At the same time they will not respect a TA who is so friendly that he or she loses control and authority in the classroom. The discouraged workers are students who are dissatisfied with themselves. They become depressed with their academic work but use the depression to push themselves to improve their work. While they tend to become withdrawn from the teacher and other students, they understand that their feelings of discouragement are within themselves and do not blame others for their feelings. The best way a TA can help a discouraged student is to be patient and encouraging.
Snipers are typically underachievers who tend to be rebellious and defensive.
They appear to be uninvolved and emotionally indifferent to classroom activities. They dislike ambiguous or highly abstract topics, and they are often intolerant of others. Snipers expect to do poorly in the class and are pessimistic about having a positive relationship with authority figures. They have low self- esteem, and one way they might counterbalance their feelings of inadequacy is by finding fault with the instructor's explanations of the course material. It is important to understand that snipers are often attacking the issues rather than the instructor personally.