ABSTRACT
Douglas is in his early forties and is responsible for teaching a vehicle maintenance and repair vocational course at a college of further education. Most of Douglas’s students are part-time and are aged between 14 and 17. Douglas has a great deal to offer the young people whom he teaches. He has expert knowledge and extensive experience in the motor industry and he is committed to passing his skills and knowledge on to the next generation of motor vehicle mechanics. However, Douglas is becoming increasingly frustrated by
the behaviour and attitude that his students display, and this is draining his enthusiasm for teaching. To help understand why Douglas feels this way, read the following description of a typical workshop session:
For Douglas, Friday mornings are never easy. This is the time of the week when he has to teach a group of twelve disaffected 14-to 15-year-olds from the local secondary school. They have been attending the college every Friday for the past few months in order to sample a range of vocational courses. This is their fifth week with Douglas in the vehicle maintenance workshop. As Douglas arrives on the Friday morning, the students are already standing outside the workshop waiting for him to unlock the door. As he approaches, he notices that two of the students are smoking and others are not wearing their safety boots. This annoys Douglas because the rules are stated clearly in the student handbook that he gave them on the first induction session. He frowns and shakes his head but decides to say nothing at this point, as it will inevitably lead to arguments and he doesn’t want to start off on a sour note.
