What GED Teachers Should Know About Their Students

Do you ever wonder what commonalities your GED students may share? GED students can be as diverse as any group of students, but there are some characteristics that many high school drop outs have in common. The best GED teachers recognize the common traits that might have led a student to quit school before graduation. If you are a GED teacher, it is time to find out what you should know about your students.

Let’s start with the obvious: your GED students didn’t finish high school. They may all have different reasons for leaving, but in the end, they all left. So, to understand your students, let’s explore some of the factors that may have lead to quitting. As a seasoned GED teacher, I have learned certain traits that seem to be a part of my GED students’ pasts, and I have adapted my teaching style to suit this unique population.

1. Family. Most of my students come from broken homes. Unlike the above picture, they didn’t have two loving parents who gently tucked them in each night. Instead, most were raised by one parent, usually their mother, and their home lives weren’t the American Dream. Often, this broken family occurred in tandem with abuse, neglect, or drug use. This lack of a happy, structured home life leads to skill gaps in education because students’ ability to retain information drastically decreases when dealing with trauma.

The stories I have heard from my students over the last 20+ years are absolutely horrifying. I have worked with students who were sex trafficked, who have helped loved ones dispose of a body, and who were either beaten or witnessed severe physical abuse. One student shared that she learned as a young child that when she went to sleep, she needed to remember to pull her dresser in front of her door so that none of her mom’s “friends” could sneak into her room and rape her.

In fact, I am sad to report that most of my female students confide in me that they are victims of some type of sexual assault. When I say “most,” I don’t mean 55%. So many women have told me about past sexual trauma that my estimate would be that more than 90% of females who drop out of high school have experienced sexual abuse.

Honor students usually don’t deal with such horrors, and this type of childhood has severe consequences, mentally, physically, and even academically.

2. Mental Health. Many GED students have poor mental health. They could suffer from something fairly common like depression and anxiety, or something more severe like psychosis. Here are a few of the most common ones that I have seen:

PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder): Because many learners experience a less than ideal childhood, they sometimes have PTSD. Even those who escape childhood without these scars may have experienced trauma as an adult.

Stress/Anxiety/Depression: Many GED students have lowered self-esteem because of their lack of diploma, and this can lead to anxiety and depression. A majority of my students who have anxiety and depression experience severe enough symptoms to require medication.

ADHD (Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder): It’s hard to focus when past or current traumas take up a lot of mind space, and I find that a lot of people I meet have enough symptoms to be diagnosed with ADHD.

There are many other mental health disorders that permeate throughout the GED classroom, and a lot of those are more extreme. I have worked with many folks who have claimed to have border line personality disorder, DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), and bipolar to name a few. No matter the severity, knowing that your students have a good chance of having some type of mental health diagnosis should affect the way you teach and interact with your students.

3. Physical Health. Your GED students may have below average health. There are many reasons for this including poverty, habits, and stress, but poor health can lead to poor GED test scores. I have noticed that a lot of my students had rather have a cupcake or bag of chips instead of fresh fruit or a healthy green salad. In addition, not many of my students work out for the sake of health. The exercise they get comes from necessity, like having to walk due to lack of transportation. I also find that if students have money, they are likely to spend it on sodas, cigarettes, and fast food.

4. Humor. Most of my GED students have a healthy sense of humor, and they tend to be intimidated when the class tone remains serious for too long. I have had many people tell me that laughing is a coping mechanism for them, and I tend to find that if the classroom atmosphere allows for laughter, GED students are more likely to stay engaged.

5. Risky behavior and impulsivity. High School Dropouts are more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior because they don’t always take the time to think about the consequences of their actions. Often, this impulsivity is the reason they didn’t stay in school. They went for what seemed right in the moment instead of looking at the long term. This is often seen in people with ADHD, and it is definitely a known trait of abuse victims.

6. Culture. If you are a teacher, you probably had someone who encouraged you to get good grades and stay in school. This isn’t the case with many GED students, since some grew up around people who dropped out of school themselves. The people closest to them may not see the value in an education, so school isn’t seen as a priority. There may not have been an adult around who was able or willing to help them with their homework. By enrolling in your GED class, these students have most likely realized the value in getting a degree, but it may go against the wishes of those people close to them. I have had multiple students tell me that every time they start doing well, someone in their family speaks negatively of their willingness to better themselves.

7. They learn differently. Sometimes this is the reason they didn’t finish school. Their learning style may not have fit in with a standard classroom, so they fell behind and kept falling behind. A large portion of students tell me that they had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) when in school, a document usually drafted for students with learning disabilities. More often than not, I can work with a student one-on-one, and they can overcome the challenges they had in school. Part of this individualized teaching must also come with instructional variety, where a teacher is willing to approach new material in many different ways until one approach reaches the student.

So. . .what can I do about?

I love teaching GED classes, and the main reason is because of the awesome people I am able to help. The psychology of our students makes up who they are, and I don’t want my students to change in any way that doesn’t give them more peace and/or help them get their diploma. Realizing who we are teaching is what is most important because this knowledge can guide us to best help our students. Below, you will find some actions that might enhance you ability to guide these unique people.

1. Family. Because many students come from a broken home, they long for a sense of belonging, so help them fulfill this need in your classroom. Foster an environment of caring and compassion, and encourage them to support one another. If your class feels like a home away from home, students are more likely to leave their problems outside of class. For some tips on creating a community in your classroom, check out one of my past posts Building a Community in the GED Classroom through Games: https://thegedguru.com/?s=community.

2. Mental Health. Awareness is the most important factor here. Be aware that your students may need an extra dose of empathy on certain days, and ALWAYS treat your students kindly, even if they may be particularly hard to love. I truly believe that the person you want to hug the least is the one who needs a hug the most. Remember that if your student struggles with mental illness, it is probably due to factors out of their control. Make students feel welcome and loved, and you are likely to see them at their mental best.

3. Physical Health. It’s not our job to lecture students about the dangers of smoking or the problems with a sedentary lifestyle; however, to really reach our students, we need to care about the whole person. For instance, if you know that your students have bad eating habits, try bringing in a healthy lunch to share with them. Even a small act might ignite a spark that will lead them to a healthier lifestyle.

4. Humor. Make your class fun so that you are giving your students lots of reasons to laugh. I love to have group activities and use a lot of out-of-the-box materials. Below, you will find a few resources for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store that are sure to ignite some fun:

5. Risky Behavior and Impulsivity. Your students will benefit if you teach them to think before they act, but such lessons should happen organically. If a student shares a recent bad decision with you, take the opportunity to go through some better choices that could have been made. I have also used many students’ stories as a source of laughter that begins with, “And what made you think that was a good decision?” Impulsive people often make bad choices, but they sure are a lot of fun.

6. Culture. You can’t control a student’s environment, but you can try to counteract it by providing praise and positive feedback whenever possible. Create a class newsletter and feature a top student, for instance. Even easier, print out a certificate when a student reaches a certain milestone. Make sure that praise is a regular part of your classroom.

7. They learn differently. Have fun with this, and use as many hands-on activities as you can. Here are a few that my students love:

In conclusion, you have chosen to work with an awesome group of people. Show them you care, have fun teaching, and you are sure to make a difference.