Job Discussion Forums

[tofuman]

I teach in a middle school. I have been told by local teachers that I shouldn't expect too much from my students. They have already been screened and side-tracked into the school I teach at. The excellent students are at other schools preparing for bright futures in the new China.

Suppossedly, if the students fail, I must give them an easier exam that they can pass. This has not happened yet, so I can't be sure about this.

Is it true that the students are screened and admitted to different schools based on their chances to succeed? I have classes of about 50 and perhaps there are as many as five students in each class that have decent language skills. Many show not the slightest interest in the subject and care little about having a native English speaker as a teacher. Actually, some resent it because they can not understand what I say. In order to grade my lessons to meet their English level, I would be using words (?) like goo goo, ga ga, and so forth.

The students are nice in many ways. One told me that they were here because they did poorly on the math section of a placement exam but they really want a better life. She asked for my help.

I'm not sure what I can do if they have already been tagged as "losers" by their educational system.

[limits601]

Just try

For the ones who want to listen and pay attention to you, model your lessons toward them. Make you they understand and the work you give them is at there level. For the others who care not to pay attention, dont pay attention to them. If they want to join in, there free to do so but if they show no effort then forget them. They do it to themselves but try and make a difference on the ones who want to be there. That how i deal with my grade 6's here. If the teacher isnt present then only about 6 kids out of the 36 will listen to me so i help them, they others just dont care to be there and its totally fine with me. Im making a difference with the ones who want me there.

Thats my point of view though. Im sure many of you will have different views and different ways to handle it and i would love to read some of them. I hope it kinda helps.

[kev7161]

My private school is just filled with students who were kicked out of public schools due to behavior problems or other situations - - not all of them, mind you. We have a lot of decent, hard-working students as well. The only problem I have with the helping of the ones that want to learn and ignoring the rest is that the "rest" won't let you ignore them (in some of my classes at least). They want to talk really loudly (in Chinese) or throw things or find some other way to disrupt the class. Being told point blank that I'm not allowed to kick these kids out doesn't help the situation at all. Luckily, I only have a couple of classes with this problem - most of classes/students are just top drawer.

[limits601]

They say your not allowed to kick any of the kids out but can u take the kids who want to learn and take them out of the classroom to another empty classroom and teach them and let the other kids just be animals. Ive had to do that a few times at my school to get the point across to admin that i wasnt going to put up with it. Or have a chinese teacher there with you while you try and teach.

[tofuman]

Discipline is not really an issue. I can and do send students out of my classroom. I also move them around and deduct points. Deducting points is very effective. Some of the students do care, but they are in over their head. I teach a technical type of English that is beyond the grasp of many of my students. But they are participants in a toxic system that runs them through the grades whether they understand or not.

If I was faced with ongoing rowdiness, I would have to consider my response. Taking control of the classroom from the teacher is absolutely demeaning to every teacher.

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with that.

[Brian Caulfield]

It has been my experience that personality plays a more important role in learning languages than intelligence. A outgoing student learns a language easier than a shy person . So enjoy your students and I think they will suprise you .

[The G-stringed Avenger]

Next semester I'm thinking of stretching some ribbon across the classroom and asking the don't-care/not-interested/don't-want-to-learn students to sit behind the ribbon, and the good kids to sit in front of it. Then teach the good kids only. My freshman class would have featured about 15 kids in front, 69 in the back. Suits me.

[limits601]

Exactly !