllabus, including those that exist now and those that may be added, deleted, or modified later by Dr. La Lopa, my TA, or fellow classmates.

____________________________________________
Name (please print):

____________________________________________
Signature

____________________________________________
TA’s Signature

______________
Date

Instructional Value of Storytelling

A recent e-mail from Dr. Jim Julius, Associate Director Instructional Technology Services, AH-1144, at San Diego State University, brought attention to an interesting article entitled, "The Instructional Value of Storytelling" researched and written by Patricia McGee, PhD., Department of Counseling, Adult & Higher Education, & Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development.

The abstract is:
Much is known about the value of discourse in the classroom, and the use of stories within an instructional setting. However, little is known about the empirical impact of storytelling on learning, particularly in adult learning settings. This literature review examines theory, models, and research to identify those elements of storytelling that provide pedagogical and andragological value within environments in which adults learn.

To read the article, which I found to be quite interesting, go to:
http://faculty.coehd.utsa.edu/pmcgee/McGee-2008-AFRL.pdf

Update on Vertical Gardens

A week ago I posted information about vertical gardens on this blog.  I was pleased to find a comment to that post about future jobs as Vertical Farmers. 


The article that appears in the URL posted below begins by saying:

Vertical farms growing in skyscrapers in our cities could dramatically increase food supply by 2020. At Paignton Zoo, they’ve built one of the first vertical farms in the world. Science [So what? So everything] met Catherine Mortimer, head gardener at the zoo, to find out what being a vertical farmer is all about.

To read the article in its entirety and watch the video about vertical farming atPaignton Zoo Environmental visit the following URL:
http://sciencesowhat.direct.gov.uk/future-jobs/future-jobs-vertical-farmers

Lesson on Teaching from Martin Luther King, Jr.

I remember when my kids were in school and they had to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.  They actually told me that they did not like King as a result of doing the assignments.  Reason being, they thought the assignments were stupid and of course that transferred to the study topic sadly enough.

Compare that to the year 2000 when I did my first sabbatical.  I did it on Problem-Based Learning (PBL).  To study it further I travelled to Samford University, in Alabama, to see how they were using PBL as they were one of the top schools in the country doing so at the time.  To pass the time on my drive to Alabama I found an autobiography via audio book about King and listened to it on the way to Birmingham.  This was an experience I would never ever forget. As I listened to the tape, read by actor LeVar Burton as King, I learned more of the early years of King before he arrived on the national stage.  As I drove, the road signs for the cities where the civil rights movement began to take shape passed me by as I drove to Birmingham bringing a chilling reality to the audio book.  Once I got to Samford I had to go to downtown Birmingham to see the places I had heard about, like the 16th street Baptist church, that was blown up and killed teenage girls inside.  The caretaker let me in and all of what I had heard washed over me and hit home as I looked from the pews to the aisles to the altar, especially as I walked out of the church and down the stairs imagining what it might have been like when the dogs and hoses were turned on those who met to march in Birmingham. 

To cap off the experience, the Rev Shuttlesworth, a close aid to King, spoke at Samford.  I sat amongst the crowd of mostly white students and teachers and listened to the speech, which was marvelous.  It was hard to imagine that not too many years ago the parents of these same children and teachers would have preferred to see Shuttlesworth hanging from a tree.  Now they are listening to his every word as he talks about the past, present, and future of civil rights in this country.

Why am I telling you all this today?  The reason is that the experience affected my teaching.  Imagine if my kids had the chance to share in the experience I had on my drive and visit to Birmingham.  I doubt they would have ended up "disliking King" because their elementary and hight school teachers made them do some dumb ass blah, blah, blah assignment!  On that trip, I learned that the best learning is one that is experiential and one that not only engages the minds of students but tugs on their hearts and twists their guts!  I have not turned back since that visit to Alabama in 2000 and continue today to formulate assignments that are intended to not turn students off to the topic at hand and try to affect them emotionally. 

