Whoever that did that research which concluded that there ought to be no corporal punishment on students, obviously did not try to teach English to a bunch of 40 NT students. For those of you who have yet heard, I took up a relief teaching job at one secondary school. It has successfully confirmed that I was in delusion all these while. All the "teaching - changing lives", etc etc...
Being a teacher, you are forced to be nasty to the kids. Otherwise, they'll be pushing you over. Even when you want to punish them, they dun give a damn about you. "You, why are you walking around without permission! Stand at the corner" "Cher, why? Dunwan la, dunwan la, dun la cher" is a typical exchange between my students and I in class.
Teaching English has only added to the difficulty in maintaining discipline and image in front of the students. Being a relief teacher, i was merely told of the components of a NT paper and provided with some assessments to refer to. What to teach, how to go about it, was entirely up to me. My colleague who was there for the 1 month exp before entering NIE commented that "You are more like a full time teacher than those who are here for practicum." Hence, the lack of training and direction, I chose to let them practice on their assessment books. Which proved a disaster as they chit chat away in my lesson, sleep, walk around. I guess they only time when they are in complete silence is when my principal walk pass the class.
By the third day, i sent the whole class marching down to the general office. They din do much, but i guess it was time to tell them that i mean business. Even though on the way down, i have several students pleading with me not to go down, when they were downstairs, the same students were cracking jokes as i talked to them. I think give them a few more times downstairs, they'll walk out of the school right in front of me..
It has been a tough week, thinking of how to outwit them/ tamed/ gain their respect. But it is easier said than done. It is so bad that i'm beginning to question myself, how have i conducted myself to receive such treatment from the students. Except letting them do worksheets, i don't have much idea of what to do. Neither do they listen when i go through the worksheets..
With all that said and done, i guess some of them are still nice albeit mischievious. Like one of the most notorious kid in my class, he actually tried doing my work even though it was with much help from me. He still creates a din in class, make some noise, does funny things but i am still able to tolerate it. A few others who are touched by my gesture of providing them with fullscape paper.
And of cos, my sec 1 NT class. Initially they were so noisy, but somehow during mid-week, they started listening to me. That was quite a lovely experience.
1 eventful week which has ended with loads of marking and papers to prepare. Kind of looking forward to what can i do next week with them.. At the same time, having the pressure of stepping into that notorious class again.. The contradictions in life..
WR
No comments:
Post a Comment