It takes a lot of ambition and sticktoitiveness to work and stay in class. It is easy to get discouraged from beibg too tired and not having a healthy social life, plus missing family. I think missing family is the most common reason I see. Treating the students like they belong in my classroom helps them to feel more at home.
Could you share some specific techniques that have been successful for you, Kerry?
The class has to interesting I always try to be as entertaining as possable this really helps
Good point, Patrick. While there are many outside pressures that may lead to a student missing class, the role of the instructor is sometimes a factor as well. Lack of enthusiasm or empathy can result in students losing interest in the subject.
Good suggestions, Bob. Does your school have a peer mentor program to formalize the passing of information and best practices to newer students?
Students with poor attendance are the ones most likely to fail or even quit the program.
I find that major attendance issues develop when students don't see the course material as interesting or relevant. Once you show the student how mastering the curriculum will improve their lives and help them get to where they want to be in life most students are anxious to attend. If the instructor is not enthusiastic about the material the students are not likely to see it as valuable either.
I've acctually found the majority of students who quit comming to class do this due to graduation. For the others it's usually thru the grapevine you hear about outside influences made the decision for the student not just the student giving up. Some things just cannot be helped.
common reasons include, but are not limited to,
money, job, girlfriend/boyfriend high expectations from parents. Lack of money is a
stress inducing item that is common to many of our students because without money, they would not be able to complete their education. I have been successful in the past by suggesting ways of dealing with this problem. These include,a different job, change of job hours, various programs that will aid the student in keeping more of his earned income such as our food bank
etc: In many cases good help can come from another student who has recently dealt with the same problem and has been successful in resolving it. Although each case must be looked at on an individual basis, many have something in common which can be used to show the student that he is not alone.
I beleive a common reason for My students to quit comeing to class is being confronted with the real world. Most of Our students are on their own for the first time in their life and trying to work, go to school, and pay bills can overwhelm them. Letting them know You care means alot to them and telling them how much You respect what they are doing can't hurt.
Homesickness seems to be a recurring theme. How long is your program? Do they have any breaks when they can get home to re-charge their batteries?
Does your school have a life skills course? Do you include any of these "soft skills" in your technical courses?
Does your school get proactively involved with student's health issues? Do you have a referral program to an area health care provider?
Keeping a student focused on his goals sometimes is a challenge to all involved, Money issues, family concerns, girlfriend / wife, sepperation from them and if children are also involved makes it very diffulcult for them to stay focused on their goals. When teaching in course 101, I have the students write down their goals and keep then close by for when things get rough and they are wanting to go home, and they are tired of being away from family...lets go back over our reasons why we came here.Also making myself approachable so they can talk anytime is very inportant.
Why not contact the student directly? Why have another student make the call?
Many times there are financial reasons,stemming from living on a shoestring budget.If any outside influence rocks the boat ,even just a little,it can throw the student into a tailspin.At this stage of their lives,I would say most of these students aren't experienced to handle these rough times,and it can be overwhelming to them.By communicating to the students early on that by talking about these issues,it might save a few from more drastic end results.
We only have our students for a 3 week window of time (That’s 15 days, or 90 hours). This gives us only a brief time to get to know our students. As has been mentioned in the previously submitted comments there are numerous reasons students quit coming to class. Many are due to factors not related to school.
Students who attend the morning sessions often have different reasons then the students attending the afternoon sessions. Even the placement of when the student is schedule to take the course you are teaching presents different problems. When I am teaching my course at the beginning of their time here at the campus the reasons have more to do with adjustment of first time away from home, finding a job, coming from a small town to a large city, and homesickness. When I teach my course at the end of their time here at the campus and they are close to graduating few quit coming to class unless there is a personal problem outside of school that overwhelms them. Sometimes these are life problems that are beyond their control or just poor choices with bad consequences.
By listening to the students communicate with each other on a daily basis it may be easier for you to pick up on the warning signs without the student even mentioning any problems or stresses they may be having. Comments made about transportation issues, burglary of their apartment or vehicle, family problems, accidents or illness, financial problems where the student feels he needs or wants to quit school so they can work full time to make more money, dissatisfaction with their job, laid off from their job, housing arrangements, homesickness, and others can lead to an opening to intercede. If a student knows you care they are more likely to mention issues that you can then help them with. I also keep my manager aware of any warning signs that I have become aware of. That way they can guide me on the correct path of assistance the student may need.
students stop coming to class for many different reasons,one of the more common ones is health issues...with them directly or a family member.
As an instructor, you try to recognize when a student is being themself...you ask some none invasive questions and offer support and/or advice to see them through it
I have another student call or see that student to contact me so i can try to find out if anything can be done to help them with what has happened or is going to happen to try to help them with all my abilitys.
Audie Toney
TTL phase 35
Avondale Az.
Bob, do you have any suggestions on how to make a connection with the quiet, distant students?
On the surface the first indicators are usually grades. However, as we all know, the greater influences are outside the campus. I have discovered that communicating to these young people short stories about my lifes successes & FAILURES, it seems to connect on a personal level. Still, one must not forget those that are quiet & may appear distant. One must seek these individuals out to discover if there are potential issues to deal with or is it nothing more than their personallity trait.