In sum, today is a day that reminds me to be a better teacher, perhaps you will find a way for it to inspire you, too.  Before closing, I know most of you have heard or read the I Have a Dream speech.  I will bet most of you have not read the one he wrote in the margins of a newspaper when he was jailed during the civil rights movement, the Letter from Birmingham City Jail.  If interested in reading the speech, which I heard when listening to the audio book, check out the following link on this day on the day we have set aside to honor a truly great American. http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

What the Best College Teachers Do

If looking for something to do this coming summer to upgrade the quality of your teaching there is a three-day institute based on Ken Bain's award-winning and best selling book What the Best College Teachers Do, which was the winner of the Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for an Outstanding Book on Education and Society* (Harvard University Press, 2004).  The institute features the author Ken Bain and some of the subjects of the 15-year study of excellence in college education.

Overview of the Institute

Participants in this highly interactive workshop will explore and use findings from a fifteen-year inquiry into the practices and insights of highly successful teachers, those people with phenomenal success in helping their students achieve remarkable learning results. The program will emphasize both improving one's teaching and developing ways to share insights with colleagues back home. Enrollment is limited. The workshop will begin at 11 am on Wednesday, June 16, 2010, and end in the early afternoon on Friday, June 18, 2010, and will take place in the scenic suburbs of New York City, approximately 12 miles west of Manhattan.

Enrollment Limited: Program has filled rapidly in past years. Early Early Bird Special Deadline: February 20, 2010.  Go to http://www.bestteachersinstitute.org/ for additional information and application form. Or call 973-847-9049 or write marshabain@optonline.net for additional information.

Some of the featured outstanding teachers this year:
* Charlie Cannon, Professor of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Columbia University
* Jeanette Norden, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University
* Chad Richardson, Professor of Sociology, Director of BorderLife Project, University of Texas-Pan American
* Ann Woodworth, Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, and Associate Professor of Theatre, Northwestern University

Are You a Good Teacher?

Here is an interesting post I just ran across from Dakin Burdick, Ph.D., Director, Center for Teaching Excellence.  Read through the list and see how many statements are true concerning you and your teaching from the perspective of students.  The more times you can answer "yes" the better the situation for students taking your class(es).

SIGNS YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT CLASS


On the First Day of Class...
• The instructor demonstrates that he/she cares about the student’s learning.
• The instructor learns the names of the students.
• The instructor makes an effort to learn about students' prior knowledge about the course topics and learning outcomes.
• The instructor encourages students to contribute to the class and structures class to support such contributions.
• The instructor treats students respectfully and insists that they do the same for each other, even when conversations get heated.

When You Look at the Syllabus...
• Learning outcomes for the course are clear.
• The assignments are clearly linked to the learning outcomes.
• The course material is clearly organized into groups of 3-7 chunks and those chunks make sense to the students.
• Students are given a choice about some of the assignments that allows them to work on topics of personal interest.
• Criteria for how to do well on assignments are clearly delineated.
• The course’s grading scheme reinforces individual student accountability for doing the reading, thinking about it, and participating in class.
• The grading structure makes it clear that student mastery of the learning outcomes will be checked frequently through a variety of assessments, not just through two or three tests.

As the Class Progresses...
• Assignments build in complexity and in student responsibility for their success.
• More than one example is used to illustrate points when lecturing.
• A variety of pedagogical techniques are used, which help keep all the students interested and engaged with the course.
• Formative assessment such as ungraded classroom assessment techniques are used to appraise student understanding
• The instructor summarizes student comments and gives timely, accurate and fulsome feedback.
• Students are required to apply knowledge or analyze the readings, not just memorize what the instructor says.
• Students have to question their assumptions about what is being taught or their own understanding of it.

Of course, some of the items above may be impractical to accomplish, such as learning names of students, if teach a large lecture class.  The rest are definitely doable.  For any item that was answered with a "no" perhaps that is a good place to start to improve the quality of your teaching.

