Job Discussion Forums

[Madame J]

?

Obviously the key difference between teaching adults and teaching children is that, with the kiddies, you are there not only to teach but to babysit. For this reason, I find the idea of a group of forty odd children with a fairly basic command of English being left in the care of someone with a basic level of the kids' language slightly questionable. I do know that some positions require the teacher to be proficient in the tongue of the country in which they are teaching, but this by no means applies to all. What happens, then, when an emergency is sparked off in the classroom or bullying occurs in which it becomes necessary for the teacher to mediate?

I am looking into a position with children, but I do not have any other languages (I will of course try and learn some, but I doubt I'd be able to achieve the level of proficiency required to resolve all classroom disputes/actual emergencies), and so I find the idea of being placed in sole care a little worrying. As much as I'd like to teach foreign children, I know if I were a parent I'd be dubious about leaving my child in the care of someone who could barely understand them!

Have any of you encountered such difficulties?

[spiral78]

Presumably in any such school setting, there are management and admin staff around at all times who speak the local language.

[Madame J]

Well, I know that, I think I'd just be worried that they wouldn't be to hand when I needed them.

I think being on a very cushy voluntary position in Thailand has made me worry about the "real world" of TEFL a little too much. I had a Thai teacher in lessons with me at all times, and whilst the lessons were entirely my own, she was always there to step in if such emergencies occurred.

[Anda]

.
First off little kids have to like you or you have lost it straight off. I get a bit rough with boys to keep them in line and you will find that it is mainly the boys that get out of line. Currently I've got holiday classes with young children. The classes are too long for the real young kids as they are an hour and a half long. So I let them run a bit wild after about an hour.

Normally you will only get one or two real trouble makers in a class and if I can't handle them without hitting them or breaking bones I go and get my boss or his wife with the added threat of calling their parents. Most of my classes this doesn't happen and if it does it is only at the beginning where I have to establish myself with a new class of students.

My classes are pretty loose and noisy but I have control. Kids are not stupid and they are usually open to a trade off for a certain amount of effort. I make them aware that I want them to learn but I'm not against having some fun in class at the same time. If you are fair then in general you will find that they are also.

Once you are accepted then your students will often bring a trouble maker in class under control themselves.

The secret is not to see yourself as an adult but a young person of the same age as your students. Not that easy but if you act and behave like say a class captain or whatever you want to call a class leader then you will be getting close to what I mean

[keitepai]

"Hitting or breaking bones"??? I am sure this is an attempt at humour but it doesn't go down well when the subject is children, definitely offensive.
OP in my school I have a teacher aide who speaks the children's language but I find I can manage ok. I had some picture cards the kids could use when they wanted something ie toilet, drink until they learnt the words themselves. What age are you intending to teach? That could make a difference.

[Anda]

I find the whole modern thing about don't whack misbehaving kids ineffective. In my home country Australia we have a youth problem along with a huge divorce problem these days that we didn�t have to any major degree when we had corporal punishment etc.

Now that the youth is out of control the government is starting to hold parents accountable for their children's behavior this is after they brought in laws where you can't whack your own kids.

I have been teaching since 1990 and when I first started teaching in South Korea corporal punishment was still in. Personally I think some form of change was needed there in the laws but not from allowing one extreme to change to another. One high school where I worked at they kicked out 17% of the students from the school to maintain control. What happens to these students?

In teaching for over fourteen years I have never been called in for a problem with a parent so I must do something right.

Kids and young people in general like rough handling along with knowing that their teacher worries about their safety and future. I make my students sit properly also, like right posture used to be taught at schools.

I was transferred to where I teach part time to stop the decline in student numbers and this has now stopped with students wanting to resign to continue their English studies.

[Def]

[keitepai]

Hello Anda,
Your approach is certainly 'different' and I have honestly never heard of a teacher that uses these methods as a behaviour management technique.

All the research I have read states that children who are abused or harshly treated have a higher rate of juvenile offending, substance abuse and mental health problems. Do you have some information that I have missed?

I am not against 'smacking' on occaision by a child's parent but it just sounds so wrong to hear a teacher suggest this to the OP's original question. The answer to the question "Is it dangerous to teach children alone?" is probably a big YES but only for the children.

Are there any laws, school policies where you are to guide you in this area or do teachers choose their own methods? Interesting subject

[Anda]

I grew up in NSW Australia and have watched things change in the workplace, home and school.

What I call rough handling is physical playing about with students where you touch them of course non sexually. For instance I might come up behind a student that has their head down on the table and grab them at the bottom of the rib cage with both hands. It wakes them up with a jolt and everyone gets a laugh. It also gets students to pay attention.

Little kids I might tickle them to get their attention. Boys that aren�t paying attention I might pull their hair / ear etc, not to extremes of course.

When corporal punishment was still allowed in Korea I would have students doing squats for not taking an interest in the lesson. After a few months I would have good attention. I would also physically drag students to admin if they got out of hand. Please this might happen once or twice a year at most, so don�t try to make out differently.

The thing I am trying to pass on is quite simple in that I have been plus I�m still popular with students as a teacher. Students do not mind discipline by their teacher provided in is in relation to improving their chances of getting a good job in the future. Respect normally comes once they become aware that they are making progress with their studies.


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England

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[Madame J]

Ah! The cards idea is excellent. How silly of me not to think of it!

I would be hoping to teach any age group(s) from 6 to, ooh I don't know, 15? Slightly older ones don't worry me so much in that respect (after all, with the older ages you can always rely on there being one smartarse in the class who's desperate to show off by translating ) , however complete beginners scare the bejeezus out of me. The lowest ability I've so far taught has been year two.

[FuzzX]

Yes Japanese children will punch you in the balls and yell 'koncho' when you are not looking.... Beg your DOS not to be left alone in a room full of japanese children.

[Jetgirly]

When I was teaching in a private Mexican high school I felt unsafe at times, even though my students were all upper intermediate speakers (or better). On several occasions I had students demonstrate dangerous behaviour, and on one occasion I believed a student had overdosed on drugs. The classrooms did not have phones in them and the admin office was on the second floor (in a building with four floors), so to get help I had to either leave the class and go upstairs myself, or send a student out of the room to find an administrator. The worst part was that at many times the office would just be closed and all the lights would be off, and nobody would know where the administrators were. I come from Canada, where high schools have formal lockdown procedures (and drills), and where every class I've ever taught in has a phone with a direct connection to the office (where you'll actually find someone in admin) and can dial out to the police (although you're expected to go through the office in an emergency). Yay Canada!