Rita Pierson, in her TED talk, discusses the importance of connecting with and believing in each and every one of our
students. Without naming names, describe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with
that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
Rita Pierson’s TED talk was a powerful reminder that every student deserves an adult who believes in them, especially the ones who make connection the hardest. My most challenging student right now is someone who often shuts down, avoids work, and keeps an emotional distance from both peers and adults. This student is bright, but frustration and disengagement tend to surface long before effort does, making it difficult to build any momentum academically or behaviorally. One way I can work toward connecting with this student is by finding small, consistent opportunities to check in, nothing overwhelming, just brief moments that show I notice and care. Whether it’s asking about an interest they’ve mentioned, offering a quiet space to regroup, or celebrating even the smallest success, these interactions can slowly build trust. To show this student I genuinely believe in their potential, I can be intentional about acknowledging progress, not just productivity, pointing out when they try, when they regulate, when they show kindness, or when they bounce back from a tough moment. Like Pierson emphasized, sometimes students rise simply because someone keeps reminding them they’re capable. My goal is to be that “someone” for this student.
ReplyDeleteMy toughest student is from the resource room, but mainly is there due to behavior issues. Those issues have caused a lack of skills. There are some outside influences that cause the student to sleep or have to use the bathroom a lot. And they find tedious work...like solving multiple two-step equations...to be a waste of their time. This student feels like they dont know anything. I will be honest, the para in the room works with the child more than I , because they have developed that relationship and i will give credit where credit is due. The student has been working their butt off for her. I just step in when needed. And when the student does well, I praise praise praise. We are slowly making headway to where one day when the para was gone, they worked with me. One day at a time. I have been at my job for 20 years and when people ask if i will leave, that would ruin all the connections i have made and that is part of the job.
ReplyDeleteMy current most difficult student is one that is actually very intelligent, but have extremely low self esteem, perseverance, and work ethic. I've come to find out the student's home life is difficult, which was not a surprise, and that they seldom get positive feedback from the parents. I really try to go out of my way to be positive with this student, give positive praise, and make the student feel like I have their back. They still struggle with the above issues, but the work ethic has gotten a little better and the perseverence has definitely improved. It's a work in progress, but hopefully I can give them some positive adult interaction that they are lacking at home.
ReplyDeleteOne of my fifth graders is, to put it gently, challenging. He is bright, curious, and clearly capable, yet he is also navigating big emotions—hormonal changes, a strained relationship with a non-primary parent, and what appear to be neurodivergent traits, though he has not been formally diagnosed.
ReplyDeleteWhat he is truly lacking is connection—and without connection, motivation is hard to sustain. My goal is not simply to manage his behavior, but to build a relationship with him. I want to challenge him academically while also providing creative outlets where he can express what he knows in ways that feel meaningful to him.
I believe that if I prioritize the relationship, the rest will follow. That work starts with me. I plan to begin using intentional “I notice…” statements to acknowledge his strengths and efforts, opening the door to brief, low-pressure conversations. From there, I hope to build enough trust to invite him into an informal meeting where we can talk honestly about his academic challenges, his boredom, and what might help him feel more engaged and successful.
My most challenging student right now is the one who comes in with their guard up. They are quick to argue, quick to shut down, and they do a good job making it look like they do not care. A lot of the time it feels like they would rather push back than risk being wrong or looking like they are struggling.
ReplyDeleteOne way I can connect with that student is to catch them in a calm moment and have a quick check in that is not about behavior or grades. Just a real conversation. Then when I do need to redirect them later, it is not me vs you, it is more like, I am on your side, now let’s get back on track.
To show I believe in them, I can set clear expectations and give them a clean path forward when they mess up, instead of just dropping consequences on them. That connects to Dueck’s message too. If the goal is growth, I need to give them chances to fix it, learn from it, and show what they can do. I want them to know I am not giving up on them, and I still expect them to succeed.
Rita Pierson, in her TED talk, discusses the importance of connecting with and believing in each and every one of our students. Without naming names, describe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
ReplyDeleteThe student that I have in my class right now is a student that has been diagnosed with autism who continually tests the boundaries when he knows the expectations of the classroom. To support him, I provide him with a visual schedule, visuals in the classroom, timers, and first/then statements. In the classroom, he struggles to clean up from desired tasks and will struggle to complete undesirable tasks. When that happens, I hold him accountable and will make him complete his work at a neutral time.
I’ve had this student in kindergarten and now first grade, he came around towards the end of his kindergarten year, but his first grade year, his progress is inconsistent.
