Job Discussion Forums

[yaramaz]

Regarding kids and their teachability, I found that the quality of my lessons really depended on how willing I was to enforce discipline (not always easy to muster up the energy for that on a friday afternoon...). With rich Turkish kids, self discipline does not come naturally or easily to them- and often the kids will expect you to yell or hit them to achieve this. Even their classroom teachers complain that I'm too relaxed-- not enough ear pulling and screechy "SHUT UP!'s.

After many month of experimenting with various non violent disciplinary techniques, I found that the best way to achieve calm and interest in a classroom was to tell the nicest, keenest kids that we're going to play a game or do something quite pleasant this lesson. Then I go to my desk and sit calmly, smiling and flipping through my notes. When the crazy kids keep disrupting the class and the nice kids turn to me and ask when we get to start the game, I tell them that I can't begin the lesson until the others listen. I say I don't want to shout because it isn't polite to shout. If the noisy kids really want to play a game, then they'll have to be quiet to hear the rules! At that point, the nice kids will go to the noisy, disruptive kids and ask them to please be quiet because we're going to play a game... and it works! By the end of the year, my kids were self-regulating-- I only had to look at the good, keen kids and raise my eyebrow and they'd hop to it, shushing their peers politely. It was quite a transformation!

[Capergirl]

Reading these great replies, I realized that I hadn't responded to the question myself. I don't mind teaching children (with the exception of kindergarten because it's hard on the head ), but I definitely prefer to teach adults. The students I teach now are in the 18-28 range - university age but not all university students. Most of them are studying English by way of their employers, which means that they are more serious than university students. I like the fact that my adult students come to class mentally and physically prepared to work. I don't have to get them focused at the beginning of class...they arrive focused. If I want them to do an activity, I only have to say it once. When I assign homework, I can expect it to be done (and they usually remind me when I forget to check ). However, the thing I like best of all is that they don't want to play games, which is perfectly fine with yours truly. Kids always want their classes to be fun, but fun can be exhausting for the teacher. In my elementary/junior high aged classes in Taiwan, no class was complete until we had played at least one game. The classes also had to be entertaining the majority of the time, games or not, or the students would become disinterested and then there would be complete chaos. As such, I learned how to keep their focus by livening the lessons up as much as possible. It was actually fun sometimes but very draining. I'll take an adult class over a children's class any day.

[nomadder]

When I first started teaching I taught mainly adults and 3-4 kids' classes. At the end, this proportion was reversed. I was surprised to find that I really liked teaching kids and usually developed a good rapport with them. The kindies could be a bit stressful but I had one group who were such amazing learners and before they even reached school age they knew as much as some gr.6's. I liked to see the results that can be achieved at the beginner level. I also like the energy and the regular attendance. I love games so that was no problem for me. Simple grammar is less stressful to teach too. I prefer grade 4 and up but some younger classes were great too. I just wish that the Junior High/High School students could have had more time and motivation as they could have learned so much.

I taught in Japan and I think it must make a difference which country you teach in. I seem to recall hearing that Korean kids are often little h*llraisers for example. In Japan kids were honest or easy to read whereas adults were well schooled in the poker face/everything is great/never coming back here again thing. But I agree with previous posters who would keep a few adults for sanity's sake. My least fave were the snooty housewives and kids with discipline probs. Luckily for me my boss didn't like these types either and didn't mind showing them the door-yen or no yen.