I have found during my experience with challenging students, some either forgot or did not get the ground work or they have forgotten the necessary concepts that are needed to be applied to the current task at hand. Therefore, they become frustrated and challenging.

I can really relate to worrying about the "what ifs". I teach four hour long classes and starting out my biggest fear was, "what if I run out of material at the third hour?" I always tried to plan an extra hour's worth of material. However, now Im finding that I dont have enough time to get everything I have planned accomplished. Im starting to relax a little more and realize that it is "ok" to have a ten or twenty minute discussion that I did not include in my lesson plan.

Just a comment on this subject. I think it's important to keep the psychomotor activities within the scope of class subject matter. Class time is valuable and engaging students in activities that are not relevant mitigates any arguments you make regarding how the class benefits them in a real-world sense.

Maintaining a professional demeanor helps to set the standard by which the students should strive for.

I find it hard to deal with the alpha student! It disrupts the class and makes me frustrated.

I find it very difficult to controll adult students who become disruptive.

I like to engage the students by reversing the role and having them teach on a topic

It is important to establish rules right from the beginning on use off computers, cell phones, and all elecronics.

In today's classroom and the fluid nature of information even the worst student can trump you with the right smart phone. Admission that learning is a two way street is the best defense and a great offence as well.

I have found that once rules and expectations are established, one need only say "I" am reacting to what "you" have given me.

People are people. The examples given are caricatures. It should be a given that there are blends of the examples given and those that are missing. What of the "know it all?"

The structure of today's syllibi should reflect a paperless environment

"The problem with immediacy is that it is often self defeating", very well said, by doing everything at once leads one to commit mistakes and it slows down progress of an instructor. Prioritizing, list importance of work and doing it in order is the good way. A good point.

When difficult situations arise in the classroom setting and are not dealt with, the student then takes same behavior/attitude to clinical settings. Clinical sites should not be the place to start dealing with situations/inappropriate behavior. Students in the field represent our profession and our employers. Thank you for this discussion.

Did not know of this information since it is my first time teaching

Good class now I know how to deal with all tyoes of attitudes

Good Class

Don't you love these students. Fortunately, these are the minority, but take the majority of your time. I have found it helpful to document all my interactions with them in an unofficial journal format. This includes formal meetings with documented forms, but also in passing or during a break when they come talk to you. This is incredibly helpful when they come back to you 2 weeks later and state something you said, but with their own 'twist' on it. You can refer to your notes, times, dates, etc and that usually sends a strong message about the assignment deadline or grade. How do you deal with these students effectively?

I could not count the number of times students of mine have brought personal problems to my attention. It almost seemed like it occurred on a daily basis. What I did to conteract this was to listen, not give my opinion on the issue, and squash it as quickly as possible. As much as I wanted to relate to them or give personal experiences, I could not; especially if it involved outside-the-classroom experiences. The reason why I avoid these issues is the notion of professionalism. Am I there to be their counselor or am I there to be their instructor? I had to ask myself that question on multiple occurances during this past semester. I wanted to share my experiences at times, but I knew my decision was the right thing. I am not their "buddy," I am their instructor. I saw this even more within a high school setting, but that is another topic. Drawing that line is key to become a good instructor.

During this past semester, I had a student who always wanted to "push my buttons." I do not know if it was because he didn't like me or because of his personality. Either way, I addressed the issue. I took the student aside during class and talked to him about his actions. We discussed a few things, and mainly, his actions were due to his grade. He was not doing well in this class, and in my opinion, he wanted to voice this through his comments in class. After discussing things he could do better, the student became less of a distractio, but. unfortunately ended up dropping the class. In my opinion, he evaluated his responsibilites and realized were he was lacking. If he would've given more effort, I believe the outcome would be different. For this reason, I believe re-addressing responsibilites is key. It reminds students that they are here to better themselves. It is not a place socialize and cause disruptions.