How to deal with difficult situations in classes

Your student, who you have been tutoring for a few weeks now, come to you with a bad result on their latest test. In situations like this, we encourage you to do the following:

1. Focus on the student's emotions. Channel your empathy to understand how the student feels. If they are grief-stricken, make sure to console them and show sympathy and compassion. If they are frustrated, then let them know that one test or exam isn't going to dictate anything. It's incredibly important to acknowledge the student's situation, and we trust you to find the right words to do so.
2. Scrutinise the test. If your student doesn't have the test with them, ask them to bring it to the next session. If they do have it, it's well worthwhile to embark on a journey with your student to pour over the test, analyse the intricacies of the questions, and reflect on their answers. Always remember to couple your constructive criticism with words of encouragement!!
3. Consider what needs to be changed moving forward. Establishing concrete, tangible and suitable plans and goals means your student can walk out of the session knowing the next steps. Formalising a strong study plan for the rest of the year will also help point them in the right direction.
   
   For more advice, you can check out this article: What to do when a Student gets a Bad Result on a test

Your student asks you a difficult question that even you don't have an answer for. You remember reading about it somewhere but cannot be sure about the right answer. What do you do?

1. Be confident. You were chosen for qualities that enable you to be a good tutor and role model. However, having confidence also means having the courage to admit you don't know the answer. Be honest with your student; tell them you'll need to do your homework too, and then follow through. They may actually feel better knowing you're not perfect.
2. Use every opportunity as a teaching moment. Your role as a tutor doesn't have to be limited to imparting knowledge - as important as it is. In situations like this, you may want to walk your student through the steps of self-directed learning. Developing these crucial skills will be beneficial for the student for life. Maybe you can google the answer together during the class!

You have noticed that your student is easily distracted, tends to wander off-task, or doesn't seem to be listening whenever you speak to them. Here's what you can do:

1. Refer to "How to keep your lessons interactive".
   
2. Communicate your concerns. Remember, here at KIS Academics, we value you and your time. And we want all our tutors to develop a proud sense of achievement through their lessons. If you feel like your students are not appreciating all the work and preparation you are putting in, please share that concern with your student directly (and nicely!!). If necessary, involve the parent(s) in the discussion.
3. Find unique ways to support your student's needs. We are increasingly aware of the prevalence of ADHD students within the community. Some of the key approaches we take to support ADHD during our tutoring sessions are:
   • Dividing tasks into smaller manageable chunks so that students don’t feel overwhelmed;
   • Focusing on completing the more challenging tasks/questions at the beginning of the session while the student is still fresh;
   • Providing plenty of verbal encouragement and positivity;
   • Setting achievable goals;
   • Keeping instructions clear and concise;
   • Asking students open-ended questions so they have to engage and think for themselves;
   • Keeping a consistent routine and pattern of learning.

This is a more rare case, but if you do come across this situation where you feel that your student has plagiarised content from somewhere, here is what you should do: 

• Gently call the student in on it. Let them know that you are aware/ have found content similar to what they've done, and see if you can get them to admit to doing it.
• You want the student to know that you are on their side, and that you're just trying to help. At KIS, we emphasise the importance of holistic development alongside academic progress, so it is important that we ensure that students are getting good grades by their own efforts. 
• If you feel that the parents should be involved, do get in touch with the parents to let them know what the student has been doing too. Of course, this is a case-by-case scenario. We are aware that some parents are more involved than others, so this is a judgement call you will have to make.

If you have a student that is getting tutored by you for multiple subjects, parents may try to negotiate payment. If you face this situation, please refer to this article: Parents/Students trying to Haggle or Negotiate Pay

If you believe that a child is at immediate risk of abuse, phone 000. 

If you are highly suspicious that a child is unsafe in their household and needs to be reported, please fill out this formand send it to contact@kisacademics.com

Refer to this article for more information: KIS Academics Child Protection Policy