Little by Little
When a student is in my office and is overwhelmed with school life, work life and personal life. I like to give them advice about how to take one thing at a time. Where ever they may be, home, school or work.They have to focus on the task at hand. Once they have executed that task they can move on. Because they now own it and no one can take that from them.
I too have students that act out during class as a means to get attention. What I have found to help understand this out cry is by teaching several different courses during the year, I may have had this student previously and recognized a concern with their behavoir, and I am more apt to respond to this situation differently, and provide guidance to help solve their concern.
I recently had a student that became upset with one of our departments and immediatly developed a bad attitude that began disrupting class. When I pulled the student into my office to discuss his actions, he opened up to his problems. His entire world was falling apart in a short time span. Realizing quickly that this was beyond the instructor's capabilities, I called our school councilor who came to talk to the student. After her help, the student's attitude changed and he started appologizing to everyone. He did not realize that there are sometimes simple solutions to mounting problems and that it may take a couple of people to help work them out if they will let them.
I agree the students generaly are overwhelmed with the day to day things that come up and when they come to school they often have a hard time concentrating on the task provided for them that day getting them to concentrate on the task at hand is difficult
