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[yesimcimcoz]

Hi everyone!

I've been teaching now for 17 years and I've worked as a teacher, a private tutor and a Director of Studies. In all these positions, in all my experience and in all the books I've roamed through, I have found one piece of information missing. Teacher's don't have an Agony Aunt. There is no book you can go to to find out what to do if your class gets out of hand, or someone in your class challenges you physically, or what to do if you walk into a classroom for a video lesson and find the video broken. I think these are things that many novice teachers need answers to...these and a million other questions. I found that in these 17 years, I've constantly been giving this advice to teachers so I've decided to write a book with the answers to some of these questions. I need your questions. Please send me any question that comes to your mind and I will answer that question in the book. Thank you. Send all questions to
Yesim Cimcoz
[email protected]
Please put TEFL questions in the subject line

[Glenski]

Questions/Situations and their answers are going to vary widely with the country you teach in.

[davavo]

You endeavour to give people life experience. I�m afraid that is not possible. But i guess it might be an interesting read, if its kept to the humourous.

[Hondo 2.0]

In their English class, the students have each read a book, and written an entry for a database. Their task for computers class is to enter the information, and then run a few searches. I have these students for math, science, and computers. They are in Grade 8 (13-14 years old).

In the computer room, the students get to work. The computers are arranged such that I can only see about half of them at a time. Some students realise that they can hold down <CTRL-D> and instantly create records, at a rate of about 15 per second. Some other students start entering things like "Johnny is gay," and "Emma screws dogs."

As I'm trying to track down the perpetrators, other students start to run searches for the records with profance content. I eject two disruptive students. I send one into the hall, and the other to his teacher advisor. I tell the class that they have five minutes to complete their entry, and then we're going back to our the science laboratory.

After five minutes elapse, I instruct the students to gather their materials, and return to the science laboratory. Some students move quickly, but other require further cajoling. I escort the final three student to the laboratory.

When I get to the laboratory, I distribute math worksheets from the unit we're working on, and instruct them to work silently. As I'm cicrulating throught the room, I detect a strange noise. I track it down. Someone had turned on a gas jet at the side of the classroom.

My associate teacher told me that the Grade 8s at that school were the most difficult students he had ever faced, and that if I could handle them, I could handle anything. His previous student teacher had quit after a week, and dropped out of the program.

[davavo]

"i have lead you to the ring. Dance according to your skill."