No, not the kind that Lindsey Lohan incriminates Tina Fey to be in "Mean Girls," but instead the kind of Student Affairs Professional who believes that education is happening outside of the classroom. I passionately believe it is my duty to push students to critically think, question a problem from multiple angles and weigh solutions and consequences, good or bad, to the point that they are able to make an informed decision or present themselves professionally and articulately.
The article posted below certainly puts the mirror in an uncomfortable place. If students fail, it is ultimately, our fault. "In loco parentis," is not something of bygone days in higher education. If we admit a student in to our community they become our responsibility, our pride, and sometimes our problem. It is our duty as educators to coach them, guide them, mentor them, teach them, nuture them, discipline them, at times love them... in short, we act in lieu of a parent. So if we realize that we have failed them on some level - whether it be they do not have the skillset to write on a collegiate level or that they lack the ability to operate within a set of rules - how do we rectify the failure? Is there any possibility that we can? Or is it simply easier to hope that putting in the extra work on the front end will translate in to the possibility that we have not failed them? Is it more important to stay the extra 15 minutes after work or read a cover letter on a Sunday morning?
My answer is yes, to all of the above.
The article referred to: http://chronicle.com/article/Exam-DooziesDoubts/132255/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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