Student Profile with Introduction
Benjamin Smock, 37
Music Teacher
Graduate of Bunker Hill Community College and University of Massachusetts Boston
My wife encouraged me to enroll in college when I was just throwing around the idea. 
Even before he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for nine years as an electronics technician, Benjamin Smock had a passion for music. He played guitar in high school and on his ship, and he discovered a new interest in professional recording. If it hadn’t been for his wife’s encouragement, however, he may never have enrolled in Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston and begun pursuing music as a career. “My wife encouraged me to enroll in college when I was just throwing the idea around,” he said.
At BHCC, Benjamin developed an important relationship with one of his music instructors, Mari Black, who taught a course on arranging and composing. Professor Black also agreed to mentor Benjamin when he decided to participate in the honors program. “It was a wonderful experience to work so closely with a professor,” he says. Benjamin also found plenty of support from friends and family while he was in college. “My father and sisters back in Illinois would listen to me talk about the classes I was taking. My friends were so supportive, to the point of asking about the research papers I was writing and even attending events with me in support of my research.”
During his time at BHCC, Benjamin became inspired to become a teacher, and he continued his studies in the music education program at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB). “I chose UMass Boston because I could use my military benefits, and I would be set up for job success right out of the gate,” Benjamin explained. “I could tack a five-year initial [teaching] license onto my degree plan and teach K–12 music anywhere in the state.”
While at UMB, Benjamin tutored second graders in math and reading. “That experience alone made me realize that teaching little kids is what I am meant to do,” he said. He also created a ten-week middle school music program that he taught to sixth graders. After three years at UMB, Benjamin landed a job as a K–5 music teacher for the Framingham Public Schools. “I am so incredibly grateful that my college education path brought me here. This is what I was meant to do, and my wife is incredibly proud of my accomplishments. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” he said. Benjamin plans to earn a master’s degree within the next five years.
To access the LearningCurve study tool, video activities, and more, go to LaunchPad for Your College Experience. macmillanhighered.com/gardner12e
What does success in college have to do with relationships? As Benjamin’s story shows, the quality of both the relationships students have when they begin college and those that they develop in college can have positive effects on their success. As college educators, we have learned from our own experiences and the experiences of others that relationships can also negatively affect success.
Relationships take many forms. Your relationships with your instructors will be very important while you’re in college. You might choose to get to know your instructors or to ignore them outside of class, but the quality and frequency of the interactions you have with them can affect your academic performance.
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assess your strengths One of the best aspects of college life is developing relationships with your peers, your instructors, and upperclass students. As you begin to read this chapter, think about the most important relationships you have developed since coming to college. |
set goals What are your most important objectives in learning the material in this chapter? Think about the relationship challenges you have had in the past, and develop some strategies to improve these relationships in the future. For example, consider how making use of office hours creates opportunities for you to get more comfortable with your instructors. |
Whether you live on campus or off, you will continue your existing relationships with your parents, spouse, children, or other family members. Sometimes, the assumptions and expectations that define family interactions will change, and negotiating that change is not always easy. Parents sometimes have trouble letting go of a son or daughter, and if you are fresh out of high school, you might think that your parents still want to control your life. If you are an adult with a spouse or partner, going to college will give you a new identity that might seem strange or threatening to your partner. If you have children, they might not understand what’s going on as you try to balance your need for study time with their need for your undivided attention.
If your friends also go to college, you will have a great deal to share and compare. But if your friends are not college students, they, too, might feel threatened as you take on a new identity. In addition, romantic relationships can support you or can create major conflict and heartbreak, depending on whether your partner shares your feelings and whether the relationship is healthy or dysfunctional.
This chapter will help you think about all these different kinds of relationships, including those that you create and continue online.
high-impact practice 2
Write and Reflect
Your Important Relationships
At this point in your life, what are the three relationships that are most important to you? In a journal entry, reflect on what makes these people special to you.