Korean Job Discussion Forums

[davec]

I'm having trouble disciplining some of my students. I've only been teaching for a couple of weeks and am having mixed feelings about the whole experience.

Just over half of my classes are brilliant and have confirmed my aspirations to get into teaching as a career (in English primary schools).

The rest of my classes are driving me mad!!

I just cannot get them to behave, listen or stop talking to each other. This is really annoying my director (and me!) and she has told me to use the chair (hold a chair above their heads) as a punishment. I have told her that I will not do this as I do not agree in physically punishing children. I told her that in England you would get sacked for doing such a thing and she said you are in Korea and it is fine to do this. I don't want to be rude to her but i just dont agree in this sort of punishment.

I said that if I could let the parents of these children know that their children are being little s0ds it might straighten them out as they wouldn't want to pay lots of money to have their children just messing around in English accademy. She said it is up to me to stop the children behaving badly (she is obviously scared that she may lose students and in return lose herself money). I can understand this but as I wont do the chair and I cant speak Korean I cannot figure out a way to get these classes back in order.

One thing that cheeses me off a bit is the way she tells me that I don't discipline the children but she lets them run around the hogwan climbing all over things and shouting around. I really feel for some of these kids. Some of them are really rude and disrespectful but I really cant blame them; being at various accademies and school 6 days a week. I know I'd be playing up all the time if I was in their shoes. At the same time though I dont know if I can work somewhere which is so much about getting money off the parents and not about the standard of their lessons.

This is my first time teaching and I know I have a hell of a lot to learn to improve my lessons but I really am trying my best and when I have a group of students who arent being rude to me I try so hard to help them and push them to be better. It's a tough job but I can see how rewarding it can be; not just getting the good students to do better but helping the ones that are struggling to learn simple things.

I don't really know whether my hogwan is good or bad. I read lots of posts on this site before embarking on my trip but the things that are bothering me were not really mentioned. I'm not too sure about a lot of the textbooks we use.. Backpack, New Parade, English Land and spotlight and Smile? In some respects they can can be ok but they have aspects that must be so confusing when your language ability isnt very high. The tapes that accompany them are confusing and just seem pointless at times. We also have to prepare scripts which we will use in phone conversations to the students one night a week. It just seems a bit pointless. My pre-prepared phone conversation consists of hello, how are you, wwhat is your favourite colour, what is your hobby. It will give me the chance to sit down for half an hour twice a week but I cant see what it will do to improve their english ability. We also have a role play which is a story of the wolf and the dog. It is really boring and they are meant to memorise the whole thing off by heart. Again it seems pointless.

Can anybody give me any discipline techniques or point me in the right direction? I know it can take a bit of time to get used to new jobs/countries but its really getting me down and making me think of doing a runner. Me and the director are not getting on too well because of this and I'm dreading going to work on monday.

Cheers

Dave

[semphoon]

[ttompatz]

[kat2]

turn everything into a competition. Put the kids in groups. Over the course of the week award stars or stickers or whatever to groups that answer well, pay attention well, are quiet, etc. Take stickers from the groups with bad behavior. Never take stickers from groups for not knowing the answer. At the end of the week the teams with the most stickers gets some kind of reward. One piece of candy is enough to motivate. Having them on teams will help b/c the kids will get pissed at the one kid on their team who was acting like a jackass when you took thier sticker.

I'm pretty much a drill sargeant in class. The first month can be tough until the kids learn the rules, but after that they are a dream. Set some rules that are simple and stick to them.
1. Stay in your chair
2. Don't talk unless the teacher gives you permission.
3. Don't touch other students (covers hitting, kicking, pinching, etc.)
4. Bring your books, a pencil, and an eraser to every class
5. Be respectful to teacher and students.

Have these translated into Korean and posted on the wall. When a kid offends make him get up and read it. Then take the sticker from the team.

Kids like boundaries and rules. It works really well for them.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[kat2]

With older kids, writing lines works really well. There friends are playing soccer outside while they are writing "I will listen to the teacher. I will speak English" 50 times. I've gotten at least 2 weeks of good behavior off that one.

[oldfatfarang]

If they are being really non-co-operative, and noisy, talking too much etc, and nothing seems to work - show them the door. I've only had to do this once. Those boys had to sit in the secretary's office (oh, the shame). When the Director wanted to know why they were not in class I just said, "too noisy". Word that you have limits will spread around your hagwon quicker than wildfire.
That said, for Elementary classes I encourage maximum student participation and interaction (read noisy and having heaps of fun competing against co-students for praise). My classic praise reward is "excellent". The kids are positively jumping out of their seats to get their class contribution publicly labeled as 'excellent'. Just don't use it too much or everytime (variable reward ratio schedule). And your right, if you have to hit, or beat students, you have lost it.

