Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rapier]

Just wondering if any of you guys lose it with your kids occasionally.
Today, I discovered that i can't really get angry at them anymore. When I first started teaching here over a year back I used to go nuts with the worst kids.
Now, i find that i can't lose my temper if I try...I mean I've learned such extraordinary self control now that nothing fazes me, its like I've seen it all before. Normally i like to take discipline into my own hands, but now i just can't be bothered- and just report the kids to the supervisor. it becomes her job to expend all that energy threatening and shouting at them.
All the same, its lousy when you have to bother a korean teacher to help discipline your kids. It works well, but I'd rather be "self- sufficient". I guess i've just gotten lazy...can't be bothered fighting them anymore...

[crazylemongirl]

I've found that losing it with the kids only does one thing - It makes me feel better. But it makes everything else worse, the kids and my relationship with them.

I've had a breakthrough from my class from hell. They do their work (up until now it takes over 30 min to get books out of bags) and I let them play in the playroom for the last 10min of class and are now being little angels. They will probably learn more in a shortened lesson than otherwise would be possible.

CLG

[waterbaby]

Rapier, what's going on in the rest of your life? I find that a happy in life person = a happy in teaching person. Were you a miserable sod before like me and now you're happy and firing on life?

A few months ago, I was getting really frustrated and often losing my temper - yell at the kids... at the time, I was feeling pretty miserable all round - not happy with the boss, with the job, bored, Korea sucked... generally one long grumpy mood.

In the past few months, I've not lost my temper once and I've been in a much better & happier mood with my life, my job, my boss etc and I've experienced enormous breakthroughs with some of the kids and my teaching in general. Yay!!!

[Eazy_E]

I think that losing one's temper can be a sign of inexperience, at least it was in my case. I'm starting to learn how to control the very young kids, and not losing your temper is rule #1. When you're outwardly annoyed they can sense that you're losing control of the situation and they feed off of it.

It's best to devise a subtle system of bribery and/or peer pressure in order to keep them in line. Stickers work well for the younger children, as does writing their names on the board with stars next to them, adding and subtracting stars as their behaviour allows.

You can yell until you're blue in the face, but they won't pay attention until you can manipulate them in some way. Making a bargain is one way, as in: "let's do the boring stuff for 15 minutes, then I'll give you a sticker if you've been good, and we can play games after that".

Of course, some classes just cannot be controlled 100%, but that's the nature of teaching very young children. When they're confused or bored by the learning material that certainly adds to the misbehaviour. Coming to class well-prepared and armed with lots of activities can be the best favour you ever did for yourself.

[some waygug-in]

I'm much better than I was, but I still get annoyed sometimes. There are a couple of classes that usually degenerate into complete chaos unless I lose it on them. I don't really get mad like I used to though, it's more of an act now. I give them the "evil eye" for a while, they usually get the message.

I don't agree that losing it makes me feel better, it usually makes me feel worse about everything. It makes me feel like I've failed as a teacher and even though I may feel like the student was "asking for it", it just makes me feel guilty and embarassed afterwards. I may get a momentary relief of stress, but that is quickly overshadowed by my realization that I may have no chance of reaching that student again.


Tickling and mimicing the students seem to be my best defenses now. If someone wants to ddong chim me, I make sure that they get a good tickling for it. If someone is incessantly whining "teechaw" in my ear when I'm trying to help someone else, I start immitating their whining. The kids usually get a good laugh from that, and it helps me to not get too bothered by it.

[Saxiif]

[hadeshorn]

I dont give two shits if I yell at my kids. I spose my kids are well behaved. I usually lapse into silence before yelling and scaring the shit out of them. They think that I am not noticing them all talking.. I just look at them, and the kids not talking gets a heads up to cover there ears before I erupt.

But I just dont take shit in my classroom. If your a spoilt brat.. Then you get your ass kicked out the door if you give me crap. If im marking someone elses book and you dump yours on top.. Then it goes flying across the room.

If you are gonna tap your pencil incessantly and not learn. Then im taking your pencil and throwing it out that window. (We are on the 5th floor)

Its all good.

[eamo]

[Zed]

[jajdude]

Dear Rapier,

I used to get angry sometimes, slam the table, even throw a chair! Lately I figure why bother? Anger doesn't work with me and it doesn't help anything really. The kids are just kids. I was a total jerk as a kid. Why should I get mad at kids forced to be in a room with a dude who cannot even speak their lingo? So relax and let the locals deal with their own I say... us waygooks got a bit of leeway on that one ; )

[Mr. Pink]

Memories...

I remember having some AWFUL classes when I taught children.

I found that with time, the bribing system worked well. For example, you would tell all the students if they were ALL good, they would get a game at the end of class. BUT if more than 30% were bad, they all got homework at the end of class. Good for grades 3 and up I guess.

For the younger students, the sticker thing really worked well. At my first hawgwon gig, I used to give them stickers, and if they collected 50, I would buy them a JellyRoll pen. The kids used to think the number of stickers they had was a 'status' thing on being better than their friends, and so when I would say "no sticker" or "oh you were bad, let me TAKE a sticker back" man they would straighten up FAST, usually with tears. Try taking candy from a kid, and that's how they feel about losing a sticker!

I have also used the names on the board system, and I wasn't really a fan of it, because the kids try to rat on each other to much and it distracted from the lesson too much.

As for yelling, well I yell a lot more at my current job than I did when teaching kids. IMO children are just that, children, and especially the younger ones, if you can't realize some patience and let some things slide, you probably shouldn't be teaching them.

I have to laugh at the guy who said he throws the kids book if they don't wait their turn. I used to do that too. No yelling, just a "Jimmy I told you to line up...back to the line" and off his book would go. Throwing stuff out the window is a definate NO NO. I can't believe you would set that kind of example to the kids. I would suggest you break their pencils instead, right infront of them.

Good luck with the kids, remember THEY ARE KIDS. They can be bribed or manipulated so easily too.

[l0ckx]

throwing books, breaking pencils, stuff out the window?! Are you for real?

peace,
l0ckx

[Squid]

I taught kids last year. Chucking their latest slap cards or stupid annoying toy out the window was my forte... we were 7 fl. Beat ya'!

Yes- discarding books plopped on top of the one you're trying to mark straight to the floor.

Mostly handsup for minor infractions, then holding one book (+1, +1) for each following crap they'd spout.

Oh, and bashing them on the head with the attendance folder, edgewise if they were grating on me.

Oh, and stealth dotting their heads from behind with the boardmarker used to get to them too... cap on/cap off- you choose- they don't know the diff.

Did you guys do hojucandy's psycho test yet?... on the other thread. I'm an A-Grade wacko.

Hagwonhell, a distant memory *snif*

[hadeshorn]

Yep, I do the marker trick as well... Usually on the back of their necks.

I also throw shit at them as well as spray them with room deodorant!

[Gord]