Korean Job Discussion Forums

[I-am-me]

Ok, I am at wits end. I really hate seeing heads down while I am teaching, but there is nothing I can do about it. Co-teachers really dont do anything beside rub the students' backs and sometimes whisper a few words to them. What are any of your experiences and what did you finally do about it? Should I just let them sleep away and focus on whoever is listening? Any advice appreciated.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Make them stand up. If that doesn't work take them aside when their doing individual / pairs work and make them do 20 squats.

Today I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my class awake and active apart from one who was sick and wrote me a note at the begining of the class (I'll give them one 'saem, apeoyo' pass per term), and then walk past the neighbouring English teacher's class to see that half of the students had their head down. It is possible - just don't put up with it.

[agoodmouse]

I make them stand as an example to their peers as well.

[Tobias]

You need to solve the problem at its source. Go to the home of each of your students each night and tuck them into bed at 10 or so. Then take away their computer games and consoles. You'll solve it this way, put up with it, or go get on an airplane out. Those are your options.

I know where you're coming from. Being a babysitting fool of idiots who stay up until 3 a.m. playing Warcraft. Been there. Been pissed off at that.

Students, if you want to call them that, have it easy in Asia, boy. If I would have fallen asleep in class back in the day, I would have felt a slap and would have awoken on the floor, or at least halfway out of my seat. My ears would have been ringing. Here it's par for the course. They'll regret blowing their opportunities they're given, with us coming from our home countries to 'teach' them. One day....one day.

[ChinaBoy]

I slept through classes when I was in school. What's the problem?

Believe me, sometimes it's better to have the troublemakers asleep than awake. If they aren't awake, they can't be annoying everyone and disrupting class.

There are always two sides to every issue.

[poet13]

I make them stand if they put their head down three times. If they're sick, then it's cool. If they pretend to be sick and take advantage of me, thereby embarrassing me, then they do pushups, wall-sits, and sing for me. Happy birthday is good. So is the alphabet song.

I tell them to sleep in math class, not English because they are more likely to use English in the real world than calculus.

[gregoriomills]

[Tobias]

[I-am-me]

[Kikomom]

Give them extra homework on the material they sleep thru then a short, verbal quiz at the beginning of the next class. This will help them stay caught up and refresh the lesson for the rest of the class too. But do it first thing before they have a chance to go back to sleep.

[crosbystillsstash]

Let them sleep. don't stress if they don't care why should you

[Tobias]

[ddeubel]

"Sleep must be very, very important. We have to stay awake all day in order to do it. " - Fried rich Nietzsche

DD
http://eflclassroom.com

[okokok]

[mishanguyen]

I have this same problem with my middle school students.. the co-teachers don't do anything abt it and i find it very weird.

i've only been at this school for 2 weeks so i dont know how to handle it yet... the former teacher told me that he used to slam books on their tables to wake them up..

i think the homework idea is good.. if they're not gonna participate in class then make them do extra work.. if they dont do that extra work then punish them..

at the end of the day.. ur getting paid whether they sleep or not.. its up to them if they wanna learn.. u cant do anything abt it however it is annoying..