Voices from the Early College Classroom: The Power of Self-Advocacy and Mutual Learning

Carlos Maynard is a Professor of Sociology in the Behavioral Science Department at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC). He is an Afro-Latino educator who advocates for equity, justice, and fairness in education and life. He is passionate about student success and has been actively involved in several equity oriented initiatives at BHCC such as the Latinx Student Success Initiative (LSSI), the HOPE Initiative, and the Center for Equity and Cultural Wealth (CECW). Carlos has been a faculty member of BHCC’s Early College Program since 2015.

When asked what he enjoys most about teaching Early College, Carlos says: “I enjoy learning from the students. Sometimes there’s the assumption that because they’re high schoolers, they might not know as much. But they might be even more adept in terms of their level of interest and involvement in the material. While first-year college students have to navigate a lot of new systems on their own, Early College students are receiving continuous support both within the high school context and from Early College staff.” Carlos adds, “I learn a lot from what students share about their own experiences and how they navigate their lives. So many rich insights come up about the ways they balance family, work, and school responsibilities.”

What Carlos wants other Early College educators to know: “One year is not enough. It doesn’t give you enough experiential capital. Staying with it long enough offers you adequate perspective, enables you to tweak and adjust, and gives you the confidence to engage students in the process. It’s not a traditional educator-learner relationship. You have to stick with it long enough to see how you can be a sort of bridge for the students on their journey – and how they can be equally enriching to your life. Collectively you can all learn.”

You can read more about Carlos here.

Candace Shivers began her academic career as an adjunct faculty member at Mount Wachusett Community College’s (MWCC) Leominster Campus and Corporate Training Center and was appointed a full-time faculty member in 2004. Professor Shivers serves as the faculty advisor for the Human Service Club and currently serves as the faculty liaison to the Student Government Association.

Regardless of where and how the class is offered, Candace finds that Early College coursework can be an adjustment for her students, but one that prepares them for the future. She shared a story from one of her classes: “One of the students, reflecting on the amount of reading assigned, said, ‘Miss Shivers, why are you giving us so much work?’” Candace responded to this student and to the entire class by saying, “I’m going to tell you why I’m giving you a lot of work – because I believe that you can do it. I believe that you can do this work, and then when you graduate, either you go on to your two-year, your four-year, you go to work, you’re going to think you can do that as well.”

Candace describes the support system available to Early College students, including counselors who can connect them to additional supports like tutoring, and faculty office hours. She notes, “Early College helps students to learn self-advocacy, to come and ask for what they need. It’s important for them to know.”

You can read more about Candace here.

Anne O’Dwyer has taught psychology in the Bard Early College and Academy programs at Simon’s Rock, located in the Southern Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, for more than 25 years. She currently teaches in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District Early College program partnership with Simon’s Rock. With the New England Commission of Higher Education, Anne was involved in the accreditation of the Bard High School Early Colleges in New York City and Newark, NJ.

Anne O’Dwyer “never planned to be an Early College educator.” As a new Ph.D., she “found this place called Simon’s Rock, before the days of the internet, because they sent a catalog in the mail.” Early in her time teaching these motivated students, Anne sought to challenge them mainly by assigning lots of academic reading. She was shocked when the students asserted that the texts were “boring.” At first, Anne felt angry and defensive, but then realized, “they were right.” She wasn’t yet meeting them where they were. Anne fell in love with the connections students made to their other classes and their unwillingness to take what teachers say at face value.

“The students have pushed me to be a better teacher,” says Anne, adding: “Sometimes class can be playful. I really enjoy that a lot. The students keep me young, too.”

Anne has taught Intro to Psychology every semester for 30 years, yet “it’s never boring.” Young students can, at times, be shy, but they are also willing to share. They still make connections across classes. And, she says, “They haven’t stopped challenging me! What young people won’t tolerate is ‘This is how it is.’ They expect us to be willing to critique ourselves, to do the same work that we ask of them. I tell new teachers that you must never hold your students to a higher standard than you hold yourself.”

You can read more about Anne here.