Scenario - Instructor in need of suggestions
I have a student whom I shall name “Jane Doeâ€, she is approximately 50 years old; she is the only white female in the classroom (the others are comprised of 1 African Male and the rest African females and I am Latino). But she possesses the ability to become a good paralegal. Jane is always two steps ahead of the rest of the class and likes to assist the other students during lecture and during computer class time. The plus side is she can alleviate some of the directions I can be pulled into but more often than not she gives them how to complete the assignment without explaining why which then causes more work for me in the long run. This situation has added unnecessary stress to the classroom for several reasons. First, when I request that she hold her comments or opinions to her colleagues until break time, she feels that I'm picking on her. Secondly, she allows her “boredom†to be known to the class through loud sighs and paper shuffling. Last, she talks about her personal life out loud quite often, then thinks that the rest of the class is talking about her behind her back.
Jane has gone to my supervisor complaining, that “I am picking on her†but could not give any specifics or evidence to support her allegations, my supervisor, Jane and I met and I allowed Jane to voice her concerns and I validated her feelings – I explained that I'm here to teach not judge and as her instructor my job is to teach all my students, leaving no-one behind to wonder what's going on.
In closing, I must add that I will not judge her as a person and I will continue to teach her as my student. I will exercise extreme caution when grading her papers just to make sure that I'm not adding my personal frustration into her work performance – I believe in being fair. But I cannot wait until her graduation date.
Any and all suggestion will be taken into consideration with great appreciation.
Just try looking at this from her point of view. If you were in her shoes, you would be frustrated too. She's probably not a bad person. She's just having to take a class that is too slow and does not offer her any kind of extra motivation. Perhaps you could give her a bonus assignment for extra credit. That might keep her busy.
Good points Julie! Whenever I am having difficulty with a student, I try to find a way to view the situation though their eyes. Doing so usually helps me find a unique approach to dealing with the difficult situation.
Betty,
Why not train Jane to be your assistant in class? Put yourself in the student's shoes. She has a goal she is trying to reach, and she may very well think you are hindering her in reaching her goal. Why don't you and your Dean sit down with this student and see what suggestions she may have to relieve the stress that is being created in the class? You may be surprised at the outcome. Some times it can be easy to turn a negative into a positive.
Betty and all-
Why don't you involve her more? The course is boring because she has outgrown it and has all the other issues with it so turn it around in her favor.
She is seeking attention and any attention is attention- just like a puppy.
So use her in the class in a positive way so she gets what she is seeking.
Then- on a personal side I would either send her an email and ask her what the core issue is and what examples she can site that you are picking on her. Tell her that you want to understand her point of view and that with her opinions it will help you make the learning experience more enjoyable for her.
Then ask her if she would like a phone call and then talk to her. You may find out that she is just having an awful life and taking it out on the class- she just wants someone to care and by you showing that she will see it.
If this doesn't work ask her if she would like to be removed from the class and wait until the next term to take it-although it would push back graduation date. You just have her best interests in mind and see how that goes.
All of these things will work to your benefit and of course the student doesn't want to be removed from the course! It's an eye opener to say the least!
Hope this helps!
wish i'd taken this course about 2 months ago!
Maybe this student could be the "helper" to students who need the extra assistance. If she is willing, and other students would like her assistance, then they could be paired up or grouped together during class or during a "work" time. This way she would feel productive and not bored, as long as she is willing, and as long as those students want her advice.
