I am writing - a few days late on my experience with ill-mannered students. I have found that when students don't respect the professor or myself my blood begins to boil. I am trying to figure out how to simmer down my emotions when these types of situations happen. One idea Dr. Reeder and I came up with was to be prepared for anything. So unfortunately, in some classes you as the instructor (or assistant) must strategize and be on your toes for anyTHING.
One plan that helped was turning the environment into a reflective opportunity. The students had a chance to write down what they saw as needing improvement from the last class. After doing this the room became a lot more still and the students seemed ready to participate in a respectful manner.
*Yes, everyday in teaching is an opportunity to develop new skills!
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