I recently had an experience where the student (who I also think was ADD) had a different excuse each week for why he didn't have his assignments turned in to me (one was that the hard drive with his papers on it were in his brother's truck, which was in another state, but that he would be back the following weekend, and it still took me several weeks to get all the assignments). Whether they were true or not, I finally caught him in one where "the computer and Internet at home were down, his father was threatening to kick him out of the house, etc." and I told him that he could have come to the computer lab on campus. He really didn't have a reply. I think it also got him to finally stop engaging with me in a manipulative way.

The silent student may be shy or insecure or may not want to standout as a brain. In some situations being a brain makes you an outsider and left out of activities.

or respected, 2 very different things

They really dont see it as cheating themselves out of an education, sad to say..

Had a student last block that just could'nt be quiet.Always had a commet to the point of distraction. A real Challenge.

A great starting platform, a solid foundation is whats needed before framing.

When an instructor takes over a class because of administration schedule changes and the class and teacher up to that point have had an excellant report and ongoing successful classroom experieince, what do you feel you be the most effective way to help the students transition in to the new class environment/style techniques of the new instructor?

I used to teach at a college where it was expected the instructors 'friend' their students on Facebook, give their personal email addresses (not just their college emails), add them to their tweet list (and it was encouraged to be on Twitter), etc. Some instructors even went to student's parties. A recent video has a student stating his instructor is his best friend. I never did any of that. To me, this is fraught with peril. One instructor literally tweeted how proud he was that he could take a photo and tweet while driving. This sends the wrong message to the students. They look up to us (most of the time) and some want to emulate us. I could see potential lawsuits coming from that if a student got into a wreck, hurt herself or someone else, and said "But my instructor does it". Students will ask me to friend them, but I politely refuse.

I find I get stressed out very quickly and very easily. Teaching, being a father, professional responsibilities, church responsibilities, etc... The stress adds up quickly. Has anyone done the stress list, and has it helped?

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. It's stated that taking points off the grade for a late assignment "replicates the deadline criterion of the work world". No, it doesn't. In my field, if you are late, you lose the client, you lose money and, ultimately, you will lose your job. Do this enough, you lose your business. There are no valid "Oh, we didn't get finished on time...." excuses because client deadlines are written in stone. Added Note: I give each student a sheet outlining the project and the due date and time. I also put this info online where all students have access 'in case they lose their info sheets'. Students know I do this, and many have had me for multiple terms, yet still try to say they didn't know the deadline. Now, again as devil's advocate (I'm reiterating this point), please defend how a missed deadline and merely taking a percentage off for each day it isn't turned in replicates the real world? I am a strong advocate at the college/higher ed level that if a deadline is missed, the student gets a '0' right off the bat. Please explain why I should back down on this belief.

In my courses, when homework is due, we go over it in class on the due date as a review of material and grade it together with careful scrutiny by me. The students tell me this is helpful. However, the students that didn't turn in the assignment then have the opportunity to write down answers and turn it in late with point deduction penalties. Many students then say I'll e-mail it to you because you let so-n-so do it. I have allowed this once or twice due to extenuating circumstances. However, then they push the deadline to 5 p.m., then it becomes midnight, then it becomes after their work shift, regardless of the line I draw in the sand. I remind them that the homework was due at 8:00 a.m. in class. Then I have to gain access to a printer and print and grade their paper separately. Sometimes they put it back on me, like "Don't you remember?...I e-mailed that to you." It has become really inefficient for me and I am considering no electronic submission of assignments at all! Professional schools (medical, dental, law) often use electronic submission of assignments. The nice thing about e-mail attachments is the time stamp. What do you think about e-submission of assignments, late or not?

I have never dealt with a cheating student. I hope I won't in the future.

The inattentive student is the hardest for me, what do you guys do to deal with them?

I happen to share one student with other instructors in other courses. I would hear stories from my fellow instructors about violent outbursts coming from this one student, but it was hard for me to believe this because the student never presented signs of this behavior in my class. From now on I will pay more attention to my fellow instructors comments/concerns and keep a closer eye on the most subtle hints that could lead to a violent incident in my class.

When laser pointed peer pressure is applied to unfocused, unprepared, etc. students; the unpleasant/dirty work for the most part is not done by your hands, but by their own peers. Works great!

Has anyone tried the "observer" method for this type of student? While I understand the concept behind it, it seems fairly juvenille, and I was wondering if it has worked with adult students. It seems similar to playing "the quiet game" with younger students where the first one to talk without being called-on loses. Usually, the Center Stage students that I have had want to speak (for a variety of reasons), and I don't see that desire disappearing because they have been assigned a job to summarize the lesson. I'd love to hear how other instructors have used this method.

I instill in my student's brains that the classroom is like a training ring. The more we sweat together during training the less blood will be spilled in the battlefield of the labor force, so stay focus on the classroom objectives/goals because one day it might just save your work life.

I can't stress how important is being overprepared for class.

In most cases, I think students cheat because of the lack of preparation.

INSTRUCTORS MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TREATING STUDENT LIKE ADULTS BY ASSUMING THE KNOW ALOT ABOUT A SUBJCT BECAUSE THEY ARE OLDER. TREAT EVERYONE AS IF THEY ARE STARTERS SO THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE ACADEMICALLY