This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
What should i have done different?
Can someone tell me what to do with this kind of situation? The students that have been thrown into Automotive and they don’t want anything to do with it. I have tried a lot of different things to get them interested but it doesn’t seem to work. I don’t get a lot of students that don’t like Automotive but when I do, I do and they will let me know quickly. At the beginning of every semester I have the new students write down why they chose Automotive and I usually get a lot of good reasons. But there are those few that say, “I didn’t pick this class, they just threw me in here, I don’t like getting dirty and I feel I shouldn’t have to work at school.” I actually had one student tell me this and I didn’t know what to say. Well long story short, I tried my best to get this student interested, but I failed and so did the student. Unfortunately he didn’t pass my class; he just stood around and did nothing. I called his parents to let them know, but that didn’t help. Now I feel that was a waste of a semester for the student and he should have been placed into something else. What could I have done better?
Unfortunately, I saw this a lot as a School Resource Officer. Kids weren't interested the classes they were in, so they misbehaved and would end up in my office. The problem with this situation is that it is a set up for the both the teacher and the student. How can any of us be successful when we are put in these types of situations. I think you did everything you could to try to interest the student and when that didn't work, you contacted the parents. What else can you do? We all feel your pain. It is an unfortunate circumstance that doesn't have an easy answer. Hang in there.
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HI Emmanuel, sounds like that was a really frustrating semester. I have had a couple of students that placed in my class that never did get motivated and eventually failed. I do think it was a personal issue because I soon found out that they failed all their other classes as well. I would ask them if they plan on having a car, if so show them how they could save money on repairs and maintainence and how knowing how to repair their own vehicle would be beneficial to them or their families. etc. Also, if you just cannot do anything with them, I would make it my business to contact their parents and counselor to get them placed in a more suitable ctae course. This would be beneficial to both you and them. Hope this helps. See my post for more if you like :)
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