Make Plans for a Vertical Garden Now

With more and more people becoming "locavores" at the same time farmland is disappearing from far too many communities, there may be a solution for foodservice operators and hotels with foodservice options themselves to satisfy this growing consumer demand.  Named one of the top 50 inventions for 2008, John Valcent's vertical farming system has been named as the 16th best invention of 2009 by Time Magazine. Valcent's innovative growing solutions even featured at the unveiling of the World's tallest building in Dubai.

Vertical farming is a  system that is designed to grow vegetables and other foods much more efficiently and with greater food value than in agricultural field condition and has the following characteristics:

* Produces approximately 20 times the normal production volume for field crops
* Requires 5% of the normal water requirements for field crops
* Can be built on non arable lands and close to major city markets
* Can work in a variety of environments: urban, suburban, countryside, desert etc.
* Does not use herbicides or pesticides
* Will have very significant operating and capital cost savings over field agriculture
* Will drastically reduce transportation costs to market resulting in further savings, higher quality and fresher foods on delivery, and less transportation pollution
* Will be easily scalable from small to very large food production situations

As such, this could make a TERRIFIC spring project for students in culinary arts and hospitality programs around the U.S.  In doing so, students could be challenged to increase the yields from vertical gardens while reducing the need for pesticides, herbicides, water, fertilizer, etc., needed for traditional ground level gardens.  To learn more check out the following:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/vertical-garden.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/student-designs-vertical-garden-rainwater-harvesting.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/vertical-farming-system.php

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933961,00.html

Thought & Action

Thought & Action is a journal published by the National Education Association (NEA) of the United States.  The principled  mission of the NEA is "advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world."

Among its many self-imposed marching orders, the members of NEA believe public education is vital to building respect for the worth, dignity, and equality of every individual in our diverse society.  They also believe that every student in America, regardless of family income or place of residence, deserves a quality education. In pursuing its mission, NEA...will focus the energy and resources of ... 3.2 million members on improving the quality of teaching, increasing student achievement and making schools safer, better places to learn.
 
The NEA publishes Thought &Action and it is a great teaching journal.  It is also free to review for those who have such an interest.  I have read a sampling of the articles in the recent issues and found them to be on target for those wanting to enhance the quality of their teaching.  To read past issues and see whether or not others share your passion for teaching, pick up some new ideas on improving your teaching, etc., visit the following URL: http://www.nea.org/home/1821.htm

Fat, Salt, Sugar, Artificial Flavor

I just finished reading Kessler's book, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.  It was eye-opening to say the least as the lengths that those in Fake Food Industry -- which I now include as fast, quick-casual, fast-casual & casual -- are going to create recipes that work on the psychology, biology, and sociology of consumers to get them hooked on their menus.  There are so-called "compass points" that Fake Food strives to hit so that people will think about their offerings and engage in behavior to satisfy cravings to the detriment of their health.  The compass points are fat, salt, sugar and artificial flavor and the goal is to combine them to make their food hyperpalatable so consumers cannot get enough of it without really knowing the reason.

The book includes plenty of research studies that have been conducted to determine how people react to food, which the Fake Food industry then uses to entice people to sample their wares and become hooked.  The tagline, "nobody can eat just one" actually has a biological truth to it when it comes to some foods.  The concept of "finger licking good" also has a multisensory underpinning that makes these foods highly palatable.

Here is an excerpt from the book that will clue you in to the information presented:

Just as a compulsive gambler can't place a single bet and feel satisfied, many people can't stop after a few bites of hyperplatable food.  We have become conditioned to seek more reward.  The barricades to repetive behavior have been toppled.  We keep looking for the next big wow.

