How we mantaining calm on a stressful situation in class?
Can anyone share any experience on when had a stressful situation as a teacher during a class and when a student, Thanks' to jis/her attitude just made it worste, how did you keep your calm and overcome this situation?
We all know the theory part but this unaspected issue arise really anaspacted!!
Thank you
Patrick
sultana,
Remaining calm is very important. I was in charge of a school for behavior disordered students for many years. My direction to all our instructors was to surprise the students with your calm emotions and ability to stay on track. Behavior often is a tactic to get behavior out of you the teacher. If it is negative it is expected negative behavior will be the response. When you don't allow this to happen the student will over time diminish the negative behavior. Check the precedent behavior is also important to understand how and why they behave the way they do. Good Luck
Gary
Dr. Gary Carlson
some times it is very difficult to stay calm on a stressful situation in class. Stress can be caused by a too big class size, unprofessional attitude of a student or instructor, lack of confidence in teaching a specific subject,anything. Remain calm is very important. It is very important to identify the reason for the stressful situation and solve the problem accordingly.
Sharon,
Every situation often has leaders. These leaders can be used to your benefit if they see you as honest, ethical and caring.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I find that each class has its own personality. What works for one class may not work for another class. Sometimes the class may have generations in it that require more explanation (Millennium Gen), some need straight talk (Gen X). I find sometimes if we talk to the individuals (class leaders) rather than the class as a whole, we can sometimes put a lid on those situations that can blow up quickly.
I manage stressful situations in the classroom by remembering that I am the model that my students need to emulate. If I am stressed, they will stress out and it will just escalate. Even if I am not calm on the inside, the outside persona needs to remain calm.
Austin,
Sometimes distraction is good to take a pressure cooker situation down to a simmer. Your idea is a good one when it is appropriate. This works best when students or employees have a high regard for their leader.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Thank you for the insight. I agree that keeping calm is important. In the culinary world, emotions can run high. We are dealing with sharp knives and fire on a daily basis. Every once in a while, things get a little "heated" in the kitchen among individuals or groups of students. I try to use humor as often as possible to reduce the stress level of the student if I feel that it is on the verge of getting out of hand. I try to get the individual or group to laugh until they calm down.
Patrick,
I worked as a teacher for behavioral disordered students for over 20 years. My Masters Degree is in Special Education. I have experienced these behaviors numerous times. The best advice I could give you is to keep your cool. When students have inappropriate behavior we need to acknowledge the behavior and explain a more appropriate method of communicating their point. When a student raises their emotions their expectation is for you to raise your emotions. Never rise to their level of emotion. Stay calm and keep moving in the appropriate direction. I know this is hard but it will take some time but when your reactions are not what they wanted to achieve they will begin to change.
Dr. Gary Carlson
