Annette, many students have similar experiences. This is why we as professional educators need to always be mindful of the possible outside influences that may get in the way of knowledge transfer. If students hear more negative than positive then they tend to become the negative. According to Dr. Joe Pace of The Pacific Institute, it take 11 positives to make up for a single negative so consider that as you focus on your activities for knowledge transfer. The more you can find ways to focus on the positive the better your students will eventually react. James Jackson