That's what the industry has engineered, with food built layer upon layer to stimulate our senses.  Foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, and the cues that signal them, promote more of everything: more arousal... more thoughts of food... more urge to pursue consumption... more dopamine-stimulated approach to behavior... more consumption... more opioid-driven reward... more overeating to feel better... more delay in feeling full...more loss of control... more preoccupation with food... more habit-driven behavior...and ultimately more and more weight gain.

And let's be patently honest about the industry we know and love.  Those in Fake Food do NOT GIVE A DAMN if consumers get fatter and develop those illlnesses that are associated with being overweight as long as they can give shareholders a return on their investment. 

The book ends with tips on what consumers can do to eat properly in spite of the constant marketing of Fake Food.  I wish there had been more on the responsibility of Fake Food but he did a lot to expose the lengths chains will go to dupe consumers into being repeat customers.

Great Resource for Educators

Over the years I have turned to all kinds of teaching and learning journals outside of our discipline to learn the best way to utilize various pedagogies ranging from teacher- to student-centered teaching to facilitate my classes at Purdue.  I was recently made aware of a resource created by Thomas P. Pusateri, Ph.D., Associate Director for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, at Kennesaw State University.  His web pages provide links to a large number of teaching journals and teaching conferences.  There is also the option for visitors to the site to add to it.  I checked it out and thought it was great!

The Journals are found at: www.kennesaw.edu/cetl/resources/journals.html

The Conferences are found at: www.kennesaw.edu/cetl/resources/na_conf_list.html

Enter the Flexitarian

Another diet trend is upon us; enter the "Flexitarian" who has adopted a diet that is arguably more healthy over the long term when compared to the last Atkins diet trend.  So what is a Flexitarian and how does that compare to different stripes of vegetarians?  Here are some definitions for you and your students.

Flexitarian - A flexitarian is a "part-time" or "semi-vegetarian" with a greater dependence on eating vegetables while occasionally eating meat. About 30-40% of the population describes themselves as interested in reducing their dependence on meat. With flexitarianism, there is no strict definition about how much meat should be eaten, just less -- it's flexible!

Vegetarian - A vegetarian is someone who does not eat animal meat. For most vegetarians, this includes eliminating fowl, fish, and red meats. For other vegetarians, they may eat fish, but not fowl or meat. Vegetarians usually eat dairy foods, eggs, or honey, as long as the animal is not killed in the process of producing the food. Strict vegetarians comprise about 6% of the population.

Vegan - A vegan is a vegetarian that does not eat any animal product including dairy, eggs, honey, or any foods derived from animals.

There are many reasons that people, like myself, are becomingg flexitarians or vegetarians including some of the following:

Health reasons - Reduced heart disease and weight control are two prominent health benefits of a vegetarian diet. A more plant-based diet has less saturated fat than meat-based diets. Generally, plant-based diets are naturally lower in calories and can create a greater sense of fullness based on more fiber and volume.

Ecological efficiency - Greater amounts of resource go into making meat compared to plant foods. About 70% of the domestic grain crop goes to feeding livestock. Per calorie, meat takes approximately ten times the amount of land and water resource than grain and plants used directly for food.

Religious traditions - Different religious traditions prescribe food choices based on a variety of reasons - some on safety concerns, others as a sense of asceticism and discipline.

Reduced carbon footprint - Some choose less meat based on the notion that livestock feeding operations are associated with increased methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Animal-friendly - Others choose a vegetarian regimen to avoid the inhumane treatment of animals.

There are no doubt other reasons people choose various forms of vegetarianism and there will be other forms of vegetarians to emerge.  The question for today is whether or not we are preparing students to anticipate and capitalize on trends regardless of what they are in the future.  I know we teach vegetable cookery but do we teach trend management?  I seriously doubt it and wonder why such is not the case.  I know it is a question I will ask of myself and my faculty so that we truly prepare students to meet the trends that will emerge over the course of their career(s).

