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[Contradicto87]

Hey y'all. I'm teaching middle schoolers at a private school. Everything is pretty smooth for the most part. I only have one class that I'm requesting help on.

The problem is multiple: lack of interest in English (which is not a voluntary course), lack of interest in school, excesive talking. Your basic bored and nihilist 16 year olds, packed 40 a room.

For their homework, I asked either English names or pin yin to be written on the class roster. 95% chose pin yin (the only class of 19 to do so), probably as a jest to watch me struggle over Chinese names (and take up class time in the process).

However, I can't allow the whole class to go to s*** (as much as I'd like to. Learning should be voluntary, but this is my job, so I've got to play the part). What is your advice? Discipline? Increase in interest of lessons?

I have given one student lines "I will not waste class time" for refusing to say "present" in English when his name was called. I've also threatened to send home letters to their parents, which was met with continued 'whatever'.

The main problem is that their English level is so low, and their interest is also very low. I'd like to play interesting games, which they would probably enjoy, but their level is very beginners (e.g. not knowing which preposition is missing: "I go to school ___ noon on Monday."

[choudoufu]

[Contradicto87]

Let me explain. Of 19 classes, this is the only class that deliberately choose pinyin at a 95% rate. They all knew this, in an effort to watch me struggle over the Chinese and take up class time.

The choosing of pinyin is not a problem in itself. In an unruly class with no interest, it takes on a different character as a gesture of resistence against the boss, me, the teacher.

[Banner41]

Sometimes the school knows the bad students and wrangles them into one class. So, out of 19 classes and 1 is bad you got you are quite lucky.

[choudoufu]

ok. you let them choose, so now you're stuck. you can either
1) deliberately mangle the pronunciations until they beg for english
names, or 2) learn the pronunciations and move on.

take all them characters, copy & paste to google translate. hit
the translate button. at the bottom of the screen, you'll get all
the characters converted to pinyin WITH the tone marks. put
those into the roster. practice.

how is the breakdown boys/girls in that class compared to your
other 18 classes?

[Contradicto87]

Yeah the pinyin isn't a problem. Google translate is my friend. My overall question here is one of motivation vs discipline for 16 year old Chinese kids that dont give a f***.

The class is mostly boys, where as 'generally' my other classes are closer to a 50/50. Of the 43, I'd say 6-8 are girls.

[choudoufu]

okay, then. situation normal. girls like english. boys like to look cool.
there's generally nothing you can do other than write off the class if
you can't change the syllabus.

typical english classes (english majors) i've had here in the uni and votec
school will be 75-80% girls. the girls are interested (could be due to the
incredibly hunky sexy foreign teacher!), do their homework, participate.

the boys typically show up late (or not at all), with sleepy hair in their
2-week old stinky basketball suits. no textbooks, no notebooks, no pens,
no interest, no three no four.

talking with chinese teachers, fao, other staff........they say to simply
ignore them, give them zero's. let them do what they do in their
classes with chinese teachers: sleep, text, fruit ninja.

you'll find some of that is their embarrassment at inability to speak
english. do some in-class writing assignments, graded for their low
level, and you might be surprised.

you gotta run that class a little differently. make it a remedial english
class. do some 'crazy english.' can you move the 6 girls into one of
the other classes?

[Contradicto87]

Per moving the girls: the class structure of this school is Junior 1, Junior 2, Senior 1, Senior 2, Senior 3. Each set has a series of classes to it ranging from 1-6.

Each class then has its respsective schedule. Unfortunately, if the girls were to move to another class, they'd have to swap their schedules. I'm the only foreign teacher here. I don't think they can move without changing their class, which as I understand it is based on test scores.

I might just focus on teaching the girls and give up on the DGAFs, but I didn't want to do that.

Advice from the other teachers is to just make sure they don't sleep, to continue the lesson, and thats that.