The Challenge and Selection

I work in a higher education institution and while dealing with students of undergraduate and  graduate students, I use the great tool of storytelling very often.

I work with students coming from diverse backgrounds. Some have very happy families and a healthy  relationship with their parents while some have broken families and others have troubled relationship  with their parents. The students from broken families and with troubles relationships suffer from  depression and they express it either by being disengaged in class or being aggressive to people who  try to talk to them. The students from happy families make groups and most often they don’t include  the other categories in their friend circle. The result is those students neglected at home remain aloof  and isolated in college also. They don’t find friends and have no one to inspire them. Going to a  psychotherapist or a counsellor seems to make them sick which they are not as they believe. It is a  challenge to me to deal with these students as it takes a lot of my time to get them open up to end up  in trusting me with their failure.

I spend a lot of time to first get them open up to talk about their experiences and then alongside find  ways to inspire them. Quite often they are crushed under the aspirations their parents have and they  have no academically lived upto them to get higher grades in studies. Their loneliness is quite visible  from their disengagement in classroom or from their non-seriousness in assignments. With my  background from learning educational psychology, and working with such students as a learning  assistant in my early career; I share my stories of failures to raise their hopes. I enable them to visualise  a ray of light or a candle that illuminates the darkness and when they start opening up, I sue their  feedback to better understand them. I have to develop different strategies to help them cope with  circumstances back home and not to lose hope. Sometimes we sit and watch a movie they chose to  watch just to laugh and feel they have someone to care. I help them find a way to do something that  would add a meaning to their own existence and fulfil their emotional aspirations in life. That is when  they can emerge and find their path to go further and be independent.

I used the Story telling technique to handle such a situation.

Application.

I have a natural affection to people around me. I have always been the person to whom people have  come upto to share their problems and sometimes the same people have even backstabbed me with  their actions. Still I have faith in humanity. I was handling a whole business school and the problem of  students abstaining from classes was becoming a big issue. Many of these regular defaulters of  attendance had also strange behaviours in class which the teachers gave feedback for. Parents of these  students when called were callous about this behaviour from their wards. Something had to be done.  I decided to use a direct one to one approach and called the first 10 students individually on different  days and just invited them to a cup of tea in my room. I just had a chat on what are their likes and  dislikes. The students had thought that they will be reprimanded and they were taken for surprise that  they were treated over tea. I made them the rock star of the day by asking them to do something that  would be unique in the forthcoming student festival a month later. Each of these students either  participated in a dance or song or gave a solo performance. While I saw them do so, emotions poured  out in their voice and actions. Each of these students were publicly applauded for and admired. Later  when they came to meet me, I discovered that their parents were either divorced or separated. Others  were emotionally deprived of their parent’s time to just sit and talk to them. Now I had made them  heroes. Later teachers mentioned that these students were doing better in class and were not unruly  anymore.

Insight

This was an eye opener to me as well as my fellow colleagues. I later called these students now  together over a tea and sandwich one day. I shared how my father wanted to force upon me to choose  a profession of being a doctor and I had to resist him for three long years. Every time I hated him and  was also physically beaten by him when I did not get good grades. I found this scary. I shook at the  thought of even having dinner with him. But my mother who was always a silent spectator to all this  because she was equally afraid of facing the same physical abuse of she spoke anything, one day told  me to be brave and that she had faith in me. This was the changing point in my life. I decided to face  it all and still tell my father very politely and very firmly that I don’t want to be a doctor. I also  confessed to my students that I went to take a drink with my friends and preferred to just drink and  remain drunk than go home. But the thought of my mother kept me away from any more drinking and  being an alcoholic. Much later in my life could I freely talk to my father, but I care for my father and  that is because of my mother.

When I told this to the students they said they shall now do something they feel their life is worth of  and be happy about it.

I told about this to my institution authorities also. The case of such students could be dealt with just  by giving some helping hand and an ear to listen to. Now we have an inner space centre in our  institution and teachers are being trained how to identify the ones who need such attention.

Sometimes a little story can do wonders and bring out new revelations about things which were  unknown earlier.

This course has made me learn new tools and look at things in a more systematic way. What I did  earlier was out of just experience and what I could do further shall be systematic and help me  illuminate the lives of my students.

