Below is a letter to an advice column, although this is probably advice that would commonly be provided to a teacher, MFCE thinks there is one piece missing – the parents. MFCE’s Realize Academic Success Through Tutoring (RASTT) process is based on three support components – the parent, school, and MFCE’s tutors. We ask parents to encourage their child to come to tutoring ready to learn, be a good student citizen, be a respectful student, and to complete take-home practice worksheets weekly. Follow us as we report our student’s tutoring progress. To learn more about RASTT.
“Teacher: I am a high school math teacher, and I have been facing a challenging situation with one of my students. I am 24 years old and have only been teaching for one year, so I haven’t yet run into many difficult situations. This student has been acting out in class, displaying disruptive behavior and struggling to focus on assignments. After some investigation, I’ve learned that he is dealing with a hostile home life, which seems to be affecting his behavior at school. I want to help him succeed academically and emotionally, but I’m unsure about the best way to approach this situation. I am concerned that if I discipline him too harshly, it might worsen the issues he’s facing at home. On the other hand, I can’t ignore the disruptive behavior, as it affects the entire class. Are there any resources I can use to help a student dealing with a difficult home life? I want to create a positive and nurturing environment in my classroom, but I’m struggling to strike the right balance in this situation.
Response to Teacher: Now is the time to enlist the support of your school’s guidance counselor. Talk to that professional about strategies that the school has employed to support students with disruptive tendencies. Ask for advice and partnership when dealing with this student. When his behavior begins to impact the class, invite him to go to the guidance office, where he can get help calming himself and taking a timeout. Talk to him one on one and try to get him to open up about his life. Find out what interests him, too, so that you can engage him in topics that will feed his positive energy. Encourage him to do some deep breathing when he finds himself getting agitated. Suggest that he excuse himself for a bathroom break before he has an outburst.” 1
1 The Virginian Pilot, Title of Article: Sense and Sensitivity Article, dated Monday, January 15, 2024 (http://digitaledition.pilotonline.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=376321b1-1435-42cf-836c-2f8ab5f9f52c)