Doing the Right Thing...
I have found that asking a difficult student to leave the classroom is something I have avoided to reduce uncomfortable outcomes. However, If not dealt with the impact and message sent to the students who are committed to learning is far to negative and creates additional problems for my overall class objectives and course goals.
I agree with this view. Moreover,many students will not hesitate to request that the disruptive student be given a warning.
Each term I forge a relationship specifically with some students who shows leadership qualities, I help to recognize their strength thru peer pressure that can help to create an inclusive and orderly learning environment. This helps as much as any policy I could aspire to enforce.
Hi Brenda,
I have seen it differently with the rest of the students. The other students are generally happy that the difficult student has been removed! Most students do not appreciate having difficult students in the classroom.
Patricia Scales
It seems to me that when you have to ask a difficult student to leave the class room the rest of the students are sometimes uncomfortable . But a problem student should not be able to dictate class by disrupting it .
Hi Micheal,
It is nothing wrong with giving students an option so that you put the situation back on the student. Most students will straighten up after being spoken to.
Patricia Scales
After listening to the response, I might then offer the student to leave or stay - expressing that if he or she chooses to stay, he or she need to act professionl maner is a great ideal the student make the choose
Fortunately enough, my difficult students act out in a variety of ways. Tardiness or missing class is a major one, and when it happens, they get locked out if they come after the cutoff period we have established in our student manual. If they miss too many days, they can't come back without first talking to student services. As far as dealing with them in class, if they are disruptive to the point of interrupting class, they go talk to student services or I send them out with something to do until such time that they can come back without disrupting anyone else in the class.
In the past I would take the behavior of the difficult student personally, so I wouldn't deal with the situation. Now, I realize that this is often a part of test the boundaries and once the students are aware that you can and will handle the situation it reduces the problem.
Asking a difficult student to leave the classroom is something I would try not to do. It could potentially cause en unwanted escilation to the situation. Instead I might assign a quiet 5 minute written assignment to the class and pull that student to the side to ask what is going on and then listen.....often this difussed the inappropirate student response, or at least lends clarity to it. After listening to the response, I might then offer the student to leave or stay - expressing that if he or she chooses to stay, I need them to be an active, non (whatever it is they were doing that made them difficult) student.