I am quite grateful that I did this course and learnt a lot from this.


The Challenge and Selection I work in a higher education institution and while dealing with students of undergraduate and graduate students , I use the great tool of storytelling very often . I work with students coming from diverse backgrounds . Some have very happy families and a healthy relationship with their parents while some have broken families and others have troubled relationship with their parents . The students from broken families and with troubles relationships suffer from depression and they express it either by being disengaged in class or being aggressive to people who try to talk to them . The students from happy families make groups and most often they do n’t include the other categories in their friend circle . The result is those students neglected at home remain aloof and isolated in college also . They do n’t find friends and have no one to inspire them . Going to a psychotherapist or a counsellor seems to make them sick which they are not as they believe . It is a challenge to me to deal with these students as it takes a lot of my time to get them open up to end up in trusting me with their failure . I spend a lot of time to first get them open up to talk about their experiences and then alongside find ways to inspire them . Quite often they are crushed under the aspirations their parents have and they have no academically lived upto them to get higher grades in studies . Their loneliness is quite visible from their disengagement in classroom or from their non - seriousness in assignments . With my background from learning educational psychology , and working with such students as a learning assistant in my early career ; I share my stories of failures to raise their hopes . I enable them to visualise a ray of light or a candle that illuminates the darkness and when they start opening up , I sue their feedback to better understand them . I have to develop different strategies to help them cope with circumstances back home and not to lose hope . Sometimes we sit and watch a movie they chose to watch just to laugh and feel they have someone to care . I help them find a way to do something that would add a meaning to their own existence and fulfil their emotional aspirations in life . That is when they can emerge and find their path to go further and be independent . I used the Story telling technique to handle such a situation . Application . I have a natural affection to people around me . I have always been the person to whom people have come upto to share their problems and sometimes the same people have even backstabbed me with their actions . Still I have faith in humanity . I was handling a whole business school and the problem of students abstaining from classes was becoming a big issue . Many of these regular defaulters of attendance had also strange behaviours in class which the teachers gave feedback for . Parents of these students when called were callous about this behaviour from their wards . Something had to be done . I decided to use a direct one to one approach and called the first 10 students individually on different days and just invited them to a cup of tea in my room . I just had a chat on what are their likes and dislikes . The students had thought that they will be reprimanded and they were taken for surprise that they were treated over tea . I made them the rock star of the day by asking them to do something that would be unique in the forthcoming student festival a month later . Each of these students either participated in a dance or song or gave a solo performance . While I saw them do so , emotions poured out in their voice and actions . Each of these students were publicly applauded for and admired . Later when they came to meet me , I discovered that their parents were either divorced or separated . Others were emotionally deprived of their parent ’s time to just sit and talk to them . Now I had made them heroes . Later teachers mentioned that these students were doing better in class and were not unruly anymore . Insight This was an eye opener to me as well as my fellow colleagues . I later called these students now together over a tea and sandwich one day . I shared how my father wanted to force upon me to choose a profession of being a doctor and I had to resist him for three long years . Every time I hated him and was also physically beaten by him when I did not get good grades . I found this scary . I shook at the thought of even having dinner with him . But my mother who was always a silent spectator to all this because she was equally afraid of facing the same physical abuse of she spoke anything , one day told me to be brave and that she had faith in me . This was the changing point in my life . I decided to face it all and still tell my father very politely and very firmly that I do n’t want to be a doctor . I also confessed to my students that I went to take a drink with my friends and preferred to just drink and remain drunk than go home . But the thought of my mother kept me away from any more drinking and being an alcoholic . Much later in my life could I freely talk to my father , but I care for my father and that is because of my mother . When I told this to the students they said they shall now do something they feel their life is worth of and be happy about it . I told about this to my institution authorities also . The case of such students could be dealt with just by giving some helping hand and an ear to listen to . Now we have an inner space centre in our institution and teachers are being trained how to identify the ones who need such attention . Sometimes a little story can do wonders and bring out new revelations about things which were unknown earlier . This course has made me learn new tools and look at things in a more systematic way . What I did earlier was out of just experience and what I could do further shall be systematic and help me illuminate the lives of my students . I am quite grateful that I did this course and learnt a lot from this .