A student's stress
I work at a school where stress is usually high within the students. They either have lost their job and that's why they are going through our program to better themselves, or they work fulltime at a place they aren't happy and come at night so that they can have a future career they love.
When it becomes overwhelming for them, I just remind them why they are here and how much better life will be when they graduate. I have them write out goals for so many weeks out to make the time go faster for them (like a count down to graduation). I reinforce the positive's of being in school and the benifits of finishing it, what a reward it is!
Yes, I agree, you learn what it is you need to learn, absorb the information and if the information is conducive use and learn from it!
I agree school is temporary, the importance is to grab a hold of everyone's knowledge, absorb it, because you never know when you might have to use it!
chhayaben, grades are personal. Why would you share them openly in class?
Yes, I agree with you. All students in my class are age above 25. In other words, they have family and wither they lost job or looking forwatd to make better carrier. They are prepared for all stree- Finincial and time. But actually when they are finding course work is either not easy or they are not able to keep up in class, they get frusteted and this increases the stress level
Most of the students doesn't mind if we share their grades in class. But yes, some of the students take it too personal.
I too find that many of my students have had the same problems and i also talk up it a journey and hard work pays off. Work hard play hard, it all comes in time, just keep you eye on the target and keep focus.
The "JUST" simply put is an easy way of doing something. It can help the student to realize his purpose for getting and education. A student has had many problems that can occur in their life. It seems that the current issues causes their education to falter. The "Just" gets a student's mind on the future of education. If they continue on the "here and present" problem on hand, they seem to only settlte for the issues on hand. Many current "DROPPED" students have accepted the problems and never looked to the future.
Rich, have you found this to be effective? When a person is in pain they may want a more concrete solution.
Mitchell, what's the JUST reminder? I'm not familiar with this acronym. Why do you think it worked?
I try and remind my students this is temorary (School) and soon they will reap the benefits of their hard work.
I used to use the old "JUST" reminder that the end way ends the journey. I'm currently using it as a forceful reminder. Believe it or not....it worked.
I routinely speak with college staff responsible for student persistence. I am stunned by the number who say their students don't like to read and wouldn't be responsive to tools that could be very beneficial to them if it includes a lot of text.
Your points are good for these students, David. The work has to be done; do it.
I have students similar to Erica's. I have had a lot of students who have lost their jobs and are now currently enrolled because of that. It can be frustrating at times but I remind them that at the end of their schooling they will be able to do what they have always wanted to do, massage therapy. For those who have lost their jobs I remind them that it will all work out in the end and that they have a second chance.
Unfortunately, the biggest problem with school stress is that there is no way around all this work. It has to be done whether you like it or not, so at some point you need to actually sit down and do it. That is the bad news. The good news is that others have done it before you and it can be turned into a manageable duty.
Much as you are probably tired of hearing about it, the key to all of this is to prioritize your tasks. Figure out what needs to be done first, what needs to be done second, then third and so on. If you need to make a list of everything that needs doing so that you can then rate the priority, by all means do so. It is actually fairly therapeutic to make a list and it will help to reduce your school stress simply by putting everything in order. Then, when you finish a task, you can cross it off.
Once you have your prioritized list of tasks, it is time to get things done. While you are doing your work, do not think about your other tasks. Just keep your mind on what you are doing at the time. If it is physics equations, just do the equations and don't ponder anything else. Keep focused and get through until the work is completed. Then, cross it off your list and move on to the next task.
Interesting question, Gerald. Of course the student´s rights to privacy protects him from the school sharing this information, but it´s quite likey a classmate will find out. What happened with your student¿
You never know what kind of day a student has had before class or over the weekend. After having to speak with a student that confessed to having no place to stay and was sleeping in his car, sink showering in gas stations and saving what small amounts of money he had for laundry, food and gas is heart breaking. How does that affect this person and class mates when they find out?
That is a good idea...I will keep that in my memory bank and give it a try
