The life of a student is no cakewalk. We often see some students in a classroom who don’t submit their assignments on time, are not interested in studies, show regular absenteeism, and may also display a range of behavioral issues. In order to get the best out of their students, teachers need to understand the various challenges which students face at school. Quite often it is not simple to work out what exactly a student is going through, as our thought process as adults can often be wildly different than what goes inside the teenage brain of our students.
Having said that, teachers should pay close attention to any change in behavior of a student or trouble that they might be facing. If a student is not comfortable at school, naturally they will have a hard time focusing in the classroom. This will lead to a depletion in student engagement and academic achievement in your class. Therefore, it is vital for teachers to not remain oblivious to the challenges which their students face and try to address those challenges to the best of their ability. This article discusses a variety of challenges that students generally face at school and it will be useful for educators and students alike in making their teaching and learning experience more positive and productive. So, without further ado, let us look at the most common challenges which students face at school.
Peer Pressure
It is a major problem for school students. At their age, they quite often don’t know how to say no to something. Peer pressure can lead them into things they didn’t want to be doing and in doing so they might end up wasting a lot of their valuable time, effort, and sometimes even money. The effects of peer pressure can negatively affect other aspects of a student’s life, such as their classroom performance, engagement, grades, and even their behavior. Teachers and parents should actively work towards teaching students the importance of maintaining and respecting their boundaries and that of others. They should teach the students that it is all right to say No to things that they don’t enjoy or feel like doing.
Low Engagement with Studies
Student engagement is integral for learning. Sometimes, students don’t find the study material, teaching style, or the atmosphere of the classroom engaging. When this happens, they often either drift away into daydreaming or just counting the time left in the class. The traditional instruction-based teaching approach is also partly to blame for the low level of student engagement in the classroom. This is one of the reasons why online teaching apps have become the preferred mode of teaching in recent times. Online teaching helps in providing an active learning environment and making the class more engaging and mentally stimulating for the students. Some of the best app for online teaching provides features such as digital whiteboards, online teaching through mobile, recorded lectures, discussion boards, and likewise, which further help in making your class more engaging for the students.
The Burden of Academics
Quite often, students get bogged down by the sheer amount of homework they need to do on a regular basis. After toiling hard at school all day, they honestly can’t be expected to do, say, four hours of homework every day on a regular basis. They say that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. As teachers, we must remember that children need to have some leisure time at home and we should carefully plan their assignments to ensure that students are not suffering from the volume of work and are in fact learning and enjoying, doing their assignments.
As teachers, we must remember that children need to have some leisure time at home and we should carefully plan their assignments to ensure that students are not suffering from the volume of work and are in fact learning and enjoying, doing their assignments. Furthermore, you could reduce their burden by suggesting further reading materials like these Biology notes to improve their understanding.
Parents’ Expectations
Students suffer from the burden of expectations that their parents have for them. They may not show it, but deep down it is always there. Parents and teachers need to realize that the way to get the best out of the students is by making them fall in love with learning. That way, their sole focus is always on learning for its own sake and not thinking about learning as a means to an end. Moreover, they should be taught how to manage the expectations of parents, teachers, and their peers in a better manner.
These are some of the most common challenges which almost every student faces, at some point or the other during their school life. We hope that the tips mentioned in this article will help the parents and teachers of the students to better understand and manage their students’ problems and help them achieve success in their lives.
