Job Discussion Forums

[vikdk]

Kids are the most honest audience you're ever going to get - you dish out krap teaching , they'll give you krap back (in one way or another)10 fold!!! Local teachers have to use pretty nasty methods to get kids to be calm in their lessons - so I would never advise any sane person to ever follow their teaching or classroom management methods!!!!
Also developmentaly from the age of around 4 normal child is exploring the new found revelations of discovering that it's and individual entity who can act independantly of adults - this of course leads to greater experimentation with regard to becoming the rebel and standing up against authority. If you're teaching a subdued batch of 10 year olds who can hardly let out a squeek, then I'd reckon this was the real problem class.
Another problem here is the massive amount of time primary school kids spend in the classroom - personally I respect their descision to go bonkers now and again - I know I would.
Solution - make my lessons so F...ing good that they decide to go ape in somebody else's class - a real teaching qualification (and not none of your TESOL type subject teaching krap) that explains pedagogy as a tool to understand the child in relation to it's development and learning helps no end!!!!

[Roger]

VOldemort mentioned his position on how to call him, and I must say it is amazing that almost everyone accepts to be called Jack, Jeff or John the Foreign Teachie. I say: why? Why do FTs have to be put in the same league as minors? This is a highly symbolic first step towards downgrading FTs, and the low respect generally held for FTs - just visit the forums of CHINA DAILY! - bears this out.

I make it an iron rule that my students have to refer to me by my surname, full stop and no discussion! Unfortunately, employers ride roughsod over such initiatives taken by FTs, and this proves my point: they do put you in the same category as their students - i.e. as recipients of orders, instructions and rules, not as equal employees or professionals, no matter your age or your qualifications.

Our positions if further eroded by the loose integration of FTs into Chinese schools: we never are asked to help improve the teaching situation through our suggestions and advice; in fact we are turned into robots that have to bey sometimes the most egregiously asinine orders (as an example I would cite my experience under my first training centre boss who said it would be good for his business if I could affect some American accent...).

While students in poorer parts of China, and that means, in most parts of this country, are relatively well-behaved your authority may be challenged in the more affluent coastal parts where a single child is lording it over his or her own parents, the school and, of course, the FT. There are some formidable discipline isues with such brats!

What's the solution? Rule numero uno: keep a calm and cool mind! Remain aloof! Don't react to provocation! Swim with the river!
It's apparently not everyone's cup of tea to educate primary school kids in China - even Chinese techers often loathe or fear them! .

[vikdk]

[lou_c]

I'm a high school teacher in the U.S. in the same situation as the OP. Here are a few teaching rules of thumb that I got when I started teaching from my wife who is a first grade (6 year olds) teacher with 20 years experience.

1. Make sure the students know that you like them. This can't be faked. You have to actually like them. Fortunately, with most kids it's not hard. This enables you to...

2. ...not take any crap at all. The minute someone steps out of line, make a firm correction that comes from a place of compassion. Don't hesitate to call in the parents, but sure you let them know that you like their kid inspite of his/her behavior.

It helps to have a system with penalties for bad behavior and rewards for good behavior. Be very liberal with the rewards. That means they can't be too expensive in terms of your time, effort, or money. It also means you have to get in the habit of catching kids doing something good.

3. Never do any one thing for more than 20 minutes without a change or a break. Don't lecture, sing songs, practice a skill, have the students write, meditate, take a nap, play basketball, or anything for more than 20 minutes without a change or a break. With little kids, there are very few things you can do for more than 5 minutes.

Good luck.

[Henry_Cowell]

[kev7161]

I have the same kids all day, every day. 25 squeezed into a small classroom. I certainly have management problems, but they have lessened as the year goes by. Some things I do:

1. My kids call me Mr. Kevin. If they (playfully or mistakenly) call me MISS Kevin, I don't answer them and, at the beginning of the year, some simply called me Kevin. I corrected them for the first month or so, then I ignored them. They got the hint. They call the Chinese teacher by her family name followed by "laoshi" - - which I think means RESPECTED teacher, no?

