How would you handle a student saying, “You are the worst teacher ever! I hate you!”

Q:  How would you handle a student saying, “You are the worst teacher ever!  I hate you!”

A:  I would remember to focus on the behavior rather than on the student.  I might say something like, “It seems as though you are upset with me.  Would you care to explain further.”  I learned in my methods courses that when teachers get comments like that, the worst response would be to put the student on the spot.  Instead a conversation is more productive when the emphasis shifts to the actual comment rather than the student’s personality.  I’ve also discovered that sending an “I message” is a very productive way of diffusing the student’s anger.  A message such as, “I understand that you are upset with me.  I wonder if you can tell me why.”  To build up the trust necessary for an effective conversation it’s valuable to let the student vent and then get to the heart of the anger without assaulting the student’s emotions.

            This kind of question is a test of your discipline and classroom management philosophy.  Demonstrate that you are up on the latest behavioral strategies and techniques for handling student issues.  If you were to say something like, “I’d make the student go stand in the corner for ten minutes,” you would clearly show that you do not have the student’s best interests in mind or that you were not aware of appropriate behavior management techniques.  Make sure you can cite a specific technique (by name) and how you would apply it to a specific situation.

A:  I would remember to focus on the behavior rather than on the student.  I might say something like, “It seems as though you are upset with me.  Would you care to explain further.”  I learned in my methods courses that when teachers get comments like that, the worst response would be to put the student on the spot.  Instead a conversation is more productive when the emphasis shifts to the actual comment rather than the student’s personality.  I’ve also discovered that sending an “I message” is a very productive way of diffusing the student’s anger.  A message such as, “I understand that you are upset with me.  I wonder if you can tell me why.”  To build up the trust necessary for an effective conversation it’s valuable to let the student vent and then get to the heart of the anger without assaulting the student’s emotions.

            This kind of question is a test of your discipline and classroom management philosophy.  Demonstrate that you are up on the latest behavioral strategies and techniques for handling student issues.  If you were to say something like, “I’d make the student go stand in the corner for ten minutes,” you would clearly show that you do not have the student’s best interests in mind or that you were not aware of appropriate behavior management techniques.  Make sure you can cite a specific technique (by name) and how you would apply it to a specific situation.