Not all students will be happy and motivated at every lesson. At times you will strike a student who challenges you for one reason or another and it seems like nothing can be done but let me give you some hope. When you feel frustrated it is almost always because a student is not meeting your expectations in one way or another. In fact this applies to anyone in your life. Those who fail to meet your standards will soon become an irritation if you allow it. You therefore have two choices.
1. Change your standards or
2. Make it clear what you require of your students.
In most cases as a teacher we know what is required for a student to succeed. Students who are not meeting our standards probably won't progress and knowing that is what often frustrates us as teachers. We try to be polite, diplomatic, subtle but nothing we do works. So here is what I suggest.
Firstly don't try and please your student if it means compromising their progress. Being honest about what you expect shows how much you care. You are not doing them any favours by being nice. Everyone wants to be good at something but far too often they make excuses in their lives as to why they can't fully commit and they try to sell those excuses to you. Its the same story they have been selling to themselves for years. Being half committed to their goals is a recipe for failure.
Teach your students the valuable life lesson of commitment. If you have students who are not committed it will reflect on you. In fact your students are a reflection of you. If your students (and their parents) are not focused and committed to the program then you need to raise the issue with them. If you are not sure how to handle the situation then talk to me first. You want to ensure all your students are on board so teaching is a pleasurable and totally rewarding experience. If students miss lessons too often or are late or unprepared then raise the issue with them and let them know its NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Not all students will be happy and motivated at every lesson. At times you will strike a student who challenges you for one reason or another and it seems like nothing can be done but let me give you some hope. When you feel frustrated it is almost always because a student is not meeting your expectations in one way or another. In fact this applies to anyone in your life. Those who fail to meet your standards will soon become an irritation if you allow it. You therefore have two choices.
1. Change your standards or
2. Make it clear what you require of your students.
In most cases as a teacher we know what is required for a student to succeed. Students who are not meeting our standards probably won't progress and knowing that is what often frustrates us as teachers. We try to be polite, diplomatic, subtle but nothing we do works. So here is what I suggest.
Firstly don't try and please your student if it means compromising their progress. Being honest about what you expect shows how much you care. You are not doing them any favours by being nice. Everyone wants to be good at something but far too often they make excuses in their lives as to why they can't fully commit and they try to sell those excuses to you. Its the same story they have been selling to themselves for years. Being half committed to their goals is a recipe for failure.
Teach your students the valuable life lesson of commitment. If you have students who are not committed it will reflect on you. In fact your students are a reflection of you. If your students (and their parents) are not focused and committed to the program then you need to raise the issue with them. If you are not sure how to handle the situation then talk to me first. You want to ensure all your students are on board so teaching is a pleasurable and totally rewarding experience. If students miss lessons too often or are late or unprepared then raise the issue with them and let them know its NOT ACCEPTABLE.
You tried everything
Recently one teacher came to me saying that one particular student was really testing him and it was putting him off his whole day and he did not know how to deal with the situation. Here are my comments.
There are those rare students who despite your best efforts are just not going to change and stopping their lessons may be required but this should not be done lightly and always the last resort after you have tried everything. Always seek help and advice before taking this step but once you feel you have done your best you need a strategy that will minimise any damage so here is what I suggest.
The aim is to end on good terms and have nothing but good intentions. That is you want what is best for the student and if the relationship between you and your student is not going well suggesting an alternative may be the answer. I would suggest you recommend another teacher but make sure you check with the teacher first and make sure that teacher understands the situation. Explain to the student that the new teacher will be better suited to their interests and never suggest that it was personal. No one likes to be personally rejected.
If by chance they do leave on bad terms then remain professional at all times. Everyone carries baggage and sometimes your best efforts will not make any difference. Just be polite and wish them all the best and leave it at that.
If by chance they do leave on bad terms then remain professional at all times. Everyone carries baggage and sometimes your best efforts will not make any difference. Just be polite and wish them all the best and leave it at that.
Challenging children
Here are some points to consider;
• Children naturally seek out adult boundaries. It's part of learning.
• Children are learning your rules so be clear but patient.
• Some children will test you until they are clear about your rules.
• Be firm but fair, consistent and clear in what you expect.
• Set your rules early and follow through. Better to start strict and soften as you go.
• Do not humiliate or embarrass a child. Just be clear about your rules.
• If they act up tell them you will be speaking to their parents if they don't settle.
• Time out is an effective response to unacceptable behaviour but it should be used as a last resort.
When you are not sure how to deal with a situation please ask. You will usually find the same issues will keep coming at you until you learn how to deal with them. You have to look at what they are doing and how you are responding and try different strategies until you find what works. Once you do you will eliminate that same problem in the future. The main problem with adults is they see everything from an adult point of view. We forget how children see the world. Children are rarely the problem. Adults are the key to a child’s behaviour. Children respond to their environment.
- G4 GUITAR Teacher Network
- If you have any questions please contact me via the email below.
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