[laogaiguk]

[jewelz]

My boss does'nt let use heavy discipline. She does'nt want to lose any students!! This is ridiculous and makes a few classes that I have per day hell. I am sick of it. Looking for a way out. I am applying for Uni. jobs and hoping for a eltter of release in the spring. She is also screwy with the taxes etc. She was losing students before I arrived at this hagwon and any more lost is financially poor for her. However, not be able to apply discipline measures and have an effective class room environment is b.s. and unprofessional.

[alabamaman]

[mindmetoo]

A new one I'm trying. Kids love to play hangman. Write a time on the blackboard, near the end of class, when you will play hangman. Kid gets out of line, add a minute.

"Okay we play hangman at 5:50. Tony you are making too much noise. Now we play hangman at 5:51."

It screws him. It screws the rest of the kids. It doesn't make him the popular boy that day.

[tomato]

Hello, Dave!

I think you are well on your way to becoming a very good teacher.
You are asking the right questions, and that is something which many novice teachers don't do.

if the kids won't come to class ▶▶▶▶

I sometimes announce the beginning of class with this song:



It is a translation of a Korean song, so the students will understand it.

If the students are still milling around at the beginning of class, resist the temptation to yell at the students who are not coming to their desks. Rather, recognize the students who ARE coming to their desks. Do a noisy and rhythmic activity which the uncooperative students are sure to overhear. You can slap the desk rhythmically while saying, "Hello, Bill! Hello, Bill!"

if the students interrupt while you speak ▶▶▶▶

DAVE: Today we are going to talk about verbs. A verb is an action word. An action word . . .
TERRY: Teacher babo, teacher babo!
DAVE: Let's start that again, and we'll see if we can get through it without Terry interrupting: Today we are going to talk about verbs. A verb is an action word. An action word . . .
TERRY: Teacher babo, teacher babo!
OTHER CLASS MEMBERS: Terry, shh!

Children are sociable, and they hate to be excluded.
Another way is to ask, "Terry can I finish what I'm saying with you in the class, or do you have to wait outside the door?"
If you point to the door, Terry will understand the question.

On a few occasions, I have had a student wait outside the door, but only long enough for me to finish the sentence which that student was interrupting. After finishing the sentence, I let the student back into the room.
I have never had to do this twice.

if a student does not pay attention ▶▶▶▶

If you see a student misbehaving while the rest of the class is on task, focus on the desired behavior, not the misbehavior. Say, "Karen, can you read this page with us?"

if the student still does not pay attention ▶▶▶▶

"Let's try that again. Let's see if Karen is with us this time."

if a student plays the class clown ▶▶▶▶

Usually, I prefer a seating arrangement in a circle, semicircle, or square. I find that when any student is able to see any other student, that usually cuts down on misbehavior.

I said "usually." Sometimes there is a student who insists on playing the class clown. In which case, I arrange the desks in rows, with the class clown in the back.

If possible, put the class clown in the back row by himself. If this is not possible, his neighbors should be the students whom you can trust not to pay attention to him.

From this point forward, the class clown is now a ghost. Nobody will see him, and if he continues to act up, nobody will hear him.

if two students buzz ▶▶▶▶

Threaten to move one of them.
Then if the misbehavior continues, deliver on your threat.

if a student uses bad language ▶▶▶▶

Listen for a word that sounds like "sheep-pall." It is a naughty word, but it sounds like the Korean word for the number eighteen. When I hear this word, I take an air of mock innocence and say, "Oh, so you want to talk about the number eighteen!"

Then I read a handmade book about 18, dogs, 18 cats, and so forth. (In order to make this book, I had to have a Micromedia Fireworks program installed on my computer. If you would like for me to zap the pictures over to you, send me a PM.)

Most Korean people don't know this, but the middle finger salute happens to mean "mountain" in Korean sign language. In case of a middle finger salute, I again take an air of mock innocence and say, "Oh, so you want to talk about mountains!" Then I show them the page in the Korean sign language dictionary.

Then I read them a handmade book about mountains.

If the offending child repeats the sheep-pall word or repeats the middle finger salute, I read the book again. After a few repetitions of this, the remaining class members will become impatient and will help you by pressuring the offending child to stop.

if the students speak Korean ▶▶▶▶

Write down a list of the students' names, and mark each one who speaks Korean.
Every so often, take a look at that list and see who hasn't hangukmalled (or spoken Korean). Ask the class to join you in shouting:

One, two, three, four, who are we for?
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny!

If a student makes it through the entire class without hangukmalling, you can dismiss that student early.

if the class won't behave during a fun activity ▶▶▶▶

I spend roughly half the hour on the textbook and half the hour on songs, games, and picture books. The kids think the second half of the hour is more fun. If they don't behave during the second half of the hour, I pick up the textbook and say, "Do you want to go back to the book?" The answer is usually no. If they continue to misbehave, I deliver on my threat.

I promise you that you won't have to do this twice.

I apologize for not writing sooner. I got too engrossed in the 100-page thread on Evolution.
If there is anything which I forgot to cover, write back.