Hi John,
If it happens again warn them, and if the warning doesn't work, remove them from the class.
Patricia
I always try to watch my positioning and body language so that I am not in direct opposition of the student
I always try and get the student to identify who what and why they are angry. Having a nebulous gripe discussion helps noone.
Isolation from the group or class is good since some of them like that sort of form. I also like to bring in someone in upper management as they sometimes want to know that they are being heard. It also gives you as an instructor back up just in case they really loose control.
Thankfully this doesn't happen often. I have had an angry student and two immature students who played off each other. It was difficult at times to teach at all. If this were to happen again I would be more inclined to assign permanent seating to keep them separated. Hands-on work helped to keep things more focused. In massage this is easier than in other types of course work.
I think one should be calm and attentive. The consideration and reassurance given to the student will definately be helpful.
Marko,
You are so right. Listen and care. Students see, hear and feel that. So many of them have had the total opposite, perhaps most of their lives.
Denise
Listen carefully. See where they are coming from and attempt to offer ways to fix the issue. care. Let them know.
I would let the student come to me and let me know what the problem is and we sit down and work out the solution together.
I remove them from the students if possible. I find someone to witness our conversation. I have the student write down the grievance. I listen and let the student vent.
First I try to allow the student time to calm down then I try a gentle approach to get them to open about what is bothering them. Sometimes they just need a listening hear.
Hi Ashia,
I agree completely with your response. When I teach customer service to my students, I emphasize to them that to help solve customer problems it's beneficial to find a mediator to help out when possible. "The Power in Numbers."
I would try to do my best to remain calm but it is hard to do for me personally. When I stay calm and really listen to the student, I come to the question of why. Why are they angry? But I can't let them hear this question. I feel it may agitate them more.
So, my feedback is to resepctfully paraphrase what the student is getting angry about. I would try to start out with the statement "Let me see if I can get this straight, you are saying ..."
I've taught Customer Service class where paraphrasing was one of the key strategies of dealing with angry customers.
When a student is that angry I will allow them time to collect their thoughts and than come to me so we can have a calm rationale discussion. It always seems that the angry person cant organize their thoughts when they are that angry.
The first thing I would do for an angry student is to listen first to all of their concerns and than repeat back to them what they said in my own words to let them know that I was listening. I would than ask them for possible solutions they have in mind and suggest some of my own and come to a mutal agreement if possible. If the situation was beyond my scope I would ask for a third party to step in.
Hi Marlin,
Great response! It sounds like you have had some experience in this area. You are right, it is hard to rationalize with a student when they are angry.
Patricia
I take the student in the hallway or find an empty classroom and ask the student what the problem is. I listen and allow the student to vent their feelings. If it is in regards to a class rule, I reiterate the reason for the rule. If there is another issue, I ask how I can help. I give them a break to calm down before re-entering class.
In my previous teaching positions, my physical presence and eye contact got the message across in class to stop the behavoir. I followed that with an invite to talk after class. That always did the trick. However, at career college I have had two students who were especially challenging. In both cases, it was life issues such as abuse, divorce, finances, etc. Both students acted up in other classes and were eventually given warnings. One has dropped out and the other student seems to be turning around. You can't save students from the life that they have created in the two hours that you see them in a week. You can only listen and care.
I had an episode where I was confronted by several angry students at once and felt like I was on a "firing line". A sudden departure of a faculty member left the school scrambling for instructors to 'fill in the gaps'. I ended up filling in for a class with understandbly angry students and they "let their cannons loose" on me the first day I showed up. It would have been so helpful if I had already taken the tutorial you offer in this series on relating to the angry student. My "gut" reaction was to remain silent and let the members of the class verbalize their frustrations and try not to take it personally. Some students walked out on me and I offered to meet with them individually after class to offer my understanding of their frustration and to
let them know I would do what I could and that I valued their input. Your tutorial has given me many strategies that will undoubtedly be very helpful to me in the future as I encounter angry students.
I try to talk with the student and find out what is going on with him/her and then from there we can solve the problem.
