In 2006, well-educated adjunct, Marcie Weibel, was encouraged to accept a position as a reading teacher at Salt Lake Community College. Throughout her career at SLCC, 36 years in all, Weibel has revealed the keys to successful learning in her class. “Keys to success in my class are to participate and come to class regularly.”
Weibel also illustrates the key to doing the homework. “I don’t assign homework just for busy work. It has meaning to it.” She states that homework is done specifically to review and practice the skills done in class. Students will quickly learn the skills by, “Being on top of your game,” says Weibel, “Organization always counts.”
Weibel explained that her class is really to teach students how to study smartly. To do this, Weibel says, “You have to understand what a textbook is, the things that are in the textbook, and how as a student you can pull out the information from the textbook to be able to understand what the instructor is trying to get across.”
Weibel explains that most instructors look at textbooks as a tool, not a major teaching part. “That’s the tool. You have to learn how to use that tool correctly.” Weibel also says that learning higher thinking skills and learning to read critically also transfer into real life. One of Weibel’s favorite reads is the memoir “Warriors Don’t Cry”. The reason this is one of her favorites is because Weibel finds that a lot of students don’t know about the civil rights movement and feels it was a big part of our history. Weibel says, “I’m a firm believer that you have to study the past, so that you don’t make the same mistakes in the future.”
“It’s what shaped us. It’s one of the big things that shaped us as a country,” says Weibel of the civil rights movement. “I like to use this book because you really get to feel the pain that these high school students went through at that time.”
Some people feel that writing courses comes with at least some challenges. According to Gabe Bennet, a current student at SLCC, some challenges he has encountered have enabled him to express his feelings toward writing in general. “The construction of writing papers, in terms of what the instructor wants, has been a challenge for me because every instructor is different. It’s tough sometimes to match what they want,” says Bennet.
In the workforce, it is essential to place a certain emphasis on particular things in order to achieve the best results possible. As a teacher, Weibel understands the significance of doing so. “It goes back to the discipline of it all, and disciplining yourself,” she explained. “I hope that students can get everything out of it that they can possibly get. Give themselves credit for being here and doing it, so why not do the very, very, very best that you can.”
Weibel’s passion for teaching was inspired by her father. Her father told her that she was born to be a teacher. Weibel says, “For me, it’s a talent. I had very good teachers growing up. It’s something I just know I always want to do.”
In general, giving advice is helpful. When it comes to giving advice to students however, a fair bit involves what you may know beforehand.
“Know your limitations,” advises Weibel, “Know your learning style. I think that’s really important. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s what the instructors are here for.”
When speaking of making mistakes, Weibel says one of her biggest mistakes was wasting her college education by playing and partying. “I was a party girl,” says Weibel, “There is so much more I could have gotten out of it.” Weibel believes one of the reasons she wasted so much time partying is because she didn’t have to work and go to school. Weibel had scholarships and also parents that were able to afford to pay for her education.
Emily Bowden, a current student in Weibel’s Reading 0990 class, explained that one of the most important skills she has learned in the class is taking notes. “Notes really do help you out a lot,” says Bowden, “And probably highlighting a lot of stuff.”