Throughout the years I have been teaching I have had to deal with many students that were faced with challenges. There has been times when I have worked with students that have lost their jobs, loved ones, homes, and students that have been diagnosed with severe medical conditions. During these challenging times I have learned to apply these best practices. 1) Imagine that I was in their position (this helps me put things in to perspective) 2) Reach out to the student to provide extra support 3) Work with administrative staff on the behalf of the student 4) Increased my availability for the student 5) Offer suppoort by listening 6) Search for ways to motivate the student to push them to the finish line