I have a somewhat unique perspective. I was a customer service professional for 15 years before becoming an adjunct instructor. The course material that describes how to be "customer oriented" (listening, creating relationships, flexible problem-solving, etc)is right on the money, but what was left out was the word "perception". The customer service experience is all about perceptions: how people perceive they are being treated. As instructors, we all need to keep our ears open for the little comments made in the hallways between classes to gauge our students' perceptions, and then react accordingly to change or shape them.

I teach only one night a week, and find discipline in my class very difficult to enforce. There are usually no administrators in the building after 5pm, so finding an official to help me deal with a disruptive student is not always possible. Any ideas on how to enforce professional discipline "on my own" in my classroom?

Approximately half of my class is ELL. While I feel that the lecture portion is somewhat absorbed, I lose them when it's time to take a test. There is very poor comprehension when reading the test, and it follows that the failure rate is high. I do not know how to fix this gap.