Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Linda868]

Sorry I just have to rant as this 6th grader class is driving me mad. They are a low level class. They constantly speak Korean and no matter what punishment they receive they never shape up. I talked to my co-teacher and she just talks down to me. I give positive reinforcements to the good students through praises and points, still no effect on the "bad" students. In fact, if a student gets sent out or has to clean my room, etc it just leaves a student in a bad mood once they finish their punishment (They will refuse to do anything after that). This is the only class that I have problems and that drive me up the wall!

Next week, we were supposed to have a fun activity day throughout the academy but they refused to participate because there is a singing activity.

There are only 3 students out of the 10 in the class that obey the rules and care about learning. One of the boys is the worst. He will give me attitude if he receives any sort of punishment but I can't have in my class when he refuses to behave as it he will talk to other students and make noise.

Sorry I really had to rant as I think I might have flipped out on them.

Thanks for reading:P

[Traversant]

I have a lot of classes like this. One in particular is the worst, they've said to my face they hate me and can't wait til I leave. They've cussed me out in Korean, thrown stuff at me, etc. I always tell the Korean teachers to call their parents and tell them what's going on in class and to yell at them themselves, sometimes they do, most of the time they don't. Sometimes pulling the worst students outside for one-on-one chats is helpful. Change their desks so no one is sitting next to a friend. Beyond that I'm not sure what advice to give cause I'm in the same boat.

[Senior]

Think about it from the student's position. He probably doesn't want to learn English that much, he only has one more week of vacation left, of which he will have to spend the majority of couped up in a classroom. He could be outside playing in the sun (who am I kidding? He would be playing Star Craft 2 in a dimly lit bed room), he could be rousting about with his buddies, but instead he is stuck with you.

Every time I get the feeling you have now, I do the preceding thought experiment. It never fails to make me feel irritable and depressed.

Just go back into the class room on Monday like it is a brand new day. Usually the students won't change, but if you give them the benefit of the doubt, miracles might happen, maybe.

[Senior]

[fugitive chicken]

Hi! I work at a public school and I have a few students who are absolute nightmare sometimes!!! I swear one boy is an ADHD kid who has never been disciplined by his parents in his life and a few extremely talkative boys.

It's all about the right balance of reward and discipline. To some students positive praises isn't enough, they need hard rewards that they actually do want.

That being said, during my summer camp in which I have between 10-15 students per class, I started a sticker system that works really well for the talkative and the ADHD kid!

I have 2 sheets of paper on the wall with their names on them. One paper has a smiley face and the other has a sad face. If students get 10 stickers on the smiley paper by their name, they get candy, 15 toy...etc. If they get a sticker on the sad face paper by their name that subtracts a sticker off of their happy paper. So if they get 1 sad face sticker, then they need 11 stickers to get that candy.

Also, make sure you CLEARLY post the rules on what you expect of them, both good and bad behavior. They will test you and your boundaries, especially if they've gotten away with stuff in the past, but with CONSISTENCY you too should be rewarded, and they get physical rewards for good behavior. Also, make sure you immediately reward their good behavior and discipline their bad behavior.

[SeoulNate]

probably too late to take up discipline now, you have to start that from the first day.

Usually I start off by laying down the rules.

1. This is an English only class, you do not speak Korean in my class and in addition, you will obey any and all other classroom rules in the school and display common courtesy towards teachers.

Step two:

Lay out the discipline system. Give students 3 chances. If they use the chances:

1. Change their seat, preferably sit them boy girl
2. Have them stand up and apologize to the class and write a letter to their fellow students for disrupting their learning
3. Call parents

Usually it doesn't get past number 2.

Step three:

Dont take crap from any of the students. Dont play favorites and make sure that you have a reward system in place for the motivated students.

[curiousaboutkorea]

[Linda868]

Thanks for the information and to the other responses. I realize most of these kids are tired by Friday and looking forward to the weekend. I just hate ending off my week with a difficult class. I only have them once a week and I am glad it's not more than that.

They may get a new teacher next month with the new term...so I am crossing my fingers!

Have a great weekend everyone!

[Steve_Rogers2008]

[Senior]

[curiousaboutkorea]

[Seoulio]

yet when you misbehaved you made ALL students looked bad.

Sound familiar CAK?

So basicaly you accept that some people can do as they please and accept the consequences for thise choices.

[Senior]

[curiousaboutkorea]

I'm not a huge fan of the amount of time these kids spend in school. It's giving them a free pass to be disrespectful that I take issues with.

Seoulio, you're being ridiculous. That doesn't make sense. Anyways, I wasn't doing illegal things . Aren't you supposed to be banned?

[s.tickbeat]

My last class on Friday is the worst. I can absolutely sympathize with you. Here's what I did yesterday, and it worked like a charm.

1) Hit a bamboo stick on a desk REALLY hard. It definitely gets their attention.

2) If you have any kind of group arrangement with the desks (my classroom is a U-shape) break it up. Have the students arrange their desks into individual . . . you get the idea.

3) Arranged seating: boy-girl-boy-girl. They hate it.

4) Notebooks out, workbooks away, copying notes from the blackboard. Test on Tuesday. I want three journal entries for your weekend homework.

They were miserable, but quiet.