Students managing home life and school wrk.
One of the biggest compliants i receive from students is the struggle they go through to manage school wrk and their home life.
Hi Michael,
I love the talks that you share with your students. You are definitely on point, and I am sure you are motivating to students as well.
Patricia Scales
Like all of you, my students constantly complain about work / life balance. In the field and in the workplace this also seems to be an issue. I try to come up with examples explaining that this is how the real world works. No risk, no reward. No pain, no gain. The harder you work, the more dedicated you are to the task, the better the results. Also mentioning that school is temporary, and the sacrifice and work will pay off later in life.
Hi Michael,
Good advice to give to students. Our students think their problems are unique to them, and their problems are going to last forever.
Patricia Scales
I have always told my students that it is not a permanent problem and that if they truly want it they can over come the temporary problem in life.
Hi Steven,
I like your approach. Keep doing what you are doing. You are very stern, yet fair. I am sure most students appreciate what you do. It is hard to please everyone.
Patricia Scales
Really agree with the method and rationale. I have assignements due once a week, the first session of class. The prior week's classes were dedicated to learning activity, lecture, and the assignement. What they do not finish in class is "homework". In eleven years with this format I have had very few finish in class, and so overwhelingly there is work related to the course grade to be completed over the weekebnd. Even so, there have been the "I forgot it" and other reasons for not haviing the work. This is rare. I believe the students do appreciate that they have "extra" time to finish their work, but there is a [potential problem. Some want to say thast they work better at home and so are reluctant to work in clas. To face this challenge I institued a "10%" rule. Grade is deducted if you are disengaged or otherwise nonproductive toward the course objective while in class. This comes off the top. Even so, there are some students who believe socialization os the apex of education and 10% off does not faze them. Personalized time for critique of their preliminary work is the method I have used to try to motivate them. Success is not full, but greater than without these methods. Suggestions?
Hi JODY,
I too let my students know that no pain, no gain. This is a temporary sacrifice for a permanent outcome.
Patricia Scales
I always reassure them this is a temporary situation. But i also remind them that school is their priority.
I to get that complaint from time to time. So i tell my students from one adult to another to set times for themelves so that they can have thay good quaility study time. It will make them more of an effective test taker in the long run
My unfocused and underserved students really struggle with blending their school life and home life. I know of students being involved in domestic violence incidents and being arrested or being the victim. I smell marijuana and alcohol on students. When I call to a student's home, there doesn't seem to be much family support. Students are frequently absent because of needing to work or take care of family or vehicle problems. I try to be as flexible as possible in order to get through to as many students as possible. It can be a rather daunting task
I like the idea of having some flexability in the daily lesson plan. My students live in an urban setting where balancing a job, children, or even securing a stabile place to live can be a challenge. A two or three bus transfer to get to school is not uncommon. They sometimes arrive frazzled, out-of-breath and with a lot on their mind. I have been trying a fifteen minute "warm up" of sorts at the start of each class where the students are given time to get their materials organized and we just quietly talk about whatever is going on. It's not therapy. It's simply a way of transitioning from the chaos of the street into a structured educational setting.
Hi Victoria,
Our students certainly have a lot to juggle. How kind of you to give them an hour to play catch up.
Patricia Scales
I have received similiar complaints this term from my students as well. My response is always the same, while I can understand how difficult this can be sometimes it is just a matter of time management and working on better study skills. I use this opportunity to discuss both of these topics as part of a group discussion. Also, I try to leave atleast an hour a week to give students an opportunity to catch up on homework or to study. Students really appreciate this time and are often very productive.
I had similar complaints from my students until last semester. We discussed the situation in class and the outcome was to make assignments due on the following Monday whenever possible. Tests are given either Monday or Tuesday depending on how much review time is required for the material from the previous week. This allows the student to work on asignments as time permits during the week and really work on it on the weekend. It did require restructuring some of the sequence I present material but the students actually like this and performance has improved.
