u/UnusualExamination82

I’m not sure if it’s arrogance, adolescent overconfidence or disrespect. How would you deal with students who smirk or scoff during lessons? I have a student who thinks he knows better because he watched a YouTube video or heard words from an adult. Although I always welcome questions and encourage inquisitiveness, his smugness is of a concern. It seems that he is more invested in power tripping me than it is about learning. He insists on his own conclusions and scrunches his face / tilts his eyebrows when corrected. He also outright ignores my recommendations. Basically, he has a demeanour like he has nothing more to learn. He ranges slightly above average in terms of grades with some crucial learning gaps to close. I’m tired of him showing me that suspicious face during corrections especially when it comes to his weakest topics. He’s in elementary school. Should I drop him?

Who’s irked by this? The owners seem very proud of their fans. Did they pay a lot for a noisy fan?

I once had a Primary 3 student who surprised me in a few unexpected ways. She had a very confident, almost superior way of speaking, and once instructed me to go introduce myself to her neighbour. She said, “You should go visit my neighbour and say ‘Hi, I’m [tutor’s name]…’ and tell him ‘(her dad’s name) is my boss.’”

In another lesson, she scribbled across an entire page until nothing was legible, even after I told her to stop. She continued and wrote that I, her tutor, was “filled with poop and pee in bed” in her worksheet. The student was laughing hysterically and her disrespect and ignorance are serious. Her mum, of course, saw the worksheet but said nothing

I’m shocked that the student has no awareness of boundaries at all. As the saying goes, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’.

I can’t help but to think: is this some kind of abuse? 🙂‍↕️After which, the student asked me if I could stay over at her house just to hang out and play with her.

Guess my answer? Hell, no!

I don’t believe in being fierce or disciplining students as I don’t think it’s the job of a tutor. I expect them to come mentally ready for the class since it’s a one-on-one session. I have quite a number of students on hand and none of them behaved that atrociously like her.

Her mum would once a while interrogate me and sit me down for what seemed like a stern lecture for no good reasons, as though for the sake of up-keeping an employee-employer vibe, and to remind me who’s in charge. For every lesson, I would customise the agenda and worksheets to my best ability and to match her child’s gaps and her“requirements”. But she tend to have those moody days. During my first day, she ran her ‘interrogative session’ with me - before I even get the chance to sit down and teach. She asked if I am a fake FT tutor, due to the high turnover of tutors she experienced in the past. I was quite dumbfounded since she was the one who picked my profile and saw all my credentials.

I could have seen the red flags then, and it definitely got more mental at the end. I taught this student for half a year and I’m absolutely relieved that I no longer do now. My life has since improved with much quality. 😂

Tutors—what are some of your worst what’s the worst student or parent experience you’ve ever had?