Let's Not Do Outback Tonight

Of course it was not front page news or a key story on any nightly news story but OSI Restaurant Partners, who operate Outback Steakhouse restaurants in the US, agreed to pay a  settlement of $19 million out-of-court to settle a class-action lawsuit for sex discrimination against thousands of female employees.  The primary discriminatory practice was denying female employees equal opportunities for advancement to jobs that provided higher-level profit-sharing plans and favorable job assignments.  Industry of Choice indeed!

Of course, OSI said in a statement that the settlement did not include any finding of fault by Outback.  Really?!  What weasels.  Would you pay $19 million if you were squeaky clean on such a matter?!  And then again, remind me again how hard pressed foodservice chains are to afford hourly employees a $.25 per hour raise while at the same time able to pay a $19 million settlement?

The point of this post is that we have to instill in our male students that sexual discrimination -- and harassment -- is absolutely unacceptable and illegal in this country.  We must also instill in our female students that they not subject themselves to such treatment like those working at Outback.  This was evident in my HR class last semester when we were covering sexual harassment.  I asked the female students what they will do when they are sexually harassed as there is no if about it.   The majority of them said they would do nothing or "act as if it did not bother them!"  I was floored and gave them instructions on how to professionally handle this situation so it would stop because it is unacceptable and unlawful, especially since I witnessed this first hand when working in restaurants and a union representative at Xerox corporation in my 20's.  I hope you will join me and do the same because it is time to stop the sexual harassment that takes place in restaurants from coast-to-coast on a daily basis.

Oh, and OSI also owns Carrabba's Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill.  I wonder how women are treated at those two chains that are also now on my list of chains not to be supported by me with my dining dollars. 

Now that I am the wiser it appears that the graphic advert attached to this blog apparently offered a behind the scenes look into the shody management practices of those who manage the chain.  How sad indeed.

My Favorite Feature of Blackboard

I am probably unaware of all the bells and whistles that are available in Blackboard to facilitate classroom and lab instruction but there is one feature I love.  The simple effective feature is the announcements option for the home page, or other pages I set up inside assignment "folders."  It harkens back to the days when I was a student in K-12 when the teacher would write the day's assignments on the board as well as those that will be covered in the next class. 

I use the announcement feature to first welcome students to the class that starts for them this coming Monday and let them know if there is a required text(s) and where to get them.  I then use the announcement feature every class thereafter to remind students to contact me if they have any unanswered questions or confusion about assignments that we covered that day as well as remind them of key assignments for the next class.

I have found this simple tool a great way to communicate with the students in between classes and it seriously knocks down the "I didn't know" or "I forgot" because the basic information is routinely posted for them all throughout the entire semester.  To be honest, it also helps to keep me straight on what I am doing especially in the fall semester when I am teaching 4 classes with some 400 students.

If you have favorite features you use in Blackboard to faciliate student learning send them my way and I will share with others on future blog posts.

90/10 Rule

No doubt you are about to get back into the swing of things for spring semester or your classes have already started.  In any event it is important to remember that the majority of students are good people who want to get what they can out of school and move on to start their careers.  That is why it is important to remember the 90/10 rule.

Think back to the last semester, even though it may be painful.  How many students out of the total number that were in your classes were extraordinarily difficult to deal with during that class?  I bet if you did the math you would find the 90/10 rule;  which means you probably spent 90% additional time with 10% of the students in your class that caused you most of your troubles.  I learned this when a union shop steward.  My business agent told me I would spend 90% of my time with 10% of the members (usually the same ones all the time) and that ratio held true during my time in the position.  The same holds true today, a small percentage of the students you teach are problematic and some do it for no reason other than to give you grief.

The reason for the reminder is that it is sad but true that a small percentage of students can jade an educator toward all students. When I catch myself or others talking about "the students" in one lump sum it is a reminder to pull back, take a deep breath, and count out how many students were actually more difficult that one might expect.  The answer is typically very few are over the top problematic.

So hang tight, the 90/10 rule will apply so expect it and appreciate the majority of students that are there to learn from you and do not become jaded by the minority.