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On Fri, 23 Jan 1998, Shevawn Eaton wrote: > Some of our students are on such wobbly ground emotionally > about their fit in the university environment, the cultural > differences they are encountering, the racism, and the huge > family and emotional problems they may be facing on the > homefront, that it takes just that one straw to break them. Then Shevawn wrote about an experience with a student with low self-esteem and fear of using the computers who dropped out after being ridiculed by the instructor in the computer lab. Shevawn goes on to say: > Now, I'm not saying we could have saved him if she had been > nicer, but I am saying that we all need to think about the > negative things we put in front of students without meaning > to. Friendliness and a supportive may buy us enough time to > start to reverse the damage these students bring with them > initially and give them the boost they need to persevere. I couldn't agree more. Sometimes calmness and understanding (even if you have to fake it) can go a long way toward breaking through the student's defensiveness. I kinda think my students are a lot like lobsters--hard-shelled or prickly on the outside and tender on the inside! You just gotta have the patience to pry through the shell! Now, granted, since I'm a budding criminologist/sociologist/ psychologist as well as an English tutor and wannabemystery/suspense author, I've learned an awful lot about how some folks are able to "manipulate" not only the system but the people they meet. However, this awareness does NOT mean that I see psychopaths and sociopaths under every rock or behind every pair of eyes in the classroom or tutoring center! I hope I never get that cynical or burned out! By the way, if I'm ranting too much on this thread, I hope you'll forgive me and just sigh and delete future messages unread or just tell me to shut up for a while! Peggy Keller English Instructional Technician Assistance Centers for Education Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute 525 Buena Vista SE Albuquerque, NM 87106