2. I try two or three activities in each lesson, from getting kids moving around (the best we can in our tiny room), to coming to the chalkboard to do math problems, to calling some up to read aloud, to having some play "teacher" in some activity or another, etc. Then we generally have the final 10 to 15 minutes of having them do quiet (?) desk work. The biggest problem is the transitions, say passing out papers. It easily takes 2 or 3X longer than it should and I have yet to get a handle on how to make these transistions smoother. That may change as they age.

3. My Chinese co-teacher can speak sharply to the class and they are like little soldiers, snapping to attention. They're not perfect around her, but it's so obvious they respect her authority much more than mine. I'll try the soft approach. I'll try not talking. I'll try to count to 10. They pretty much ignore me. When I finally do raise my voice, that calms them down for (maybe) the rest of the class but then it starts all over again come next period.

4. We have a point system in our room where the kids get points for good behavior, doing eye exercises properly, good grades on tests, etc. As well, we take away points if they are doing something bad. At the end of the week, we tally up the points. High point receivers always get a treat of some candy or something, while "runners-up" will get a smaller version of the same candy. Also, stickers are prevalent. When we have oral spelling reviews, the team with the most correct words spelled get stickers. Stickers are given on reading book copies if they do a good job. Stickers here and stickers there, the kids love 'em and they really work hard for them. If I'm back next year, I plan on bringing back a bagful of fun little toys and pencils and erasers and such as I think they'll tire of stickers as they get older.

5. For punishments, some kids have to stand during the lesson or they go out into the cloak room for a few minutes (they really know they did something bad if it's to the cloak room with them!) or we even have a "punishment" desk by the teacher's desk. I'm hoping we can get to the point that they can speak English well enough that I can make them say why they are being punished. Right now that's not happening. Last week some kids were playing on the 2nd floor (we're on the 3rd) and they know that's a no-no. They had to write "I will not play on the 2nd floor" 25X and they couldn't participate in Art class - - easily al students' favorite.

6. Finally, we try to seed the school year with fun activities - - generally American holiday-based: Halloween, Christmas, Easter. Also, the class had to work to earn an out-of-school pizza party and afternoon in the park. Naturally, it was raining the day of our outing, so we still owe them the park - - after the May holiday. We gave them 10 stars on the board at the beginning of each day (it was too easy for them, it should've been 5). If they as a class were too disruptive or talkative or whatever, we'd erase a star or two or three . . . Once they earned 50 starts they got the pizza party (which their parents paid for); 100 stars added the park. Hopefully that taught them a bit about responsibility.

Saying all the above, they ARE much better now than at the beginning of the school year, but ther are some days . . . grrrrrr!

[Malsol]

[vikdk]

[vikdk]

by the way as teachers we don't just teach subject - we are also role models who lead by example - and this situation is very pertinant when teaching small kids. So if you this think that so-called discipline in your class should involve teaching kids that they should show almost blind respect and obedience to so-called figures of authority, and that any straying from the straight and narrow should result in acts of physical, mental or social discomfort being forced upon you by authority - then you have my sympathy. No wonder the world is such a F'ed up place, that individuality and invention are so successfully supressed in China - but not to worry, at least those future supressors will be well trained to take on the mantle of state for the next generation

[lou_c]

[kev7161]

Vdkdxyz . . . as usual, you over-simplify things without really knowing exactly what you are saying/writing. What do you think? That I have the kids stand on feet for 12 hours a day? Our lessons are only 40 minutes in length. 9 times out of ten, IF I actually make a kid stand, it's generally for 10 minutes or less. One reason I have kids stand (after several warnings, mind you), is if they are leaning back in their chair. "Four on the floor" I tell them, repeatedly. Why do I want them to learn this? So they don't fall back and hurt their heads or arms or whatever? Do you think this is something I should be concerned about or do you think I should just let them tip on over and let them get seriously hurt so they'll "learn their lesson" in that manner? Honestly, if you can, which one is preferable?

