What to do when a student quits
The Bulletin (Issue 14)
Cry. Scream at the moon. Rip up their nengajo.
And then think:
Was it something I did? Did I show up late for a lesson, make some joke that landed badly? Did I teach something poorly, (ahem, fall asleep in my own lesson?) or teach something the student didn’t want, need or could cope with?
Was it something I didn’t do? Did they sign up expecting grammar drills not conversational English? Or did they expect conversational English and I gave them grammar and homework? Years ago I lost a whole class of elementary school kids I think because I was focussed on teaching them conversation and had neglected to teach them how to read. I learnt my lesson and began incorporating reading into my classes.
Was it something out of my control? Did Daddy get reassigned to Hokkaido? Did the kid decide after-school karate lessons were more important than English? Did Mummy decide cram schools were the way to go? The list of things not up to us is long indeed.
What not to do:
Question the parents or other students. A respectful question or two is OK, especially to show your concern, wish them luck for the future or to check nothing terrible happened, but know that the real reason for a person quitting may be personal, difficult for them to tell you honestly or unknown to others, so pressing for answers doesn’t get you anywhere you want to go.
Punish the leaver in any way. Better that students leave on good terms. Treat them fairly and they may return, or even better, may refer their friends to you.
Decide you’re not cut out for this teaching life. You may not be, but don’t make that decision based on one or two bad experiences. In teaching, and all things in life, don’t allow the few bad things that happen to outweigh the far more plentiful good things that do. Also, every student quits eventually. It’s just the way it is.
The bottom line? If there is something you did wrong, fix it for the next time. If it was something beyond your control, don’t worry about it.
If it makes you feel better, I, Patrick Sherriff, self-employed-English-teacher-blogger-in-Japan doth hereby give you permission to stop beating yourself up and get on with being the best teacher you can be. OK?
Here’s a great substack I subscribe to, Anne Trubek’s Notes from a Small Press. It reminds me of my newspaper days and also pleases me that there are still independent-minded folk making a go of publishing.
Speaking of publishing and newspaper terms, here’s a “vox pop” I came across recently that you might get something out of, if teaching English in Japan is new to you:
Do you teach English to Japanese junior high school students? Are you struggling to find good quality, stimulating but age-appropriate graded-readers that kids actually enjoy reading and — here’s the key — that you can use in lessons without any extra preparation? I struggled too, and that’s why I’m writing 36 teenage detective short stories (one for each month of junior high school). I’m up to no. 21 now and you can download it, Hana Walker and the Pop Idol, FOR FREE TODAY ONLY on any Amazon site including Japan here, .com here and .co.uk here. The whole series is available as print books too, but download the Kindle version and you can check out whether it’s right for you and your students, and keep it for free, if you download it today. Oh, and if you do find it valuable, some stars and a review will absolutely make my day. Thank you.
All the best,
Patrick