Job Discussion Forums

[sock]

I don't know if your students are as bad as mine, but does their lack of respect and total laziness get to you?

I teach grades 1-7 (primary and middle school students) and they are terrible. I taught these same kids last year, and they weren't nearly as bad.

I have some classes that go by so quickly and most of the kids leave happy, and I think that they got something out of my class.... But then the next class is the total opposite. I have students who won't even look at me, don't bring their books or anything related to English, just play, or even worse, fight and scream...

So I looked at my lessons, and tried to "spice" them up a bit... No dice. The good kids were good, but the rest had the same behavior or worse( because I tried to give the kids a less structured lesson, and the freedom just went to their tiny little heads).

Any advice? Any thing I should do? Or should I just give up and do nothing? I feel bad that these kids treat me like poop, how do I brush it off?

Thanks!

[tw]

Sounds to me either the kids are bored of seeing you, or because of a different class schedule as compared to last year's, they come into your class tired and/or hungry and just don't feel like doing any work.

[saint57]

About a month ago, I gave some advice to someone in a similar situation. Your clearly not enjoying yourself at the moment. How much are you earning to be this upset? My guess is about 5,000. Bring a newspaper, a coffee, and an i-pod to your next class. Sit at your desk and enjoy yourself.

This advice is to not to be taken literally. It should just guide you towards the type of attitude that will allow you to survive. Once you learn how to survive, you may find yourself beginning to thrive.

You have been hired for two reasons. First, as a promotional tool. Second, to give the Chinese teachers a one period break.

I went through it about two years ago and I learned the rules of the game.

A) The noise in your class is not to be heard in any other classrooms. If I had a great activity, the students would often get too noisy for the other classes to concentrate. On the other hand, when the students peeved me off, I'd shout at them so loud that the whole town could heard me. When students are not paying attention and goofing around, the sound level will not reach that magic volume that will cause trouble for you.

B) The administration is NOT on your side. Don't bother them and they won't bother you.

C) If the parents show up to observe a lesson, you'd better apply everything you learned in that 4 week TESL course. It's no problem though because the students suddenly become English angels.

D) When you're required to give them an exam, don't hold any grudges. A student who can't say hello should get 95%. Almost everyone else should get 98-100%

If you follow these rules you'll be surprised when they ask you to re-sign. Of course you'll say no, but it feels pretty good.

[kev7161]

[saint57]

Kev's advice is actually known as CYA (Cover Your A$$) in teacher talk.

[kev7161]

Now THAT I agree with! But, yeah, when your job performance is reflected by 2nd hand word of mouth (student feedback? Come on!) as opposed to your "superiors" observing and giving constructive criticism or even legitimate praise, then CYA is surely the route to go. Luckily most of us can easily find another job elsewhere, but if you want to settle down and not have to be a nomadic teacher AND want to leave when you choose to, not when some lazy, punk-assed student decides it's time you pack your backs, then I say be the best teacher you can be in the situation you are given, but cross your t's, etc. (not that I'm in the above situation these days, thank you, but you never know when a good situation can turn into a bad one).

[viovio]

Well, you need to CYA since after some time parents should start wondering why their kids aren't learning.

Here in Chile we have a big book for each grade, class or course? Well anyway, when a teacher feels that a student is really misbehaving, they write it on the book. For a certain amount of "anotaciones" the school calls the kid's parents.

I also suggest to try some behaviourist ideas like having a chart and put stickers next to the names of the ones that behave well or something, and give or take privileges accordingly. They're clearly not intrinsicly motivated so try some extrinsic motivation.

You can always do some songs in the classroom, that immediately caughts the attention of teenagers.

Well, I'm not aware of the teaching situation in China, but don't de afraid of giving them some freedom to choose activities, if they misbehave is usually because they are not used to that kind of classes and they don't know what to do. (They have to have clear rules to follow even when you're giving them more freedom)

Maybe you could list some nice activities and do a poll to see which one would be more popular to do. But tell them that you're really making an effort so they must commit to make that activity work, if when the day comes they misbehave finish the activity immediately and do some choral repeating or something really boring so students will want to go back to the previous one. (You must be firm)

Remember that if teens see a little bit of lack of authority in you they'll take advantage of that. You must be firm from the beginning.

If the problem is the schedule (they are hungry or tired) there's not much for you to do, but lighten your lessons and make them move (maybe some TPR)

[vikdk]

[viovio]

I think it mostly depends on the administration of the school. If they support you you'll feel confident to do what you want, you may fail, but then you try again.

If they don't support you, you'll be unconfident and that will reflect in your teaching. Take a look at what other teachers do in class and do that.

Finally, my main advice is to be firm. If kids respect you they'll behave.

How many students do you have anyway?

[sock]

I've tried music... but with the same results - the five or so kids in each class (out of 20-25) who want to learn will participate, the rest will just goof off.

I've also given lists (naming both the naughty students and the outstanding (well, I pretty much put the mediocre students on this list too) to their head teachers and the principal who is responsible for the foreign teachers, and it hasn't done an ounce of good.

Yep... about 5000 RMB a month. It's enough, and I will never get a 20,000 RMB job and still live in the sticks, so, I'm not complaining....

Maybe I should just relax more... .

Thanks for all of the advice!

[viovio]

At least you tried hehehehehe

[daodejing]

If a student is misbehaving in China, can you "send them to the principal's office" to get yelled at? I was deathly afraid of this in elementary school.

[kev7161]

Ha! The furthest most kids MAY get is to their head teacher who's so bored and/or harried and/or overly tolerant that a "stern talking to" is almost incomprehensible. Principals in many schools are not at all like your average US principal (sorry, don't know their roles in other countries). They are in the midst of a gazillion meetings every week or off to hand-shaking luncheons to try and sell their school to more upper class VIPs. Does anyone work at a school in China where their principal actually has a hand in the punishment cycle of naughty students?

[Steppenwolf]

My girlfriend is just in her second year teaching at an experimental middle school; her classes have 65 kids...in any subject.

Recently she could hardly speak to me on the phone; she croaked like a parrot dying from exposure to cold. I heard her say her students were so unruly, nhoisy, chatty she ruined her voice during the lessons of that day ((she had 4 two-period lessons).
"And how do your colleagues resolve this problem?" I asked.
"They bought a microphone to speak LOUDER than their students do..."

[Calories]

Refuse to talk if they are talking and goofing off. Just stand there and wait. Eventually the students tell eachother to shut up. When it's too much scream don't yell.