Job Discussion Forums

[ken]

Hi,
I'm a new English teacher and I teach mostly kids from age 2-15. The problem I have is that when kids get older (about 12-15), some get a lot rebellious towards the teacher, especially if the teacher (me) is new to the school. I have this one class in particular in which, two girls, age 14, don't even want to listen to me. I try to be as friendly as possible, while being firm if there's any misbehaving, and at the same time, following the curriculum, as instructed by my boss, but they still just want to look at their cell phones, talk and giggle, just look like they don't want to be there, or put their heads down on the table, like they're super bored. I find this to be very disrespectful. However, those 2 girls are fine with another teacher who's been teaching there for 6 years. Guess it's because I'm new for them.

The class is small, about 6-7 students. All of them are pretty good and want to learn, but those 2 girls just bring down the atmosphere in my class. I feel like yelling at them and telling them to get the f@#$ out of my class (well, minus the f-word), but you know what I mean. I told my boss about this and she said that I should just continue to be "genki" and don't mind them too much..."after all, learning English here should be fun!", she said. What the hell?! I know my boss doesn't know the "real deal" about teaching, just managing a school. It's pissing me off!

Anyways, I just wanted to let off some steam. I was wondering if anyone here had any ideas for my 2 troublesome students. Thanks a bunch.

[Gordon]

What do you think the reason is that they act that way? Are they more advanced than the others? Do you think they are bored because the class is too easy? If so, than try to challenge them, give them a leadership role in the class. This could help motivate them. Since they are not consistently bad, but just in your classes, something about your classes might be bothering them. I'm not saying you're a bad teacher, but something is amiss.

Try and figure out the cause of their bad behaviour. We've all had trouble makers. Sometimes the biggest trouble makers turn into our best students down the road.

[ken]

Thanks for your input, Gordon.

Actually, I do I know partly why they're acting like this. It's because the classes are late (about 8pm) and I know they had a whole day of school and then sports club after. I understand they are tired. But being tired is different than being disrespecful and often hateful towards the teacher, which is the vibe I'm getting from them. Sure, my other students in that class are tired, but at least it's not like those 2 girls.

I try to make the class very light hearted and "genki", as I said before, but still no luck with them.

[Nagoyaguy]

How about just moving their desks into a corner of the room and leaving them there? They can sleep, play with their phones, do whatever, as long as they dont disturb the rest of the class. Then, have super fun and interesting lessons with the other students. In a week or so, the bad girls will be begging to get back int the group.

Chances are that YOU are not the problem. It is the situation, the time, the material, and the girls themselves.

[Sheep-Goats]

There ought to be a way to make them into allies instead of enemies -- and what Gordon said about their level being higher has been (in my limited experience) almost always a part of that kind of behavior. You need to evaluate their levels and find out specifically why they're bored/uninterested, which means you'll have to talk to them but probably won't be able to ask them directly (they probably won't want to offend you directly by pointing out any kind of flaw).

When I was a student I was often a big challenge for the teacher to handle. If I wasn't interested in something I'd not work at it and get by on talent and/or negotiation skills. Teachers who realized this often found it hard to actually get me to learn, as I would often categorically dismiss a subject. The key, in my mind, was basically whether the teacher had anything to offer me if the subject did not -- if you appease everyone in the class but two people all of the time, perhaps it's time to somewise dissapoint the rest of the class in favor of those two people. Remember that enforcing a democratic tyranny over a minority can be just as wrong as enfoching a oligarcic tyranny over the masses.

What I'm saying is, bascially: 1) Find out why you might want them to be your students and 2) try to treat them to a lesson tailored to their interests.

You may wish to do some reasearch on multi-level teaching in the meantime. It may also be as simple as encouraging them to have a snack before class, as well.

[Glenski]

How do the other students respond to their antics?

[ken]

Thanks for the replies all.

Nagoyaguy - I'm teaching at a tiny school where there are no desks. We basically all sit on the ground around a table in a small room. So in terms of separating the 2 girls, it's a little difficult. I could have them sit on the opposite sides of the table, but I did this before and all they did was look at each other and make facial messages and giggles, etc.

Sheep-Goats - yes I agree with you that I would like to make allies with them instead of enemies. By your suggestion, I feel more confident in teaching something that they might be interested in....BUT, my boss who has told me that I MUST follow her strict curriculum, would make it a little hard in making it interesting. The curriculum is, after all, pretty boring. See, I'm just doing my job and I'm trying to enjoy it, but it's difficult with them two. I was a difficult student as well when I was young, especially with a new substitute teacher. So, I can relate.

Glenski - other students that see this lazy behaviour affects them somewhat. Since they're at an age where influence is very affective, other kids have a feeling of boredom too. Other students who want to learn are annoyed by it. I remember one keen student saying to one of the girls that she should participate more (in Japanese), rather than being a lazy slouch.

