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Posted on September 26, 2012 1:16 pm
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Calina Irion
Calina Irion
Reps: 57
Does not care, should I?
There's a student who comes into class and just doesn't care. We try to get him to learn and do work but he says it's pointless. I discovered that this student doesn't have a father and his mother is on every drug imaginable. How can I expect this student to do any work at all or even give a shit about anything we do in school when he has to think about where he's sleeping at night. Everything I can teach him in a classroom means nothing, why should he even care?
 
     
     
 
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Solution 1
Posted October 2, 2012 2:43 pm

Ashlyn Eddinger
Ashlyn Eddinger
Reps: 121
I actually had this type of situation in one of my previous internships. I think it is important as an educator to care about each and every student. Every child has issues at home, but it is important for them to feel safe at school. I think that you need to take baby steps to get him to acknowledge that what he is doing is good for himself. The better he does in school, the better off he will be in the long run. I also think that it is important to have a positive attitued regardless of the situation.
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Jenna Herberson
Jenna Herberson
Reps: 200
I think this is a good idda as well as just letting him know you care.
  Posted on: February 24, 2018 6:34 am

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Solution 2
Posted October 2, 2012 3:24 pm

tebyXu
tebyXu
Reps: 114
I would talk to the student and try to build a relationship with the student. I would slowly pull information about their interest as we build a relationship. I would then try to incorporate the student's interest into lessons to get the student involved. In the end the student will see that I care and hopefully that will help them feel cared for and included.
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Solution 3
Posted October 6, 2012 1:02 pm

amaJud
amaJud
Reps: 114
I would definitely try to build a relationship with the student. I think its important to realize that this child is growing up way too fast. He is dealing with things that some adults don't even handle. I think the best idea for this student is to seriously research. You need to find famous people, athletes, politicians, any one that has had the same lifestyle growing up and used education as their ticket out of it. I think the student will find motivation with his education after he see's one of his role models went through the same problems he is. To go above and beyond for this student I would find out who his favorite person is and have him write them a letter to see how they made it, and explain what he was going through. You will be secretly working on his writing skills.
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Solution 4
Posted October 2, 2012 3:31 pm

atuLyD
atuLyD
Reps: 111
I would want to start to build a relationship with the student to show that I do care about him and that we are doing in the classroom is important. I would try to find what motivates the student and encourage him through that. It is important that you do not give up on the student and that he knows that you believe in him even though circumstances at home are tough and he feels that everything is going wrong. See what his motivation is to get him going in the right direction in school.
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Solution 5
Posted October 2, 2012 5:27 pm

Justin Mortenson
Justin Mortenson
Reps: 108
This is a perfect example of how the out-of-school environment affects the in-school environment. First and foremost I'd open a channel for some dialogue with the student. If you learned about these details about the student outside of the classroom, then maybe he may need someone to talk to. Depending on how serious the situation a report may need to be filed to the appropriate authorities. There are avenues you can take to hopefully change the out-of-school environment in positive manner, which in turn will affect the behavior of the troubled student. I feel that ignoring the behavior wrong solution to this problem. Sometimes even showing that you care about the student can influence ideal behavior.
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eWeHaz
eWeHaz
Reps: 165
I am glad to see that you added the possibility of getting the proper authorities in your solution as well as trying to build a relationship with them. It is hard for students in certain situations to speak up when they need help. It is our job as educators to see the signs of neglect, abuse, etc and to follow the proper steps to the solution. As teachers we need to remember that we are not always alone in situations at school. Often times there are school procedures that you must follow and other personnel can lend a helping hand. Thank you for your possible solution to this unfortunate issue.
  Posted on: October 5, 2015 2:44 am

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Solution 6
Posted October 3, 2012 3:03 pm

Kym Toner
Kym Toner
Reps: 103
This is a tough and sad situation. Unfortunately, you cannot control what happens at home, but can serve as a role model at school. Do your best to make this student feel safe and excited about attending school. Instead of punishing the student, try to find activities that make him feel like he is part of the classroom community and that you value his presence as his teacher.
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Solution 7
Posted November 4, 2012 6:03 pm

RyruNe
RyruNe
Reps: 87
If you think that there is nothing valuable that you could teach him in the classroom then maybe you should not be a teacher. It is obvious that school is an important place for hope, refuge, and stability in this child's life right now. If there is any question that he is being raised in a compromised and unsafe environment, it is our responsibility and ethical obligation to inform administration and seek additional help from them and the school counselor on how to handle a situation like this. After asking the appropriate authorities and allowing them to figure out what to do, it is our job as the teacher to do everything we can for them within the classroom, including never giving up on them and helping them understand why school is important and why they should care. It is obvious you have opened up some level of trust because he told you a very serious aspect of his personal life. You can use this line of trust to slowly create a positive student-teacher relationship and start helping him see that there are still people in the world he can trust, turn to for help, and depend on. Once this relationship is forged, you can build on the positive aspects of life, including school, and help him see the benefits of participating while he is there. If for nothing else, help understand that a strong investment in school will help him to not turn out like a drug addict and provide paths of opportunity for a successful life. Let a counselor or school psychologist deal with his emotional issues, administration deal with problems he is having in his home life and you continue to build a strong relationship with him by providing stability, compassion, and concern. It is when our students care the least that we must care the MOST.
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Solution 8
Posted February 26, 2013 10:02 pm

