Job Discussion Forums

[fox1]

Hey,

Discipine is always the "fun" part of the class, where I have no idea!

It's challenging enough that kids sleep/talk/iron their hair/use their cell phones, but the language difference makes it hard to get the right 'nuance'.

I always try to discipline using humor amid my bad Japanese, but I am serious about them doing what I say. I use a lot of "please" as well.

Here are some of my "instructions".

Can someone please tell me if they mean remotely like what I think they mean!

"Kurikaesu, kudasai": Please repeat.
"Hey! Nemasu dame!": Hey! No sleeping! (Sleeping is not on.)
"Koko wa bedroom ja nai!": This isn't a bedroom!
"Dame wa dame!": No means no!
"Dame wa dozo ja nai!" No doesn't mean please (sleep)!
"Kankokugo o shaberu desuka?": Hey, am I speaking Korean or something?
"Hey! Shaberu dame!": Hey! No talking!
"Shaberu chotto dame!": Talking's kind of forbidden!
"Suwatte, kudasai": Please sit down.
"Suwatte wa suwatte!": uh, sit means sit!
"Suwatte wa Chugokugo desuka?": Hey is sit Chinese or something? Am I speaking Chinese?

Instructions I want to say, but don't know how:

"We can do this now or we can do this later. It's up to you. (It's your chioce)." (When students are sleeping or refuse to participate)

[flyingkiwi]

[shuize]

[fox1]

I don't agree. You cannot try to discipiline these kids using mostly English like, "Hey. No sleeping". I don't think it would work. I don't want to say to these kids, who are having enough trouble being motivated to study English, "NO SLEEPING" or "NO TALKING" or "We can do this now or later, but we're going to do it" in English!

I don't mind sounding a bit off in Japanese. If anything, I like the humor involved. How do you say them correctly, shuize?

All I know for sure is I don't want to say stuff like "No sleeping. This isn't a bedroom" in English.

[furiousmilksheikali]

Is this a joke?

If you are seriously using these instructions then the students are likely to think you're a complete fool.

Most of these instructions can be said in simple English usually with gestures. If you think you're being witty with "dame wa dame" and "suwatte wa suwatte" then think again. "Koko wa bedroom ja nai!" and "Dame wa dozo ja nai!" are completely stupid. Do you also say "You will be gomen nasai" as well?

Where are you teaching? A public school? Has your Japanese teacher expressed any concern with your methods?

[fox1]

Gesture to a sleeping student?? Gesture to talking students?>OK, and what do you do when they keep talking? and keep talking? and keep talking?

How do you say those things correctly?

"Koko wa bedroom ja nai"...what's wrong with that? Kids are sleeping/refusing to participate. You ask them first nicely. Again. Again. Then, I'll say, "hey, this is not a bedroom" in Japanese.

[Glenski]

If you want them to be quiet, just a mild "urusai" will do. Don't shout and be angry. Kids will be kids, and they respond better to mild commands at first.

As for all of the other things, forget them. You are not in your home country teaching to people of your own nationality. The culture is different, and the kids likely don't even want to learn English but are forced to be in class for 6 years.

Find out why someone is sleepy. Maybe he has to ride 3 hours to get to school, or stayed up all night at a family funeral (you know that custom, don't you?), or was out cramming at a juku just for your class (or college entrance exams), etc. I had a kid sleep through 3 lessons (that's 3 weeks) and all I could do was tap his shoulder and ask a classmate to include him in the work, but then I discovered that the kid was on medication that made him sleepy, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Sarcasm doesn't cut it. Asking them if you are speaking another language will go nowhere, as it will likely be taken literally, then laughed at. If they don't understand something, have you even tried to make sure you were clear enough in the beginning, or gave their brains time to process it?

Find other ways to motivate them or to change their behavior. Not in their seats 2 minutes after the bell? They are marked as absent or get a zero for the day or both. Disruptive talking? "Minus points" that would otherwise have gone to 10-20% of their grade. Or a stony stare with hands on hips will often do, especially if done in silence as others in the room catch on. Give them a fair warning shot, too; learn their names, and gently tell them "urusai" followed by name. It's better than just "urusai" in general to the masses, and if they realize you have learned their names, they will have a little more respect or fear.

[furiousmilksheikali]

Now I think you're a complete fool.

You are here to teach English, am I correct? Instructions are things that the students should learn in English as well as the content of the lesson. Instructions are in fact the most useful English that they will learn as they will interact with that language in the classroom.

By the way it is condescending and disgraceful behaviour to ask the students if you are speaking Korean. You probably have no idea how many of your students are in fact ethnic Korean and you probably have no idea how much Koreans in this country are discriminated against if your lack of knowledge of Japan is as deep as your lack of knowledge of the language.

[fox1]

Alright. Cheers for the first advice about what to say. What does "urusai" translate as?

[fox1]

[wabisabi365]

Rather than get the results you're looking for (ie; obedient students), using the Japanese terms you listed will more than likely make you appear silly (which will result in the students losing respect for you). It's just the way it is. You're trying to translate what we use as attention-getters in English into a language that doesn't use the words in the way you intend them to be used. (Yikes, does this make sense?)

Have you been told something in English that is a direct (and often poor) translation from the original language and it just falls completely flat to your ears? (And you may end up thinking that the humour in the other language is simply not funny). That's what will happen if you use those phrases.

Use simple words in Japanese if you must (urusai was given as a good example - it means "be quiet"). In this situation, simple is probably best. But... you could use your translations as a fun exercise in class, teaching them not only what gets your goat, but also some fun English expressions.

ws365

[fox1]

Yeah, that's cool. Seriously.

OK. "Urusai".: Be quiet! What do you say when they keeeeeep talking, and keep talking? What do you say to kids, who (the vast majority) are just sleeping because they feel like it, and when they keep sleeping? ..to kids who stand up and walk around? and keep doing it?

I mean, sure, OK, I realized my lines weren't that correct, but, in honesty, it is hard to know what to say/how to say it when kids will keep talking sometimes. I mean, OK, I could keep on just saying "Urusai" again and again and again... maybe, maybe not.

[furiousmilksheikali]

[fox1]

[JimDunlop2]

I see a lot of people commenting on your technique, but so far no one has volunteered to help with the Japanese bit, so I'll give it a go.

First off, I tend to agree with what certain others have said thus far. 1) Don't try to be sarcastic. It won't be understood. It'll just get brushed off as being a henna gaijin thing, thus ignored and/or ridiculed.

Second, try to get some of the basic commands correct (both grammatically and pronunciation-wise). Get help from a native-speaking co-teacher if necessary. That will go a long ways in the students understanding AND respecting you.

Anyway, here's some tips: