Job Discussion Forums

[Imseriouslylost]

Just had the class from hell today, here in Korea.

I had tried every discipline tactic in the book and I carry around a very large discipline book (mentally of course). It was a small, extremely low level girls class and they were bonkers because it was Friday afternoon. The entire class was discipline, I hard even broke the seal on my lesson plan which is somewhat rare for me. They were all talking, some were screaming, some were running around... a couple screeched (you know, those really high pitched screeches kids do). Chairs got moved around, tables got flipped and I almost lost my temper.

Imagine kids running around in circles with their arms up in the air, screeching. Now imagine bigger kids doing it (I teach High School). This is what it was.

This isn't common, mind you. Most of my classes are alright. I usually can manage to run a tight ship.

I've just been wondering if High School/Middle School students in Japan *can* be like this. I consider myself a teacher who can discipline a class effectively when necessary yet every once and awhile I get a class like this that is just uncontrollable. Their homeroom teacher was in the classroom with me at the time and she advised me just to let them go as she couldn't control them either.

The thing is, especially in classes with foreigner teacher, the kids don't know that they're supposed to show respect to the foreigner.

The year goes like this:

-Kids are angels. Foreign teacher is new and the novelty has just set in.
-Four months later, English teacher will start to notice some disrespect and some talking. If not corrected, it will get progressively worse.
-Six months later, English teacher will observe that the novelty has worn off. Teacher will also realize that Korean students have never been told that it is rude not to talk in class, and they will talk to their heart's content. Telling them to be quiet is completely ineffective and pointless, as are most other forms of verbal discipline. My solution is assigned seating, isolating offenders and eventually kicking the worst offenders out to the hallway and doing it again when I let them back in and fall into the same routine.

Anyway, is this exactly the same in Japan? Better? Worse?

Just curious. Its one of those things about living here that surprised me. I always thought non-Canadian, High School students would be better behaved than Canadian kids. I was wrong. My memories of High School involved everyone at least trying to act mature in class with a couple bad apples here and there. There was no screeching or running around. That was what elementary was for. I guess kids here have a much delayed growth and maturation because of all the forced study and lack of social graces/conditionning.

[gaijinalways]

Believe it or not, some of the uni classes here are like that, especially at lower level schools where language studying is not taken seriously. Though of course, we usually don't have room for running around, but the talking while ignoring the teacher is not unheard of. I have students who sometimes need a 'make up break' as well, including guys .

Of course, you can send bad students out, but they sometimes 'disappear' for a while. I find it's more effective to take their cellphones away. I can always make a few free calls that way .

[uberscheisse]

hate to sound like a teacher, but it's all about motivation.

you're in korea - korean kids are some of the most competitive people i've met - play on that. even the tiniest reward for an accomplishment breeds concentration. one thing i found effective was to put up flow charts of progress up on the wall so people could see clearly who was #1. maybe they weren't the best english speaker, but it was the kid who behaved the way i wanted. classes calmed down after i stopped fretting and played psychology.

in japan, i'm sure it's pretty similar. since i've been here i've been working with a games-and-competition only curriculum and it's got me a few results.

university level - just kick them out.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[Imseriouslylost]

[Glenski]

I used to teach a private HS. Never had such a wild incident. You might want to read up on incidents of "classroom chaos" happening in public schools here, but I couldn't tell you how common they are.

Things to realize:

1. In public school situations, you are likely not going to be the sole or main teacher in the room. Let the Japanese teachers handle discipline.

2. Despite #1, you may be surprised how little they do discipline the kids. Sleepers flourish. Gabbers are often allowed. School counselors are rare (homeroom teachers usually take that role). There may even be mentally challenged (or at least severely socially challenged) kids in your class.

3. Unless you have a lot of J language skills, there is not much you can do.

4. You need to understand how the wild situation occurred in the first place. Isolated incident?

5. Control from the beginning is essential, and taking things away as punishment is often effective.

[ShioriEigoKyoushi]

Text deleted

[gaijinalways]

ShioriEigoKyoushi posted

[Lyrajean]

It depends entirely on what kind of highschool you are teaching at. The students are divided based on test-based ability after juniorhigh. They may enter one of the Highschools based on their performance.

If you are lucky to be placed at a mid-high level academic school your students will probably be mostly well-behaved and polite.

If you are at a low-academic school or a non-academic school like a technical HS you may have disruptive students, rude students, etc... etc...

Even at the low level schools, you will be unlikely to see the level of physical violence that can happen in American inner-city type schools. No guns, few knives and illegal drugs. Although our students do get busted for underage smoking and drinking on and off-campus on a regular basis.

[mizzoumike76]

I get called "metabo" by students of just about any age. I guess in Japan it is perfectly acceptable to point out someone's weight to them and touch their belly like a magic freaking Buddha. It never ceases to amaze me.

I just laugh. I could care less.

quiz: who do ya think is going to play Santa this year?

[gaijinalways]

[lisa111082]

I don't think so. I have kids calling me fat and saying I look like a monster and pointing out every little imperfection on my face.

One girl called me a fat bitch and pointed in my face, and a boy screamed at the top of his lungs in my ear. Teachers just shrug and say "shou ga neeeeeeee yoooooo" and don't really discipline them when they do that...

[seklarwia]

[mizzoumike76]

Wow,

That's pretty bad. Those kids' parents would probably be mortified to hear their kids are saying such things.

When people call me "metabo" (even some adults), they do it in a giggly manner and I really don't mind, so my situation is different. For you, man, that is just cruel in any hemisphere.

It's one thing to say it to a guy and joke around, it's another to say it to a woman. I don't care if "their culture is just different than yours", this would be a perfect opportunity to learn some cultural sensitivity and politeness, they way we gaijin are expected to have learned!

Michael

[Imseriouslylost]