How not to give up when students leave

The worst case is when students disappear. They stop answering the calls and just fall off the radar. A couple of months later you meet them in the street, but they put on their sunglasses and cross to the other side of the road. You are left to wonder what happened and what you have done wrong.

Even though the above-mentioned situations keep happening, there is something you can do to prevent students from leaving. Here is a little checklist for you to use:

• Explain why you are doing things a certain way. All students have a very different previous learning experience and might not understand why you do this or that thing. Explain where all translation exercises have gone, why you can’t use this ‘green Golitsinsky book’ anymore and why games are not a waste of time. This will help students feel at ease and understand what is happening.
• Give feedback. The more you tell learners about their progress, the better it is. Mere ‘Good!’ and ‘Well done!’ is not always enough. Be more detailed in your comments. Remember to praise them and focus on the areas for development.
• Make learning fun. But not too much. Games, funny videos, energizing activities and personal stories can all take place in the classroom. Even if you teach Business English or exam classes, a bit of fun will help students feel relaxed and, as a result, more motivated.
• Learn about your students. Make English a tool that they can use to talk about their lives and achieve their goals. Create personalized speaking and writing tasks, try to remember things your learners share with you and make their hobbies and interests part of your lesson plans. 

All in all, if a student leaves, don’t give up! They probably have a good reason, and, most likely, this reason is not you. Even “We’d like to try a different teacher” is not the end of the world. Well, of course, if you don’t hear it once a day.