Right now when there is a child crying and another child may or may not be the reason why, they go blubbering to their Chinese teacher, she says a few words, things get straightened out, maybe someone gets punished by her, etc. etc. If I have to be with these kids all day, I don't want to be Jovial Uncle Kevin who never metes out punishment while she is the taskmaster. Who do you think they are going to behave for the most? Really? Certainly not the teacher with the stickers. I'm not saying I also want to be mean ol' grinchy Mr. Kevin all the time. Not at all, but kids do need guidance and they do need reinforcements - - positive and negative. If you read my whole posting, you'll see where I said I give out a lot of praise and rewards. But these are 1st grade students . . . in China . . . land of the Little Emporers and Empresses. I need to show them who's boss from time to time. If they can come to me and we can figure things out in English, half the battle is won. I most certainly do not use English as a torture-device. I realize your pithy comments are meant to antagonize here, but really . . . do you honestly stand by what you put down here in your posts or are you someone we should ignore more often in the future?

And thank you Lou_C. I try to be interesting and I try to be engaging for my students during my lessons. It IS the troublemakers (we have 4 or 5 constant TMs) that tend to ruin it for the rest.

[barry3000]

[quote="PussyDog2006"]Hello , I am from U.S.A and considering coming to China for teaching.

Call me old fashioned, but, the first thing to do I would have thought would be to learn English, if this is what you are considering teaching.

Hello, I am from THE U.S.A. and considering GOING to China TO TEACH.

Unless of course you are coming to China to be taught English.

Sorry, feels like my time of the month coming on.

[Super Frank]

Kids are resilient little f'ers. You can make a kid cry in the first ten minutes but by the end of the lesson he is hitting you with his bit of string and waving ' bye bye teacher ' again. We were all the same, I don't mind them mucking about coz that's exactly what I did and they do do the work which is the 98% most important thing. I just get angry when you want them to be quiet and they won't. Hell, foreign languages are probably the least important lessons to the really young ones, kinder, primary, and their going to use the time to let off steam and have a laugh.

[grwit]

I agree with the others that there is no real discipline problems with the older ones. Its harder to keep them awake than to stop them from climbing up the walls. hehehe

Last year the university I was teaching at arranged some extra classes at the number 1 middle school in town. I had 4 primary classes and 2 highschool classes.

I have also taught primary school in Australia.

Yes sometimes the little ones did get a bit out of control. Lucky for me the TA was there to help. It was easier to control my aussie students simply because I could speak the same language and knew their names. It was much harder it the chinese classroom because of the language barrier and not knowing their names. But what I did was start to sing a song that I had taught them. (Wheels on the Bus or Ol' McDonalds Farm) The few that were paying attention began to sing along then a few more then the whole class. I'm not one to stand in front of a group of kids and bark orders at them so this method worked for me. I'm not saying it will work all the time and with every class though.

I also agree with Voldermort and Itsme about the rules of discipline in china. I have been told that you cannot send students out of the class nor can you make them wear the dunces cap or stand them in the corner. However I have made some students stand at their desks for periods of time and have not been warned about this one.

Rewards are the next best option for class control. A pocket full of candy can work wonders in the classroom regardless of the age of your students. If the brats notice the others getting rewards for good behavior or good work they will soon change their attitudes.

[grwit]

I agree with the others that there is no real discipline problems with the older ones. Its harder to keep them awake than to stop them from climbing up the walls. hehehe

Last year the university I was teaching at arranged some extra classes at the number 1 middle school in town. I had 4 primary classes and 2 highschool classes.

I have also taught primary school in Australia.

Yes sometimes the little ones did get a bit out of control. Lucky for me the TA was there to help. It was easier to control my aussie students simply because I could speak the same language and knew their names. It was much harder it the chinese classroom because of the language barrier and not knowing their names. But what I did was start to sing a song that I had taught them. (Wheels on the Bus or Ol' McDonalds Farm) The few that were paying attention began to sing along then a few more then the whole class. I'm not one to stand in front of a group of kids and bark orders at them so this method worked for me. I'm not saying it will work all the time and with every class though.

I also agree with Voldermort and Itsme about the rules of discipline in china. I have been told that you cannot send students out of the class nor can you make them wear the dunces cap or stand them in the corner. However I have made some students stand at their desks for periods of time and have not been warned about this one.

Rewards are the next best option for class control. A pocket full of candy can work wonders in the classroom regardless of the age of your students. If the brats notice the others getting rewards for good behavior or good work they will soon change their attitudes.