Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Burndog]

[bde2]

Teach all 40? That's impressive... I hope your kids are better-behaved than mine.

Unfortunately, I've come to find that there aren't many effective punishment options at my school. I've been told that calling parents won't work, as a large percentage of them have broken families or parents that don't really care. That's a big part of why they're "special".

As a side note, my contract doesn't have that section about classes being divided... but there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it. It's going to be like this, at least for this semester.

I'm just crossing my fingers that having a new guy will make my life bearable. Some of these kids are really awful... One of them just mouthed off to a department head while I was writing this, and then just laughed when she yelled at him. Bloody monsters.

Thanks for all the help everyone... I'm going to need all the luck I can get (and probably therapy, too, whenever I wind up getting out of here).

[Manuel_the_Bandito]

Sounds more like you're just at a really crap school. Probably best to move on.

[dirving]

[winterfall]

As another poster mentioned. Tell the homeroom teacher. I teach alone at a technical hs, I can control em most times myself without hitting. But just the other day, I had 5 big fights break out in class. Not the pansy fighting with hand bags but the full on brawls.

First time I've ever felt like riot police. Though not unexpected, for some reason they've all been crazier than usual lately.

Tried punishing the whole class and they refused. Told the homeroom teacher and it was the apocalypse.

[Captain Obvious]

So long as they support you keep plugging at it, even if you have to go it along. Don't be afraid to get tough on the lazy brats. If they stop supporting you then tell them they can find another foreigner.

[Zulethe]

Once a month I have "cheese" day. I buy some of the really good imported cheeses from Homeplus.

Everyone has to pay attention and try in class or cheese day is cancelled.

I came in and gave everyone of them a nibble and they were immediately addicted.

I've never seen kids turn their behavior around so fast in my life.

Although this will probably be financially prohibitive for you since you have a large class you could perhaps try something else. Then again I'm talking about 6th graders whereas your talking middle school.

Trial and error is the only thing you can do.

For me it's worth every penny.

I feel like a drug dealer in some ways. If they don't get their cheese fix, they start freaking out.

[sojusucks]

[discostu333]

[ippy]

Its a semi common thing. I have coteachers, but they sit filling in paperwork when they can CLEARLY see the class and myself struggling trying to understand one another.

Heres the best thing you can do:

Learn their names.

When you want people to pay attention its much more likely if you can direct it at the pocket of noise rather than shouting it into the ether. I know its an effort, i know its also a pain in the rump, but its possibly the only shot you have at it.

[Tux]

I swear that English Zones (EZ's) are the devil. I teach at three high schools and 4/5 days a week I teach alone.

At my first school, I have taught then in their own classroom till recently when the new EZ was finished. Now when they come to class they are rude and disrespectful, always chatting and listening to their music players. Personally, I can't believe the change in attitude. It's like when they get out of their regular classrooms they think it's time to slack off.

Same at my other schools. At my second HS I can't teach in the EZ even with my (useless) CT. When you put them in groups the seem to have a tendency to focus on each other and ignore the teacher. I teach them in their classroom now with mixed results.

I'm under EPIK and I knew from day one that the school was violating the contract which stresses "team teaching" but oh well. I'm gonna drop a bomb in about three weeks indicating my decision to resign. I'm heading back to uni after 2.5 years here for teacher training.

All I can say is, they had it coming. I will be the second teacher to quit this year. My students are rural as well and generally don't care about English. I've tried getting them to work together in groups on art work and things like that but they just slack off and chat. I can barely get them to finish a group crossword puzzle let alone produce some art.

OP I share you pain. Thanks for reading

[Kaypea]

I sort of hate this, but I find that the most effective way of teaching, if I don't have a dynamic coteacher, is by giving reallly, really easy worksheets, doing drills with the worksheet, and then doing a PPT game that prompts students to repeat the phrase. Then, some or all of the kids get candy!

If you don't have a coteacher to help explain things and motivate, and your students are jello's equivalent in the IQ department, don't try to be very creative with your teaching, and don't "teach". Worksheet, drill, game based on the worksheet/drill. Candy.

Still... it seems strange that you don't have a coteacher, even with that caveat in the contract about splitting the class. I remember hearing at the GEPIK orientation that it's the law... we always need a licenced teacher, for liability reasons.

[texasspangler]

After school classes you are allowed and expected to teach by yourself. They are considered after school so you don't need a co-teacher.

As for controlling the kids I have had success using push-ups. Make some of those kids (boys and girls) do 40 or 50 push-ups and see how they act. If they are still bad ask them if they want more.

After 2 1/2 years the push-ups still work but now I am moving on. The other day i had my entire class running around the soccer field 3 times because 1/2 the class didn't have their hand outs from the week before. This week everyone had their paper. (and so did the other classes)

All the Korean teachers laughed and said that was a good idea. I teach middle and high school in a rural area with class sizes of 25 - 30 students.