Chemicals, bribes, and basketball: Dealing with my wild classrooms

My co-worker and I have a small problem.  Small is the key word here, as she is all of 5'1 and 90 lbs (or whatever the corresponding skinny weight is for 5'1).  I'm not short (5'8, which, according to my mother is an inch under model height.  Such a promising career ruined...), but I'm a pale, boney, unintimidating thing.  Between the two of us, we lack the ability to instill terror into classes filled with students who are taller and larger than at least one of us.

This wouldn't be a problem in most of our classes, but - as every public school teacher here will confirm - there's always one class, (in my case, entire grade), that will test your limits in a way you haven't experienced since your one roommate in college who ate your food and played underground Finnish rock music to ease their bouts of insomnia.  The reason a teacher will undoubtedly have a difficult class, is because classes are made up of children, and children are like chemicals; some are benign, some smell nice and are useful, a few are toxic, yet containable on their own, but:

It's never a good idea to randomly throw together a bunch of chemicals in a confined space.

In some cases the combinations don't turn out too badly - the reactions are energetic but not malignant, and as long as the scientist (teacher) is in control, nothing too terrible happens.  And that's the end of my overly extended chemical metaphor.

Basically my 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades are all decent classes.  Some classroom management is required, and the old tricks work.  In these classes, we positively reinforce good behavior with games: Each table is a team, and each team gets points for good behavior (and loses points for bad behavior).  When enough points are racked up among the teams, the class gets to play a justhappenstobefilledwithtodaysvocabulary game.

My 5th graders practicing English.  Yes.





We also use various techniques for quieting the children - clapping sequences, phrases (if one of us says "Eyes on me", all the students shout back "Eyes on you!"), and even a bell.  Punishments include making a rowdy student stand in the corner, having students write sentences (in English), and intense, emotionally manipulative lectures frequently doled out by my co-teacher in Korean which scare even me (even though I have no idea what she's saying).

Ah, but our sixth graders are another matter.  They're little hellions who have no respect for the wonder that is the English language (or its messengers).  We use all the same techniques, but never effect a permanent change.  And yes, I know that SH's and my statues/genders shouldn't make a difference if we have good technique, but we're both brand new teachers - while we figure out discipline, it wouldn't hurt to have muscles and a moustache to tide us over on the respect front. 

Our current tactic with the sixth graders is similar to a method of defense my basketball team used in high school. Most of the time, we played man-to-man defense, meaning that each of us was assigned one player to guard. However, when we played a fairly decent team with one superstar player, we would double team her - assign two players to cover her at all times.  This strategy really works when there's one player making the majority of the points.  My sixth grade classroom is a similar situation - there is often only one student or table who really disrupts the class (and stir the others up).  So I personally double team him - instead of walking around the class and keeping tabs on everyone, I hover at his table.  I wouldn't be able to do this without a co-teacher (hard to simultaneously hover and teach), and I'm extremely thankful to have one.

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Despite what you may have read, corporal punishment is not an option in public schools in Korea.  At least, not in mine or anyone else I've met.  I haven't researched this, but I imagine some legislation was passed within the past few years. 

Though there is no corporal punishment, the physical relationship between teachers and students here is much different than in the States.  Both co-workers who I have had, have been (in my opinion) extremely touchy with the students.  This includes rubbing shoulders and hair and play wrestling.  A 5th grade boy gave my co-teacher a shoulder massage one afternoon, and asked if I wanted one too.  They were both surprised at my immediate refusal.  Massage is not a boundary teachers can cross in the States.

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Likelihood that they are changelings aside, I actually love all my students, including the sixth graders.  It's hard to actually hate a kid, especially over something as human as a bad attitude towards authority.  I don't believe in working at a job that I don't enjoy (yes, a middle class privilege, I know), and I wouldn't enjoy teaching if I didn't like my kids.  I also wouldn't enjoy teaching if I didn't have a sense of humor about it.

So, anyone have any tips for classroom management?  (Keeping in mind that I can't use my words, and my lectures generally consist of: "You (point at student) talk (make talking motion with hand) too much (big hands).  You must listen (point at ears).  No more talking. (shut hands).")

I love my third graders.

 

Posted in: classroom description, discipline, Korea, My Personal Experience