I am teaching adults...need advice please.?

Question

one of my students is a major problem....i find myself not liking her and dont really care if she even passes my class...all she does is cause major problems and i am not sure how to deal with this...i love my job but am afriad i cant deal with this kind of student any suggestions would be helpful thank you

Answer 1

The first thing you should do is talk to the co-ordinator of the program and explain the situation. If there are specific things she does during your class then they should be addressed as they happen without disrupting the class too much (i.e. say her name, ask her to stop, then to see you during break).
It seems this has turned into a big issue therefore at this point I suggest asking her to stay after class for a conversation and invite another teacher (or student) to join you as a witness so you can effectively clear the situation without prejudice

Answer 2

One of the first duties of a teacher is to treat all your students the same whether you like them or not. You shouldn't be too friendly to students you like and you have to find something you like about students you don't. This isn't easy but it is important.

There is at least some redeeming feature about everyone - find it.

Unlike the the other respondants I don't think that you should immediately go over that person's head nor do I think that its likely that the school is hiding some medical information from you. (though anything is possible)

If you are both adults then you both have to act like it. The first thing you should do is talk to the person. Find a good moment to have a little private chat. Find out what is going on. Talk about the specific behavior that you don't like. Tell them that you don't like it and why. This almost always solves the problem right there but sometimes you have to take it a little further.

If you have let it get to the point where you can't have a civil discussion then you may have to bring someone else in but you need to keep communication lines open and not let it get to that point.

Examine yourself too. Are you really being fair. Is it just a clash of personalities or is this person really doing something that is significantly unacceptable.

Sometimes you have to put your foot down and remove them from the class but this is very rare. I had an adult male student attack a female student once and even though the school was ready to re-admit him, I wouldn't let him back in my class. I've had other conflicts with students but that was the only time that I couldn't resolve it with discussion.

I teach adults too, in fact I teach methodology, and I like my job too. I know that teaching is both difficult and rewarding. I know that a conflict with one student can ruin a class. I also know that most conflicts are at least partially the teachers fault.

Maintaining a 'professional distance' with your students (again whether you like them or not) is important.

You have to be friendly but if you try too hard to be everyone's friend then you lose your authority and you lessen your impact as a teacher.

Answer 3

I'd suggest taking this student aside and having a friendly chat with her. Ask her why she acts the way she does. She might have problems at home. She might be trying to fit in with certain peers.

Explain that her behavior interferes with the ability of other students to learn.

Explain that if she does not want to learn anything, that is her choice, but she does not have the right to interfere with the learning of others.

Explain that the ONE thing that can help her be anyone/anything she wants to be is knowledge. Employers pay for what a person knows. The more you know the more you get paid and the more opportunities come your way. If you don't know much, you might be working at a fast food restaurant surrounded by grease and receiving $5.50 an hour.

I used to teach adults and I know...a teacher DOES care about every student. I enjoyed such a warm feeling watching my students start an electronics course when they knew nothing about it and six months later they were repairing PC's. I helped each and every one of them get to that stage and it was a great feeling.

They all were sort of....losers...when they started, but after they learned what I taught them, they ALL got good paying jobs.

Explain that to her.

Answer 4

Here are some things to keep in mind.

Your job is to provide your students with the information and skills instruction outlined in your syllabus, in a manner that is conducive to learning.

You do not have to LIKE anybody.

You DO have to do your part to provide instruction, re-teaching of information and skills if the first time around didn't sink in, and unbiased grading of assignments and exams based on the simple question... "Did this student demonstrate the skill and/or knowledge the assignment or test was measuring?"

Since you are not specific about what "major problems" this student is causing, we cannot give you specific advice in that area. Talk with your supervisor/department head about the situation. If you have trouble defining what is bothering you about this student, ask your supervisor to observe a couple of classes and see if he/she can pick up on what's going on. You will have to realize that it takes two to make a relationship, so there will be things the supervisor notices about your behavior that adds to the problem, too. Listen to his/her advice with an open mind. Learn from this situation. This won't be the only student in your teaching career that makes you feel this way.

Answer 5

I don't know exactly what she's done, so I can't recommend an approach, but I've got a hunch that she has a mental health disability. Someone at your school may know that and have the file, but you wouldn't necessarily be informed for reasons of confidentiality. If she is disabled, she will have certain protections under state and federal law in the US.

On the other hand, you have protections, too. I've filed police reports against junior high school students for harrassment. You can file police reports against adult students if they've committed a crime.

I hope you have a knowledgeable person in administration you can talk to about these issues, but I've been around education long enough to know there's no guarantee. It may be time for you to do your own research. If you know any counselors or police officers, they can probably give you some insight, too.