Students with personal problems
There are some students with personal problems and they use it as an excuse not to come to class or show up to class 1hr late for a class that last 1hr 50mins. what can i do to help them to catch up or to make the effort to get to class earlier or something? help
Ophelia,
Talk with them individually and see if you can refer them to agencies or an office that can provide them help to cope with some of their influencing personal issues. Also let them know the standards you are setting in your course are the ones that their field will expect of them as well. So being on time is not unique to just your class. I give my students a couple of times of being tardy and then I tell them we start at a certain time and if they are late they will not be admitted to the class. I want them to understand I am obligated as a professional educator to share with them prescribed information and for them to miss that information is reducing my ability to do my job. If they continue to be late I remove them from the class until which time they are ready to be students that adhere to the requirements of the college. To take their excuses and let them in an hour late is a dis-service to the other students and that is not acceptable.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Very well said. I find that often this is a learned behavior on the part of the student and many times the move to set the higher required standard can help them readjust their focus. I am in a position at this career college that its early in their developement when I get them so the sooner I adjust that behavior the better for the student and the school.
I deal with this daily with students. I have started giving them deadlines to have work submitted before resulting in zeros and sticking to it. I know we all do this, but sticking to it is the biggest thing. We must advise them that their behaviors are not acceptable in the work force. We are training them to be professionals and having those contingency plans are the key.
Shiketheia,
Your last sentence really says it all. Yes we are training them to be professionals so we must uphold the standards of our field. If we let them slide by then it wont 'be long before employers will stop hiring our graduates because we are sending our poorly trained individuals that cannot make it in their field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You are so right Gary: We see this every semester when the students go out for practicum experience. Not coming on time, not taking initiative to do task. So we must put our foot down. When we send them out, we want to be proud.
Hi all,
When we are dealing with a small student population, and student retention is one of the major keys to the financial success or failure of the school (thus potentially resulting in the school closing its doors), I am almost forced to coddle them, 'bend' the rules, and do almost anything possible to get them through the program. Is this right? In a perfect world, no. But in our case, what do we do? We have an unspoken motto at our school, "We never give up on students." Even those who 'drive us nuts' because they constantly have some personal issue that is impacting their ability to be present or to do well on exams. Then we have them re-testing exams all the time because failed the first time, or we have to reschedule exams for them because they missed the originally scheduled exam, or we have them coming during off hours to make up attendance (we are a clock-hour program), and so on. It's EXHUASTING. So how does a school like mine handle the students with personal problems if we can't really afford to enforce the policies you specified above for fear of losing them?
Shiketheia,
They really need to get the message about being prompt and dedicated to their work. If they aren't they are not going to be successful and it won't be long before employers will stop taking students from your school. We need to strive to always turn out top quality well prepared new professionals. Our students need to see that pride we have in helping them to be successful if they will put in the work needed.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David,
You certainly are in a tough situation because with even all you do I would wonder about the quality of those that complete your program. How will they function in the workplace when their employers won't let them come when and if they want to or leave when they want to, not to mention the quality of work while they are there. I would think this would mean that before long employers won't be seeking graduates of the program.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
from my experiences I listen to them as much as possible and help them without getting to far out of the student-instructor relationship. if I cant help them as much as I would like to then I will send to the student advisers.
Nearly 60% of our students are former military and many have PTSD. All of our instructors have been taught how to handle certain personal issues with these students. One-on-one discussions with each student on how to better aid their learning is the most reasonable. After all, they are adults and we're taught to treat them as such. If the problem persists (tardiness etc) then we have a counselor on staff who can address the situation.
Eddie,
Listening is a valuable teaching tool that instructors need to develop. When we are listening we are learning and then we are able to take what we have learned and more accurately relate to our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
John,
Thank you for these comments on how to work with a student population like this. Instructors are not expected to handle all situations that come their way so by having resources that can be called upon on and referral sources available the students get the support they need when they need it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have a few students in class who have taken too many courses, and also have a job. Then they start lagging behind the class in their work. When we discuss this, they say that they have to work to sustain themselves, and they also have to take more courses to get their degree sooner. I tell them to take as much load as they can bear, or they may fail both in college as well as at work.
Khalid,
Good advice that you are offering them. They need to be able to see the value of what they are learning and how the courses they are taking fit into their career development. They need to see that the courses are more than just steps to a degree they are an investment in their future.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The majority of my students are from a military background and approximately 20% of the students suffer with some degree of PTSD. As an educator I must be aware of this problem and observe the students as they deal with the stresses of the classroom.
George,
We are seeing increased numbers of students coming such backgrounds. You are right the more we know how to support them and help them be successful the more effective we will be. Thank you for bringing up this important point.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David you are in a tough situation; however the rules are there to hold the student reponsible for their actions. With that being said we know that the financial situation is key. We all need a job. Bend the rules but don't break them. We have to sit with our students as well when they miss class. I give them a 10 minute grace period (unspoken) in the morning. If it is abused it is stopped. The school has a "no unexcussed absence" policy so when a student misses a test they are deducted 10% and quizzes can't be made up. So at the begining of the term we discuss the rules regarding missed time and make-up for exams. I set a specific day(s) for make-up and it is added into their calendar. Only if they miss after the the last scheduled makeup day or can not complete their missed hours within those day(s) they must speak with the program director and explain. This take the pressure off of you and maked the student accountable to soomeone higher up. Yes the fear is real but in the lone run you have to do what is right and best for the student.
I see this as well. One thing that helps my students is a positivity drill first thing in the morning. I spend the first few minutes of every class going around the room and letting everyone share one positive thing that they experienced the day before. From the beginning of the term we set ground rules as a class to create an open, non-judgmental atmosphere. Students open up about their issues or problems and they really bond with one another. Over the term, students help each other with solutions and share information. They listen and empathize...and have a hard time leaving one another after the term ends...
Lana,
This is one of the enjoyable parts about being an instructor. When you see a class come together and create a learning community it makes you feel good as the learning leader. They form a bond while in the class and this will continue after course completion. You are the support and glue that holds the class together while they are creating their cohort bonds.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
