Dealing with Difficult Students
I have found that I need to keep in mind that the student and I are in a partnership - they are attending college to better themselves and I am engaged in helping them sharpen their skills and discover hidden talents. This attitude helps me distance myself from a potential personality clash and enables me to see the difficulty from a technical perspective - a puzzle to be solved - rather than as an instructor-student conflict.
Hi James,
I concur! Students will play on your weaknesses, if you allow them to. Let them know that you are in full control by your actions.
Patricia Scales
One thing he Instructor must do in dealing with difficult students is not allow their ego to make the situation worse than it already is. Difficult students often challenge the intructor's authority, sometimes in front of the class. If the Instructor over reacts he allows the student to gain control and establishes a "button" that the student knows he can push to get attention. The instructor must control his own reaction and not take the student's actions too seriously. It's not personal, just business. Don't empower the student with control over you. Smile! Let them know that they are wasting their time trying to get your goat, so to speak.
Has this been a successful tactic for you? I have tried to set parameters to avoid student misperceptions about our relationships I n class and found that I only created a greater divide between my class and me. I really think we have to "toe the line" with each individual student. Some really need more of that human touch connection; others can "take a hint" with a verbal warning or a drop in their grade. I've had students that were very difficult to deal with, and because they're adults they don't always respect you or authority figures! Fortunately, one of my stronger willed personalities in this area was actually just a cry for help. There was so much going on with her personally that her inappropriate behavior was just her means of lashing out. My program director and I dug to the root of the problem with this student and found that she had a learning disability. Upon working with her in a more individualized setting, she passed and went on to find a job! It is still a very rewarding feeling to know that we pushed thru and got her to where she wanted to be!
