TABOO
“In the afternoon when school was out and the last one had left with his little dirty snuffling nose, instead of going home I would go down the hill to the spring where I could be quiet and hate them.” - Addie Bundren of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying.
Wow! That was heavy. Addie did her job, yet she hated her students. How many times have you had that one student who’d mastered the art of getting on your nerves? Well, it appears that Addie either had a class full of these students or she just hated her job altogether.
What do you do when you are called to teach that student? I refer to it as a calling because that student’s enrollment in your class wasn’t by chance. Although that child may possess very unlikable characteristics or behaviors, there is something about them that is special. That is what should be focused on. I have experienced that student annually and many times have had multiples of them not only during the same year, but in the same class. It has been overwhelming at times. While each of these students tested my patience, they all had endearing traits that would not allow me to get to the point of hating them. There’s the comedian, the good dancer, the chatty cathy, the bully, the always tardy and unprepared, and even the indirectly disrespectful who have graced my presence.
There are ways around their annoying quirks that you will learn to work with. Make the energizer bunny your teacher assistant. The unprepared student could be in charge of writing the homework on the board when you announce it and he/she can also hand out papers. The bully can sit at your desk to not only separate him/her from the other students, but to give them a sense of authority while being under your watchful eye. Or you can have him/her control the slideshow at the computer. The comedian can be allowed a two minute bit that relates to what was taught in class. Finally, the disrespectful student should be addressed one on one because nine times out of ten they’re dealing with something personally and you’re not the intended target of their anger.
We already have a difficult job to do and hating the students isn’t going to make it any easier. In fact, it will only make it worse. Find that one likable characteristic and work from there.
What tips do you have for teaching challenging students?
Wow! That was heavy. Addie did her job, yet she hated her students. How many times have you had that one student who’d mastered the art of getting on your nerves? Well, it appears that Addie either had a class full of these students or she just hated her job altogether.
What do you do when you are called to teach that student? I refer to it as a calling because that student’s enrollment in your class wasn’t by chance. Although that child may possess very unlikable characteristics or behaviors, there is something about them that is special. That is what should be focused on. I have experienced that student annually and many times have had multiples of them not only during the same year, but in the same class. It has been overwhelming at times. While each of these students tested my patience, they all had endearing traits that would not allow me to get to the point of hating them. There’s the comedian, the good dancer, the chatty cathy, the bully, the always tardy and unprepared, and even the indirectly disrespectful who have graced my presence.
There are ways around their annoying quirks that you will learn to work with. Make the energizer bunny your teacher assistant. The unprepared student could be in charge of writing the homework on the board when you announce it and he/she can also hand out papers. The bully can sit at your desk to not only separate him/her from the other students, but to give them a sense of authority while being under your watchful eye. Or you can have him/her control the slideshow at the computer. The comedian can be allowed a two minute bit that relates to what was taught in class. Finally, the disrespectful student should be addressed one on one because nine times out of ten they’re dealing with something personally and you’re not the intended target of their anger.
We already have a difficult job to do and hating the students isn’t going to make it any easier. In fact, it will only make it worse. Find that one likable characteristic and work from there.
What tips do you have for teaching challenging students?
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