What do you do if a student's personal struggles are affecting their ability to learn?

A friend reminded me that behaviour is a means of communication. And you can't learn if you aren't behaving accordingly. Therefore, recognising early signs of behaviour changes definitely will help to identify the issue at hand. Of course, it may be hard if you're dealing with many students at once but it helps to observe their behaviour and academic performances so that we can help clear things out before it gets out of hand.

A good teacher can easily recognize the backwardness or the hesitancy of a student to concentrate in the classroom. I always pay attention to my students' behavior in and outside the classroom, their body language, peer involvement, and individual performance to understand the signs of struggling.

Be on the lookout for behavioral changes, such as a dip in academic performance, lack of class participation or engagement, aggression, or loneliness. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may wish to discuss this with their parents or guardians to see what has been going on at home, or bring this to the principal's attention.

To be a good listener as a teacher is regarded as quite an unpopular opinion. Yet, if a teacher can give more ear to a student who's struggling and facing problems, a teacher can put an end to most of the struggles students face.

I found it best that as soon as you see struggles in your students, immediately ask them directly. I would ask my students, personally, if the topic was difficult, if my explanations were unclear, or if there is something else on their minds that is making it hard for them to understand etc. It helps if you have a good relationship with the student for them to open up and share their struggles honestly without fear of judgement. This also helps them to be more self-aware of themselves and be honest with their struggles. The key is honest and open communication.

I have found myself to bend the rules a bit with my students who struggles. Before the class, maybe we can watch a funny video, the sooner they are done with their work, maybe they can play a game on their devices, etc. I believe that as long as the objective is being met, they are learning, then it's okay. I believe the key here is to understand their strengths and weaknesses and focus on the main goal.

Depending on the circumstance, you may need to provide extensions on classroom assignments, provide 1-on-1 help at recess or after school, giving extra time to study for tests, or forgoing certain parts of the assignment. Just as long as it is fair to the other students and they understand, you can provide extra support to the student so that they don't fall behind in their schoolwork.

Once I see a change in my students behaviours, other than talking to the students themselves, I will also ask my team for some support and ideas to help the students. They will give me tips, tricks, even share their own experiences with handling such students. And most of all, we would remind each other to create a healthy and fun environment of learning and growth.

Of course students spend plenty of their time at school and do most of their learning there. But their behaviour often times begin at home, or are affected from it. So it's so important to ask the parents (respectfully) about the changes at home. Something as simple as a new baby or moving to a new home definitely affects the students in more ways than we can imagine.

When you notice a change in a student's performance or behavior, the first point of contact should always be the parents or guardians. Remember that teachers are teachers. They are not psychiatrists, social workers, or so forth, thus, they are not qualified to "diagnose" the child with a learning disability, let's say. Talking with the parents or guardians can provide great insight as to what exactly the circumstances are, and you can ask parents for suggestions since they know their children better than anyone else. Also feel free to suggest strategies, and make sure everyone is in agreement.

Build a child's resilience by teaching them strategies for coping, conflict resolution, and problem solving skills. When equipped with these strategies and the proper support system, students will be well on their way to resilience, and will just come back from their setbacks stronger!