One way that I can continually connecting with this student is show up for him everyday and to let him know that I can care for him and want what is best for him. The best way to do that is through communication and actions.
One of my most challenging student has terrible attendance and never gets assignments turned in. The way I showed that student that I believed in them was taking extra time out of my day when they did come to school to let them know that I was happy they were there and I was always proud of the work they did turn in. He was higher achieving, but didn't have a great home life and had little motivation. I continually made a point to let him know that his attendance was important. He would never ask for help, but when I would walk around I would casually throw out pointers to him and I could tell he was always thankful that I knew when help was needed and he didn't have to ask for it (because he wouldn't).
ReplyDeleteI have had many challenging students. Currently, I have one student who is extremely low academically, suffers from extreme ADHD and is unmedicated. The honest truth is the first week I really had a bad mindset and didn't like him bc I had such a wonderful class and his presence threw such a wrench. I know that sounds terrible but I want to be transparent. I had watched Rita before in PD. What she said always stuck with me. "Don't you dare let them know you don't like them. You are an actor." As I continued to act and keep on connecting with him, I absolutely just adore him. I celebrate all his success, give him a big hug everyday and things started to change. Yes, he is still a behavior but I have taught him that he can do hard things and that he is a good boy. His parents and others have always told him the opposite. I always remember each student is in my room for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI have a student right now, middle school girl. She is low in academic performance and is very difficult to connect with. She has the ability to stare right through a person - it is difficult to know if she even hears what is being said. After working with this girl multiple years, I have come to realize that she does really hear, but she pretty much expects to NOT understand what is happening in class. She attempts to fly under the radar and not be noticed in her lack of understanding. I work hard now to catch her in moments of celebration. I look for when she turns an assignment in a make a positive comment. I ask a direct question in class that I know she can answer correctly. I just look for ways to find good in her work to build some momentum that learning is not an impossible task. It is harder work for her than others, but I do see her effort and appreciate that she is taking more time now and putting the work in. She is not top of the class, but her gains have been nice to see!
ReplyDeleteThe most challenging student in my class right now has very low academic skills. I believe the biggest issue is being a high school students with very low reading levels. I can't even imagine being in their shoes and trying to read and comprehend basic reading passages that routinely expected of high school students. I understand why they have outbursts and are challenging to work with. I think just just continuing to find positive reinforcements and acknowledging all of the small successes that the student has. With each small success we are making strides. I am hoping by acknowledging those successes the students becomes more willing to accept help and guidance from myself and other educators. Everyday I always acknowledge that I make mistakes all the time and I also have to learn from my mistakes. Maybe by reinforcing this they will also come to accept its okay to make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most challenging students in my class right now struggles with behavior and engagement. To connect with him, I focus on learning about his interests and incorporating those into play and daily activities. By showing genuine curiosity and joining in activities he enjoys, I build a trusting relationship that helps me understand his behavior. I can demonstrate that I believe in him by celebrating small successes, providing consistent encouragement, and letting him see that I genuinely value him.
ReplyDeleteChallenging students come in all shapes and sizes. They come with all sorts of disabilities and unique challenges. What works with one student doesn't work with another student
ReplyDeleteContinuing...this posted prematurely. One of my biggest challenges with students is they don't feel like school is important or they think they won't need to know the content being taught. It is hard to get students to learn for the sake of learning. They can be fairly receptive to something they see as having value. Overcoming the "I don't care" attitude is tough. Teh problem is at ten or twelve students have no idea what information is going to have value later on. I hope to instill a type of attitude in students that will make them want to succeed in mastering the task just for their own satisfaction, but that is difficult. Having a mentor or adult that is supportive and that also takes pride in their work is vital to their success.
