Managing the classroom

I like class to be fun. Or if not fun than at least bearable. But the truth is students...kids...complain. Some of them complain no matter what task you are asking them to complete. Most of the time I can't hear the student's exact complaint because it's spoken in Korean, but I can tell when a student is whining. Whining is the same in Korean as it is in English.

Some of my classes handle games or fun activities better than others. If there is one thing that irks a smart little girl off, it's getting paired up or put in the same group with a boy that she thinks is stupid or annoying. I may not hear the complaint, but when I fetch a translator, I find out shortly why the stubborn child, who was otherwise compliant, refuses to move from her nine-year-old desk. And the boy is not short on reactions. Sometimes he gets mad and sits down in his chair just as stubbornly. Another time, he refused to move from his chair when he was paired with a smaller boy he thought was less smart. (I don't pair them this way on purpose. I just number them off.)

During my first week, I tried a game that I'd seen Chris model, where I say a word or ask a question and students must race to the board to write the word faster than the other team. Usually, it goes very well, and the students leave with a smile on their face and a "Sally-teacher-is-great" look in their eyes. (At least, that's what I think their peepers are saying.) As a teacher, I leave satisfied because I know the students actually practiced their vocabulary and increased their learning speed for the sake of the competition. But one time, the game ended when a fight broke out between a girl and a boy. I don't know what happened, but the sight of the boy yelling back at the girl and reenacting a harsh gesture with his knee told me that someone kicked someone in the crotch. From the looks of it, she had kicked him. I broke apart the fight and ended the game, warning them that if they couldn't play fairly then we wouldn't play games in class. (It must have worked because I haven't seen a fight in this class since then.)

I tried to remember: At what age did I learn it was inappropriate to hit people? Honestly, I don't remember ever being a violent child of any sort. (Correct me if I'm wrong, Mom and Dad.) Probably because I had bigger brothers who would overpower me if I ever tested my physical strength at home. I had my vocal chords, though, and I used them. These students use them, too! Especially the girls. I don't know why. But if I can get them to yell back when I say "Repeat after me!" then that's a good thing. It helps me to know they're awake and engaged.

Yesterday, Justin, my boss, mentioned that I would have a harder time managing the classroom than I would teaching the material. (I think he peeked in one of the windows during a difficult class.) He hit the nail on the head. I like the teaching part, but the classroom management part gives me a head ache. It's too bad one precedes the other.

I want to have fun, but also to listen and learn. Some of the most valuable Korean words I've learned are "Quiet," "Listen," and "Again." How can I gently remind them of my authority? I gave a quiz in one of my classes, and they already take me more seriously, I think.

If you think about it, when an instructor gives a quiz, it's a teacher test, too. It measures how much they taught as well as how much the students learned. To some extent, if students didn't learn, then the teacher didn't teach. I understand the value of the grading curve now.

There are two more days of English camp. Then all of my mornings will be free, and I will have more time to focus on my afternoon classes.