Why would a student do this?

Question

One of my friends' students is giving him a hard time, he has asked me for my advice on what to do.

I was hoping to get some opinions. The student is 18 years old, she has upset him by ignoring and just being childish in a way by avoiding him obviously.

He is rather concerned about what he should legally do, or whether he should just leave the situation alone.

Thanks.

Answer 1

If this was happening to me (and I teach), I would make it a point to casually mention the problem to an administrator *just in case* the student in question decided to progress from being passively childish to actively hurtful.

During the conversation (depending on my relationship with my administrator) I might also make a comment such as, "You know, I've never seen behavior like this coming from a student her age, and it leaves me at a loss as to how to deal with it. Any suggestions on how I might turn this around or should I just leave it alone?" That way, I would be able to present something resembling a pro-active defense should the situation escalate.

Under no circumstances would I approach the student alone or without a colleague present. To do so would be to open myself up to any range of accusations that I might not be able to defend myself against (he said / she said).

It's a scary world for teachers now. I remember when it was perfectly safe my students to come up and want a hug or to have a private talk about this or that thing that might be bothering them - now, I almost hurt myself getting away from them for fear that I will end up branded on the evening news, a victim of a false accusation that could destroy my career.

Tell your friend to proceed with caution.