Teachers can have great influence over students. In many cases students wish to please their teacher, especially younger students. Some students fear their teacher and the outcomes that will happen if they misbehave. Other students fear the punishment from their parents if they get into trouble or make bad grades at school.
However there are a few students that are not affected by their parents or by their teacher. They have a mindset that things will be their way and nothing seems to have much effect on changing their minds. I have come across a few of these students in my teaching career.
The one thing that most teachers wish to keep hidden from students (but these students figure out quickly) is that when it comes down to the bottom line, teachers cannot make students do work.
So what happens when a teacher comes across a student who refuses to do his or her work? I can actually recall two major cases in which I had to deal with this type of student. One case was with an eighth grade student and one case was with a kindergarten student. Both students had basically the same characteristics.
The most typical teacher response to a student that refuses to work is the declaration that work must come before play. These students can usually be seen sitting with a book on the playground or in the room while everyone else is at recess or on break.
However a student of this type will usually entertain him or herself and still not get the work completed.
The next step that a teacher often takes is punishment. Young children may get a sad face for the day or have a bear or card pulled for not doing his or her work. Older students may suffer from bad grades and a bad mark on student work habits.
Check back for more discussion on students that refuse to work.