How to stay positive with negative students?
We have 2 out of 3 that are negative how do we keep them positive with out feeling pulled into the negative or losing the third student to joining them.
Dena,
How sad! So many students have this 'negative talk' constantly going through their head that becomes self-fulfilled.
Susan Backofen
I had a student who literally "sabotaged" herself. She would say things in the classroom like "I'm stupid", "I am too old for this", "I should go back to being a housewife". All of her classmates and instructors were ALWAYS trying to get her to turn the negativity around, but she absolutely refused to do this. She would email myself and the assistant director every day looking for reassurance, and it was provided. However, when it came time for her to extern, she refused to complete the required skill (interpret and order and draw up medication, throwing her hands in the air, stating "I can't do this" bursting into tears and running out of the classroom. The student was offered multiple attempts to redo the skills and everytime, the reaction was the same. After the final attempt, she was dimissed from the program, as it had been an additional 6 months of "trying again". It became extremely difficult to continue being positive with her and encouraging, as she would come back everyday with the same "woe is me" attitude.
Instructors have a BIG impact on the overall class attitude. I try to remain positive, this means ignoring some of the petty conversations that occur. It is important to address the negative concerns in a positive manner. If a student is identified as the instingator I am cauious to keep an ear open while changing/rearranging the group partners. If the negative individual is persistant, I will ask other faculity/administration staff to interact after I address and note any conservations.
Regan,
Agreed. And we need to remind ourselves that our job is to get them career-ready. This means not only the 'hard' skills of their trade, but the soft skills that are the cause of so many people being terminated. Negative attitudes is one of those.
Susan Backofen
This can be a very toxic situation, and can easily have a domino effect. I will always try to ignore the negative behavior, like with a young child, but if it gets out of hand the student(s) need to step out and the issues needs to be addressed immediately in a positive manner, it is 100% unfair for anyone to bring their negative to a classroom where others are there for an education and probably have their own “drama†that they are dealing with at home, that they are not bringing to class…I have very little tolerance for negative behavior, if it is THAT bad, the student need not be in class.
I agree. Sometimes prior experiences or current personal issues can cause people to be negative. They may think everyone is out to get them, but if we can find some kind of connection with them, that may be what turns them around.
i always encourage the positive students to remain positive by focusing their conversation, activities and energy on the things that will have a positive impact on "their" lives, not get sucked into negative situations when they see them
That is an important step in the right direction, as I've found that a negative student can have a dramatic impact on the classes’ attitude as a whole left unchecked. We too, try to get to the bottom of the students frustration ASAP, to help lessen the issue and or resolve the problem.
Find their comfort zone. It could be a recent movie they saw, an event in the city, a high school activity they were good at. Something you can relate to that will aloow they to drop their guard. Once their guard is down you can begin talking to them about your topic of interest.
Julie,
You make an important point...'with the student's best interest at heart'. Many times students are negative about something relatively small that has festered or something totally unrelated to school. Other times, a frank but caring discussion about attitude is in order. It is important to remember we are there to help them, even when that means stating the hard truth.
Susan Backofen
I agree, when our education team notices or hears that a student is being negative we address it right away to try and limit how much the negeativity spreads. Most of the time a good conversation with the student with their best interest at heart solves the problem. Usually you can identify where the negativity is coming from and help to identify ways to solve the issue.
This can be challenging. Negativity can fester and cause serious shifts in a cohort or campus.
When this occurs, our student services department, along with some instructors, will pull students aside to discuss the situation. We may also take the opportunity to pull them as a group. This way we can hear their concerns and to try to work through their worries and find resources or suggestions that the students, and sometimes the school, can use to move forward.
This topic can be a difficult one as I have a student that is very challenging and very hard to not get frustrated with her. I try and be patient and understand she learns and has questions in a very different way.