But in any case, thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciated it! I will do more research and practice, but I guess I can't make every student love me, eh?

[Gordon]

Your boss doesn't seem to care, so you might as well not kill yourself thinking about them. Without support from your boss, there is little you can do, especially since she does not want you do to anything different with them. I would try to encourage them to take a leadership role in class and see if there is something you can adapt to make it more challenging for them.

[Eleckid]

I work at a small eikaiwa, & for some reason, my boss gave me all the junior high students this term, so I'll see if I can help a bit.

As we all know, most teens run in packs. Having a sense of belonging in a group is really important to them. Also, some students are rebellious cuz there is this big wall between the teacher & them. Perhaps the previous teacher was successful cuz they've been teaching the students for some time & had probably befriended them. So try to befriend them, & they will start to care & try to learn just cuz they like you. But be careful about being at their level, where they will start not to listen to you. This is where the difficulty of balancing being a friend to them but also being a tough teacher is.

Did you have a favorite teacher when you were in high school? If so, why? Think about that 1st, then think what kind of strategies your teacher did when there were rebellious students. Try to think of your teacher's qualities, & then you can try to do the same.

It is important to be tough & nice to them at the same time, & showing them that you care. Set out the rules as early as you can, so that they're clear of what the teacher expects from them.

Doing some ice-breaking activities with them is important.

This is what I did in the 1st class (I just had another 1st class of 14 yr-old girls today):

1) Come in & say hello (with a smile)

- at this point, if I see them using the cell phone, I'll tell them to please put away their phones, & then tell the entire class that during lessons, turn your phones off or to silent mode, put them in their bags, & that they cannot take it out until class finishes.

- if no one is using their cell phones, you don't need to say anything, & move on.

2) Introduce yourself. Write your name on the board & tell them where you're from.

3) Ask them to do a short self-intro. I usually write the points on the board as follow:

1. Name
2. Age
3. Family
4. School
5. Hobbies
6. Free choice (optional)

I then will do my self-intro 1st, to show them an example of how it is done.

4) Each students do their self-intro. This is a nice chance to memorize their names. If they say something like "My hobby is watching movies." At this point, you can engage to more conversations by asking "Really? Wow! What is your favorite kind of movie? (give genre examples)" They will say a genre, then you ask another student if they also like watching movies, & what genre. Then you can also ask all of them what their fav movie is.

For music, if they tell you they like (ex.) English R&B, you can go "Oh, me too! I like Babyface."

Try to get to know them as much as you can, & try to have them to know you as much as they can. Also try to have some common interests, so that they can be interested in you. This is also good for other students to get to know about eachother more.

5) If at this point you still couldn't memorize their names, do a name activity. This is what I do:

<you> My name is John & I like jellyfish.
<student 1> Your name is John & you like jellyfish. My name is Emi & I like ELT (a singers group name).
<student 2> His name is John & he likes jellyfish. Your name is Emi & you like ELT. My name is Rieko & I like raps.

etc...

This is pretty fun & by the time it goes around the circle, you'll have everyone's names memorized. This game is best for 5-7 students.

6) On to your text (hopefully by this time they're not so sleepy anymore).

7) Try to leave about 5-10min at the end of your lesson for a game. Any game is ok, to get them genki again. You really don't want your boss to see bored students floating out of the classroom after your lesson.

What I usually do is play any games which require a lot of concentration & they have a time limit. If they have like 1 min to complete a task in the game, then they'll pay more attention & will freak out & be genki again.

Make sure the games require them to speak some English. You'd want them to be using & learning English as much as they can~ Tonight I played "slap your ass" (of course I didn't tell them the name of the game) & the girls were screaming & went all hyper! With your 6-7 students class, it's cool to play that game. I did that with my 6 junior high kids & they all went hyper.

For every class, try to do a quick warmup game at the beginning & at the end of your lesson (esp if they look dead). Again, any game to give them energy.

btw if at any point you hear a cell phone ring (or see someone checking their email), make a big deal out of it. Don't get angry, but just smile & embarrass them by saying (really loud) "Ooh!!! Cell phone ring! Who is it?? Remember no cell phones in class!" Other students will chuckle & look at that one student, causing them to be extremely embarrassed. No one will dare to operate their cell phones in your class anymore.

Keep your lessons upbeat & they will have no chance of falling asleep or doing other things. Keep your voice fairly loud or genki & it'll be hard for them to fall asleep. Also try to suddenly ask them questions during a lesson to see if they're paying attention. I hope it helps~ good luck!

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Ken wrote:

[ken]

Great advice, all! Thank you very much and I will try everyone's suggestions!

[senorwaq]

You could go 'Battle Royale'...

Put up a picture of Takeshi Kitano in your classroom, buy a rape alarm or something that makes an equally distressing noise, and set it off every time they touch their mobiles!!!


Problem solved- and the other students will be on your side.

(Sounded like such a good idea until just after I wrote it down)

[Sheep-Goats]