If a student said she thought you were the worst teacher she ever had, what would you say?
If a student fails, what would be your feeling or reaction? What would be your way of dealing if half of the class failed in a particular test?
If a student had tell me that I was the worst teacher they’ve ever had, I would be offended and I’d get my feelings hurt. It would be hard for me not to take a comment like that so personal, because I want to be a teacher that has a positive influence on my students. This would make me wonder what I did to make them feel that way. In order to find out, I would ask them in private what caused those emotions. When talking to the student, I would take notes, and I'd make sure to keep them for future references. I would end the conversation with them by coming up with ways to resolve the issue. Another thing I would do is to talk to their other teachers, or teachers that they like, to find out what they do differently. In the end, I think the best way to resolve the problem is by talking to the student and listening to what they have to say.
If a student were to fail my class, my instant reaction would be to blame myself. I would wonder where I went wrong? However, before thinking like this, I would need to develop some information about the student, like checking to see if they have any disabilities, or if they are they having any issues at home. I would also look at the student’s records to see if there have been any recent, or noticeable changes in their grades. This will allow me to see if it has been an ongoing problem or if it is something that has just recently occurred. Then I will take the next step to meet with the student and talk to them and to find out what's happening. I could do this by talking to the student and by give them a brief assessment to see where they may be having difficulties in the class. If the problem doesn't get resolved, I will try to have a conference with the parents so they are aware of the situation. Moreover, if I had a class completely fail a test, I would take full responsibility because it means that I did not explain the concept well enough for them to understand it. In cases like this, I would re-teach the lesson, but I would present the material differently than I did the first time. Then I would closely monitor their progress just to make sure they fully comprehend it this time. Next I would allow the students to retake a different version of the test. However, first they would have to attend one session of tutoring that I will be held during lunch or after school. After their session, they have three days to retake the test.
I think it is natural to feel sensitive to a comment such as the one mentioned. If someone says that you are the worst teacher ever you can 1) overreact 2) underreact and disregard it completely or 3)take it in stride and realize that you can't please everybody. I think that taking notes, as you suggested, would be an example of overreacting. That would give the student a strange sense of power over you, the instructor. In my opinion, if you take "mental notes" then that is another thing completely. Now, by blowing off the incident and not addressing it at all would be an example of underreacting. However, by talking to the student and finding the source of his/her frustration you could gain a sense of understanding. From that conversation, you could try to avoid whatever behavior triggered their reaction. When I used to teach as a Spanish professor in the Cal State System, I remember reviewing the comments made by my students that were turned into the department head. I valued those comments because I felt they knew me best...strengths, weaknesses, etc. If I would get 30 positive comments and 1 negative comment then I would focus on that one bad thing. Why are we so hard on ourselves? If the majority of the class is learning and engaged, then you have done a good job. You can't make everybody happy all of the time.
ReplyDeleteAs for the second situation, I think you are right on target. There are always outside factors that determine one's success in the classroom. Too many extra curricular activities, family life, work, health, etc. are just some of the demands that can effect one's grades. If there is a pattern forming in other classes then that should serve as a red flag and a conference should be made to address the issue. But if your Spanish class is the only one where a given student is failing, then something is wrong. I would suggest tutoring sessions, extra work, retaking an exam (if an entire class fails) etc.