Deletedescribe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
ReplyDeleteThe most challenging student in my class right now does not care about school and puts minimal effort in all the work that he does. He does not see the point in learning the information that is being taught. I connect with the student by getting to know him and show that I care and am here to help. We have a good relationship, but it still does not get him to do his work. I show this student I believe in him by taking time to talk to him and ask him questions. I encourage him and show that I am always here to help.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most challenging students I have had in class was in my kindergarten classroom in Omaha. This particular student had an extremely rough home life. In fact, one day during calendar time, he raised his hand to tell me that he had to hid under a mattress the night before while bullets were being fired into his apartment. This story was unfortunately true. It is no surprise that this student had many behaviors. He was smart and, in some instances, a caring boy but in other instances would act out for no apparent reason. For example, he would attack his classmates or throw his desk over. He was an extreme case of a challenging student. Again, he was a very smart boy but at times he refused to join in on whole group activities or individual activities and before his kindergarten school year was completed, he was moved to a school that better suited children that were a danger to themselves and others. However, for the time this student was in my classroom, we would start each day with a color chart to indicate how he was feeling. We would make time for a conversation on his night and morning (when he showed up on time since many times mom could not get him to school on time for personal reasons which I suspected was a substance problem). Mornings that he would arrive on time, his day would go really well. I think that he really enjoyed one on one time. He and I also created a table chart for his day four activities before lunch and four activities after lunch, it was a Velcro chart that he could move his picture from activity to activity. Next to each activity he could draw with white board marker a smile face how he felt about it or after it. We would discuss in transition quickly and I would organize a counselor or principal to stop in periodically to check in with this boy, which he loved to show his chart and faces but also, I think he really enjoyed the positive interactions with adults and in some cases he would get to take a walk for a minute to "check" something out. He also had a notebook that he and I would communicate in. That seemed to work for a while too. Sometimes this boy would need a change of pace, I always had a library book that could be dropped off and would ask him to take it for me. He also seemed to like responsibility. Even though, he did not get to finish the school year with me, he did come to school to say goodbye and give a hug. He had tears and told me that I was his favorite teacher. To be fair, I may have been his only teacher at this point though 😊
ReplyDeleteRita Pierson, in her TED talk, discusses the importance of connecting with and believing in each and every one of our students. Without naming names, describe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
ReplyDeleteI thought that Rita did a great job of making her point and our importance in our students lives. I have to admit that as a teacher I often loose site of the impact we can have on our students and have to be reminded.
The most challenging student I currently have is an intelligent student who had lost a parent a few years ago. The surviving parent and older siblings are very supportive of the the teachers and school, which is encouraging. However, the student has little or no motivation, just getting by with minimal or no effort to stay eligible, refuses to take anything home
I accidently posted without finishing. The way I try to connect with him is through sports, hunting, and fishing. I try to encourage him to complete his work and make good choices. When he does I try to praise him and/or reward him.
ReplyDeleteRita Pierson, in her TED talk, discusses the importance of connecting with and believing in each and every one of our students. Without naming names, describe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
ReplyDeleteMost of challenging students are students who just don't try and do minimal work. In my classroom, I truly believe all students are learners and I hold each and every one of them to a high standard. I do try my best to connect with these students by making small talk, ask about their weekend, and if they are in sports, racing etc I try and ask specific questions to show that I care. When talking to these students, I do not raise my voice but try and reason with them in a calm manner. After all these years, I have realized that you can't want it more than the student, however, sometimes they don't see their potential or they might hear negative comments at home etc. I just keep trying to build them up and reinforce that everyone can do it and I have confidence in them.
I have seen Rita Pierson's TED talk before, it is my favorite one I have watched. I truly believe that once you have made a positive connection with your students, they are ready to learn. I work at a school where the majority of our students are living in poverty and have very little support at home. One of my students has very poor attendance. He is very capable of learning when he is in class. If he feels like he doesn't want to come to school, his mom allows him to stay home. When he is in class, I try to make sure that I encourage him when he is doing a good job with his school work and ask him to be my helper with certain tasks. Sometimes it works and sometimes he would rather be at home. I have talked with his parent at parent teacher conferences and it seems that they are okay with having him stay home rather than putting up with a tantrum.
ReplyDeleteRita Pierson, in her TED talk, discusses the importance of connecting with and believing in each and every one of our students. Without naming names, describe the most challenging student in your class right now. What is one way you can connect with that student? How can you show that student you believe in him/her?
ReplyDeleteThe most challenging student that I work with right now is a student that rarely comes to school. They have little interest in the two classes they have left to take to meet graduation requirements. When I reach out to parents, they are not too surprised to hear that they are not attending. They express that their student is now an adult and they will have to live with the consequences of their decisions.
One way that I can connect with this student is by continuing to reach out to him and his parents about the importance of finishing and offering support and encouragement. When the student is present, I can make a point to connect with the student and make sure they feel supported and welcome. In addition, I can offer to help them with late and current assignments so he does not get to overwhelmed and stop attending altogether.
I can show this student that I believe in them by continuing to build a relationship with them and expressing encouragement frequently. It is important that teachers live Rita Pierson's message - students need to know that we believe in them which requires effort to connect with them even when it is a challenge to do so.