Dealing with Difficult People

Quickly identify each problem student. Discern what's driving the problem. Neutralize it.

Visualize your nightmare student. (Every instructor has had one... or several...)

• What was his or her name?

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• What trouble sign(s) first alerted you that you had a problem?

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• What were the problem behaviors?

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• What motivated your student to behave that way? What did he or she want?

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• How did you respond?

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• Did the other students help you? Were they on your side?

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• How did you give (or how could you have given) that person what he or she wanted? Failing that, how could you have defused the situation?

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