Yes, this is an issue—for example in my third level course
only two students have had all three courses to complete the pathway. The
others may have had class one or two, both not both. This is disheartening
especially when you expect to be able to teach students that are really
interested in your program. It is also disturbing that the state is putting
such an emphasis on pathway completers and earning industry credentials. How can
that ever happen when kids are in classes they don’t want to be in? I try to
remedy this issue by drawing them in to the field with interesting projects,
etc. One project in particular is the Serial Killer Project. All students seem
to enjoy this one—perhaps because it sparks their interest, but they usually
finish with the desire to learn more. The same can be done in all my other
classes with forensics it is usually crime scenes and in the other classes they
love policing tactics. At this time, hands-on activities is the best way for me
to get my students interested whether they want to be in the class or not. In addition, I tell all students they can all get something out of Public Safety including how to be a more productive, more aware citizen.
JT
It sounds like you have some projects that are awesome! I would love to work on the serial killer project. I'm not sure why so many of us are intrigued with serial killers. Those are topics that everyone is interested in. If you flip through TV you'll find about 10 shows on relating to serial killers, crime scene investigations, and forensics. I can definitely see how that could pull their interest in your class. You could reel the others in by teaching them the law and all of the loop holes so that if they ever get in trouble they would know what NOT to do and the limitations that they have. A lot of people are unsure of what the law states including myself. Once maybe they understand the law a little more they will respect it and also those who put their lives in danger to make sure safety is enforced.
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