TaHazy
TaHazy
Reps: 115
This student will not see value in the situation until he knows he is valued. Show him that you care and have expectations of him. Show him that he is worthwhile even if he comes from a horrible background. Find a motivational story to tie into your classwork to give him real life examples of people that overcame similar situations. Build a personal relationship with this student, and then make sure he knows that you believe in him. He needs this from somebody. You are his teacher, and quite possibly the only person in his life with the ability to fulfill these needs. This is one of the harder parts of teaching, but is also one of the main reasons that I decided that I wanted to be an educator. We have the power to inspire the uninspired, and lift up students who need a hand. f you suspect his situation is this dire, let guidance know or report it appropriately. He sounds like he needs and advocate in his life.
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Solution 9
Posted October 13, 2016 8:22 pm

Jillian Rintrona
Jillian Rintrona
Reps: 103
Wow this is a very unfortunately situation. I would be reaching out to the councilors to see if there is anything they can do and take it from there.
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Solution 10
Posted October 2, 2012 2:48 pm

GeJese
GeJese
Reps: 116
A teacher needs to always care. It is part of the code of ethics and our responsibility to ensure no child is left behind. By showing you care, you show the student that someone cares about their well being. This may motivate him to do well in school and consider his future. A good education can help him escape this bad situation. He would also benefit from a strong involvement in a school DARE program.
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Solution 11
Posted December 9, 2012 7:48 pm

Shankeil Tarver
Shankeil Tarver
Reps: 116
First let the student know that you care an is concern. Build a relationship with your students so that they could trust you and talk to you when they need to. Encourage that student so that he could learn and do activities that will catch his intention and get him involved in the classroom and keeps his mind off home.
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Solution 12
Posted October 18, 2014 3:30 pm

SaDeTe
SaDeTe
Reps: 101
In my opinion, being a teacher does not mean covering all the standards. You should also provide a safe, respectable, fun place for each student to come every day. With this particular student, I would suggest to get to know him and his interest and provide opportunities for him to have fun and enjoy school. The more he respects you as a teacher, the more he is going to want to perform for you in the classroom. It may take time, but it is well worth it!
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Solution 13
Posted February 22, 2015 4:40 pm

ajybus
ajybus
Reps: 90
I would make the environment in the classroom nurturing and welcoming a environment he is obviously lacking at home. I would attempt to make the student feel accepted amongst his piers by getting him involved in group activities to help him socialize and build connections with the other students. During instruction I would try to make as many real world connections as I could. By creating real world connections the student will see how he can apply the information he is learning in class to real world situations.
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Solution 14
Posted February 20, 2019 2:30 am

Faith Graham
Faith Graham
Reps: 210
You should always care about your students, sometimes like in this situation you're the only person who does. This student needs to understand that education is the best way to give him a better life. Having an education leads to a career which leads to more money which can get him out of poverty. I would try to contact the abuse hotline it sounds like there is a lot of child neglect going on. No child should worry where they are going to sleep.
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Solution 15
Posted July 7, 2019 6:51 pm

sygaru
sygaru
Reps: 201
Many people in this thread have touched on how a teacher should be caring in this situation, but I wanted to talk a little more about it. There is something known as the "Pygmalion Effect" in teaching. It states that a student will rise only to the standards the teacher sets them to. In other words, how much care you put into your students will directly affect their behavior and dedication. If a teacher dedicates a lot of time and effort towards teaching a student, that student will succeed. But if a teacher feels a child is hopeless, then that student will suffer in class and do worse than their peers because of the teacher's attitude. Since this child has a very rough house situation, they have no support from the people that should be helping him most. Thus the teacher must be a proverbial light in the dark. If his teachers do not have faith in him and help him out, then nobody will, and he suffer for it for the rest of his life.
TL;DR You should be concerned about him because the teacher's attitude towards their students directly affect their academic achievement.
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Solution 16
Posted October 15, 2012 5:30 pm

Rachel Ressler
Rachel Ressler
Reps: 121
I would try to help find this student a group home, foster home, or at least help him talk with the school councelor. I would first start with helping him deal with life, then start worrying more about school. I would not want to make him feel like he is in trouble everyday because then he will hate school. Most likely school is the only place he gets a hot meal or any attention.
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Solution 17
Posted April 18, 2013 7:42 pm

ZeNyJe
ZeNyJe
Reps: 102
The best thing to do for this student is to show him that there is someone out there who cares about him. Teachers should never give up on a student, every student can learn. Sometimes it takes more work but teachers should work hard to love and teach their students. I would continue to try and influence the student and maybe even suggest counseling for the student. I would use rewards to motivate the student to complete work.
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