disliking a student

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Home : 2003 : February : 28

disliking a student
By Julianne

Maybe you could trade her for a child in another classroom? I did this once with a colleague. She had a boy who was able to take advantage of her thus making her class miserable with his antics. It was clear the combination
of this very sweet (and usually effective) teacher and this manipulative little boy was not a good one. I was asked to take him on in return for sending her any trouble child I chose. I gave her a child who didn't do well in my more highly structured setting. Both children thrived after the change. I am not easily manipulated and after trying once or twice the boy settled down

to become one of my favorite students. The little girl I sent away was relieved to be in a more permissive setting where she didn't have to conform to such tight constraints.

The point is that we were both good teachers, but, being human, we weren't always the best teacher for every child. Now that I work with a partner I find that the child that drives her crazy isn't usually the one that makes me nuts. And the one who sends me to the edge often does quite well for her. We both maintain a professional attitude toward ALL our students, and I doubt they even know how we really feel about them. That's a trick. You probably ARE nice. But you have to figure out how to not let this child get under your skin, or you need to move her to a situation where she can find some success.