Job Discussion Forums

[angrysoba]

For those who teach in elementary, junior high and high schools discipline can sometimes be a problem. Even in eikaiwa schools disruptive students can become a problem both for the teacher and to the students who want to learn in class.

In this thread I am asking to share classroom strategies on how to deal with classes with disruptive students. A new school year begins in April for alot of us and whether we work in public or private schools, whether we teach the classes by ourselves or are ALTs nearly everyone will come up against some common difficulties.

How do you deal with students who refuse to do work? Students that are violent in class? Students who bully other students?

In my experience, anyone whose job involves working in a classroom needs to have some strategies. Often eikaiwa schools and private schools are reluctant to inform parents of their childrens behaviour, while in public schools, some home room teachers are simply incompetent.

I hope we can all help each other out as fellow-teachers here...

[Brooks]

what kind of school do you work for (elementary, junior high, high school, etc.)?

[Sweetsee]

I can tell you Soba that no one has endured the abuse and hardship I suffered last year at school. In retrospect, I brought it upon myself. It is too broad of a subject for me to tackle here but I will try to give some input by answering specific questions.

How do you deal with students who refuse to do work? Students that are violent in class? Students who bully other students?
1) Let them be.
2) Report it to the homeroom teacher.
3) Let them be.

Honestly, do yourself a favor and don't ever, ever, by any means, get involved in it.

[TokyoLiz]

I throw disruptive kids out. Especially the ones that cuss at me.

Mid-year, I had some trouble with second year boys. I banished them to the staff room and made them wait for me, shamed them in front of their peers, and had them write reports. They haven't bothered me since.

I'm lucky no kid has ever been violent around me.

One kid brought a knife to school once, so I just walked out of the classroom, got another teacher, and had that person deal with the kid.

I'm training in a martial art here, but I'm not paid enough to get involved in crap like that.

[Sweetsee]

By law, kids have a right to be in the class, I was told.
Actions like Liz described can create a power struggle where you are sure to lose. In Liz's case it seems to have worked but it depends on the school. I am going to guess it was public school.

[TokyoLiz]

Sweetsee,

Nope. Private.

We all won. The kids settled down and the class has stayed on track for 6 months.

[JimDunlop2]

It's all about whom the students see as an authority figure. You can try, but in general, the only authority figure the students respect is the homeroom teacher.

I've also had issues with students, and like Sweetsee says, don't get involved. It's a good idea to leave discipline for the Japanese, if for no other reason but Japanese discipline methods are different from ours. Sometimes it seems as though there is no discipline at all, but despite that, they DO have a method to their madness.

When we were preparing for the senior class school trip to Kyoto, teachers were inspecting the kids' luggage for "contraband" and I saw one of the troublemaker kids deftly slip a cigarette lighter, and then some other items into his pockets. I did not confront him -- it would have been futile. Instead, I reported what I saw to a nearby teacher, who then confronted the boy. It turned ugly. The boy of course denied he had ANYTHING and refused to empty his pockets... So it turned into a shouting match and then a scuffle, and ended with the vice-principal and at least 3 other male teachers restraining the student. In the end they kicked the lighter out of him (figuratively, not literally) but it was an ordeal!

The lesson to be learned is -- you never know when a minor-seeming issue is going to escalate into something much bigger. Leave it to the homeroom teacher. Believe me, everyone will respect you most for taking that approach.

If you have any specific questions, you can PM me... And if I can think of something else to write here, I'll post a bit later today.

JD

[Sweetsee]

All the same Liz, I would under no circumstances advocate getting invoved with discipline here. You may have been successful in your situation but there is only one TL.

I think Jim summed things up very well, thanks Jim.

[canuck]

[angrysoba]

Brooks:

[canuck]

[canuck]

[Sweetsee]

Canuck mentions a very important point: be prepared. Be sure to define the parameters of accepted behavior and discipline from the administration before you set foot in the classroom. This means meeting with kocho-sensei with an interpreter, if need be. It does not suffice to confer with homeroom teachers, as anyone who has spent anytime here can tell you.
Also, I do not advocate the laissez-faire approach as implied by other posters, rather, act within the guidelines established.

[Brooks]

yeah, I don`t think homeroom teachers always get respect.
Respect is a two way street.
Some kids aren`t taught that at home and that is the root of the problem.

Teachers in general are getting less respect.

It boils down to your own personality. I find that with some kids I must be strict but with others, being strict doesn`t work.
Some kids need a strict teacher but some will just rebel.

I think I can relate to most students but there are a few who are unmotivated and don`t care, or are fed up with school and may have personal problems that we don`t know about.

Some kids are just furyo (delinquent) and end up getting kicked out of school or are severly admonished. Once the parents get called in, at least some kids change their attitude.

The bottom line is that high school is not mandatory, but junior high is.
So that is why junior high can be really challenging for teachers.

Angrysoba、I assume your school is not that good.
My wife used to teach in one of Osaka`s worst schools, but in the end she just quit. She wanted to teach, not be a police officer.

[angrysoba]