Know Thy Students (For Teachers & Principals)

Know Thy Students

(For Teachers & Principals)

Teaching students the subjects of their syllabus is not an easy job. It becomes formidable when the teachers have to deal with the students who are entirely ‘out of tune’ and not focused at all on their subjects. Some teachers may ignore such students thinking that over-all grading of these students will be satisfactory due to their good response in other activities. Moreover, such teachers may have a common excuse in their defense ‘that these students are also not focused in other subjects.’

But, it is not advisable for the teachers to ignore them because it is their duty to bring them in the mainstream and make them in tune with other students. Before I put forward some suggestions, let me give an analysis of a class on the basis of general discussion with so many teachers.

Usually, the students of a class having 40 students may be divided in four categories. 

The students who are well motivated, obedient, talented, enthusiastic and full of the spirit of competition fall in the first category.

The second category includes the students who are desirous of coming in the first category, but they lag behind due to one reason or the other. They also have enthusiasm to learn the things. They are also obedient, but they fail to touch their target to come in the first category. Actually, such students need teachers’ a little bit more attention. Some of them may suffer from the tendency for ‘slow in writing’, ‘bad- hand-writing’, ‘slow in understanding’, having ‘weak eye-sight’, being ‘bullied by their bench mates, while a few other students’may suffer from ‘ADHD’ (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), etc. Some of their parents may be illiterate, so they may feel difficulty in understanding their topic at home. Some of them need repetition by the teacher while he or she is teaching the whole class. 
Here, I would like to mention that some teachers may lack in patience when some students wish repetition of a certain points. The teacher must never take it for granted that all the students are able to understand everything in the first ‘go’. 
The teacher must be proficient in understanding the child’s psychology. He or she must read the faces of the students while teaching them and keep their eye-contact with each and every student every now and then so that the careless students may remain alert. There is a dire need of having penetrating eyes which can scan the minds of the students.

The students under this category can be upgraded by the efforts of the teacher concerned. They form a bigger chunk of the whole class and, therefore, the result of the class can be upgraded if this category of the students is properly given heed.

The third category of the students is very less in number, but they keep the teachers always on their toes or in troubled waters. They draw the teachers’ attention every now and then by their tactics, pranks and mischievous activities. They are five to ten in each class. If you call their parents, they also show their helplessness in tackling them. They are the cause of disturbance in the class. They waste not only teachers',precious time but also they disturb their process of thoughts.

The fourth category of the students includes those who are passive-learners. They may sleep even while they are watching towards the teachers intently. Their number may vary from class to class, but in general, they are five or seven students. They do not participate in any type of activities arranged in school. These students need maximum attention by all the teachers. They are very much lagging behind other students in their studies. It seems that no one has inspired them how to dream about life, to nourish thoughts for their progress and how to learn questions and answers. The answers dictated to them or written on the blackboard in bookish language are beyond their reach. They suffer from so many deficiencies which are to be detected by the teachers who spend much time with them. They also need counseling from time to time so that they may build up some confidence in them. If the teachers find time to talk to them on their problems, about their family backgrounds, their dreams in life in a very friendly manner, they may develop a rapport with the teachers and that will surely help them tackle these students.

The Principal of the school may demand latest reports about the students of any of these categories and may also demand suggestions in meetings to tackle their problems.

It is pertinent to note here that a few students in each class may suffer from ‘ADHD’ (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and they should be detected and treated likewise with the help of the counsellor, their teachers and parents.

While tackling the erring students, it should always be kept in mind that they are passing through the very critical phase of their life, i.e. adolescent period. So an extra element of sympathy is needed on the part of the teachers while dealing with them. The teachers should place themselves in their position and imagine the time when they themselves were going through that phase of life. In this period, the students need attention. They want recognition. Finding themselves  unable to reach the top of studies, some of the students resort to making mischief in the class-rooms so that other students may well recognize them. Although this way is negative for them, yet it suits them well and they don’t bother about its negative side effects.  So, such students may be given opportunity to take part in some activities suitable to them. This is the period when the students have immense energies in them and that needs to be channelized properly. 

But the common problem that is found mostly in public schools is their tight time-table schedule. A period is hardly of half an hour. A teacher finds hardly 20 minutes to teach his or her lesson properly. Then there is a pressure of completing the syllabus on time. The teacher does not find ample time to repeat the topic if it is desired by some.
Another thing that creates hurdle in teachers' way is the over-dose of activities arranged in such schools to outshine, although activities are also necessary for the all round development of students. 

Some schools arrange activities after recess when the periods of major subjects are over. If the activities come after the second or the third period, it causes over-excitement in most of the students and for one or two periods, they are not well focused.

It also happens that some students from other schools also join a particular school due to any reason. These students are usually below the mark and they keep on going up from one class to the other without much improvement. When they appear in a board class, they bring low results, and it spoils the name of the school.

If the school has allowed them admission due to any constraint, it is its duty to find ways to teach them in some extra period separately.