How do you deal with a negative student?

[Clare Larkins]

Say you have a student who simply tells you every day: "I hate school." They consistently say things like "This is dumb." or "I'm not doing this because it's boring." Their attitude is self-perpetuating, because since they refuse to do anything in class, they are frequently sitting there bored out of their mind doing nothing, while the rest of the class is having a blast doing whatever it is that you're working on in class. It's also said that one bad apple spoils the bunch, so a student who is consistently negative can begin to make other students feel negatively about your class because it's difficult to challenge statements like the ones your student makes. If a student says they hate school, what can you say? They're allowed to have their opinion. So what would you do?

[Clare Larkins]

I would try to engage them personally. I might set aside some one-on-one time to find out why they think the work is so boring, or to hear what they would prefer to do instead. If they think the work isn't challenging enough, I could create independent work for them to do. If it's too challenging, I could create modified assignments that they could complete, but still be practicing the same skills and learning the same material as their peers. If the work is at their correct level but they're just whining about it, I would point out all of the classroom activities they could do when they complete their work, and encourage them to complete the assignment to earn those reward activities.