Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sheba]

So Ive been here 3 weeks, and am having problems with one little boy in particular (hes 7 yrs old). He is getting worse and worse as time goes by....

Once I finally get his attention, it lasts only as long as I am talking directly to him. he is constantly distracting the class and has two (less horrific) partners in crime, does not respond to being scowled and Ive talked to his teacher about it but nothing is changing. Today he got up on his desk, pulled up his shirt and whipped down his pants and undies!!

I have also tried rewards with stickers - the other kids like it but he doesnt seem to care. should I start with candy???

ANY advice would be appreciated!

[stumptown]

He's striving for attention. Humiliate him in class and it will break him. Use some sort of punishment like designating a certain chair a "baby" chair and make him sit in it. That's worked well for me in the past. So much so that when my kindy classes start getting rowdy, I yell "baby chair" and they freeze up. Don't reward his negative behavior, but make it a model that all the kids want to avoid. Imagine if the other kids see you giving him candy for his actions. Do you really want a class full of kids like him? It may sound strict, but after a couple of years here I realize these kids aren't really subject to either disscipline and/or punishment. If he starts crying when you do this, ignore it and go about teaching. When the other kids start seeing him crying, they'll stop respecting his actions.

[mindmetoo]

Just kick him out of the class. Make him stand near the director's door.

[Scott in HK]

"Teachers" don't humiliate or break students. It is simply wrong and bad teaching. Teach your students to behave better.

Immediate consequences to bad actions. No warnings....no chances.

Let the students know the consequences before hand. Break a rule...something happens that the student will not like.

Set a routine in your class. Young students thrive on routines. Discipline/classroom management starts as soon as the students enter the room. It is best that you are in the room before they come, so as soon as they enter your routines begin.

If they are there first then start a routine that begins the minute you enter the classroom. I use to use circle time with young kids. I don't know how to spell the words but we used the phrase from the Lion King
akumba matata...I would say akumba to get their attention and they would be expected to say matata and then come and sit at my feet...

Any response combo would work....

You can even use this to gain attention when you are doing activities..

Students need to be to taught how to sit properly and not to bother other students...

And you need to keep their attention...change activities often and make sure you include some real active ones to burn off energy...

[tomato]

Hello, Kimbelina!

I moderate a mailing list which has to do with such things.
Go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com

and enter "discipline" as a search word.

I hope we can help you!

[eamo]

[tomato]

Hello again, Kimbelina!

That sounds like one of my classes.
Oliver keeps up a constant patter in hangukmall, and it must be funny, because Scott and Gordon are an attentive audience.
Today, I started enforcing a new seating arrangement:
I put Scott on the front row, Gordon on the second row, and Oliver by himself in the back.
If anyone turned around, I sternly said, "Look this way. There is no one back there who can help you learn English."

It looks like it's going to work.
I'll keep you posted.

[Wrench]

Routine.

And Example punishment. Make sure they understand why they are geting punished, every one must see this. Don't be afraid to grab him by his clothes pull him to the corner and make him stand there with his hand up. Better yet ask a Korean teacher to talk to him.

[Ya-ta Boy]

eamo and Scott in HK are 100% correct. Listen to them.

A scowl is not a useful tool. It is not a real consequence for the students.

[Qinella]

Give everyone candy except him.

Have a Korean teacher call his parents.

Take him to the director's office.

Don't worry - my youngest students were almost as bad when I first started, but I quickly learned how to whip them into shape, without them hating me. You'll figure it out.

[azjen]

I had the students get together and write what they think they are acceptable class rules. We discuss each rule and if the rule is useful we put it on the class rules sheet. If its useless we get a laugh and move on. I come from a "Learning By Doing" approach to education.

I found that having the students work together, make up the rules, and then write a large rule sheet we are able to get along decently. If a student breaks a rule another student is quite eager to let me know. (Which is often annoying)

I have had my share of goofs even with this approach. A phone call home normally straightens things out. With negative remarks I always include positive reinforcement. I had parents shocked when I asked the Korean teachers to call home to let the parents know the kids are doing well. It takes an extra 5 minutes out of the week, but the rewards are well worth it.

In this culture, it seems that corporal punishment or exclusion are all that are effective. You can try other approaches other than the student wearing a dunce hat and doing the idiot dance. Candy just makes the kids more hyper, stickers are useless. Be smart about how you deal with students and you'll gain more respect as a teacher.

[Kimchieluver]

Make him grab his ears and hop like a frog seven times. After that he's done with class. Make him kneel on the floor and raise his arms in the air. Make sure you do this outside of class. Wait for the KT to ask if it's okay if he comes back in. Then treat him as you would any other student. Do this as many times until he thinks it's fun. Then have the KT call his/her parents in front of you.

I did that and it worked most of the time, not all of the time though. Some kids are bad to the bone.

[thepeel]

I have a student, Max, who has 100% ruined a class of mine.

He screams and yells at the top of his lungs, stands on his chair and throws things at me and has jabbed me with a mechanical pencil and drawn blood. From the moment he walks into the room he is throwing and screaming and stealing things from his classmates. He has also kicked me in the balls.

Before you flame me, there is a reason for this.

On on of the first days of classes Max spit on me and said "waygookin die" (he is 9). Fine. I asked him to leave class and he refused, crawling under his desk. Enraged, I went to my director and told him what was happening. My director, in front of my class, yelled at me. Apparently Max is an orphan. Mr. Kim just kept saying "he has no mother, understand? Understand?".

From this Max took what he ought to have taken. He has immunity in class. He may do whatever he wants, including ignoring my punishments (regardless how small or large they may be) and has escalated beyond control. He knows that I am not allowed to enforce a punishment.

The Korean teachers manipulate him into obedience with a long brown stick that is liberally used on the back of his legs and his butt. Unfortunately for me, I have a rule against beating kids.

I have tried to talk with Mr. Kim about this and he cares about as much as I would expect him too.

Apparently, I have 7 months left in my contract. But I keep asking myself, did I attend university and leave friends and family to be treated like a dog by a 9 year old Korean boy?

[Hanson]

Hmmm, wondering if these techniques would work with some of my university students... They act like kindy kids sometimes!

[bosintang]