Currently one of my students is sitting in my classroom till 3:30 PM after cleaning all the table and chairs twice because of his continous bad behavior today and every single day I teach him. He's a problem student, and today I needed to show him the consequences. I've learned that the worst kind of punishment is taking time from my students. If they misbehave I add extra time that is taken from hanging out with their friends, taking a rest, or in this case going home.
It all started at 6th period. I really like my 5-4 kids, but they are loud and tend to veer off course a lot. My co just left for a teacher training so I had the "pleasure" of teaching them all by myself. No biggie, I just knew they'd act up even more than usual. We had a lot to do today (test, new words, ppt...) and I didn't have time for any nonsense. Students came late, they wouldn't be quiet so I had them put their hands on their heads and close their eyes to calm down. I had to count down from 30 seconds, and if they kept shuffling, talking, or whatever the clock would start again. After that I handed out their test, and that part went fine. Then came the time to grade and record their scores. They decided this was time to socialize, so I wrote on the board 2:25 PM.
At first they didn't understand what was going on, but as the time went to 2:27, 2:29, 2:30, they finally got it together. Since they were taking my teaching time, I'd take their fun time. We got through the new words and the key expressions powerpoint landing on a class ending time of 2:35 PM. You had to complete the writing assignment before you could leave, and have it checked by me. If that meant staying later than 2:35 then I made them stay. During class I warned them that if they kept acting up they'd stay after to clean. I had about 5 students, all boys that had to stay after and clean. Most left by 2:50 PM. This one, the worst one is staying till 3:30 PM because of his misbehavior and disrespect while all the other boys cleaned and he just did as he pleased. I hate having to do this, but he's got a big lesson to learn and I plan on teaching him. He might not get it today, but I will keep teaching him respect as long as I'm his teacher. There's "being a kid" and then there is "being a ......." and he is acting like the later. I'm annoyed that I feel bad for punishing them, but hell they've got to realize that I'm serious when I tell them to sit down, be quiet, and do their work. If they did that we wouldn't have had a problem, but they didn't so we/they/I had a problem. I will tell my co all about today, so that she makes it clear to 5-4 when we see them on Friday that they better get their act together. It's moments like this when I doubt my teaching abilities. I need to learn more Korean classroom commands to help me out. Hmm....
It's only Tuesday, but school life is hectic. M/T are my craziest days but thank goodness it all ends after today and my week gets shorter and my life brighter. I'm doing a lot of open class planning right now. Since my co is doing this training in the afternoons that means more work for me, but it's no biggie since this open class is for my renewal. I feel wiped out, not to mention I have a killer tummy ache and chills. I'm fighting getting sick cause I'm so tired of being sick so often here. At least this week is a four day week at my school. I plan to spend my Friday sleeping in, decorating my apartment some more, and doing some winter shopping. I need that. I'm so glad I don't have to go with the other teachers on some 1N2D trip they are doing that weekend. It would be so awkward for me, even more than teacher dinners are. I don't think I could handle a weekend of that, and I'm glad they aren't asking me to. I'd love to get to know the other teachers better but not in some campsite:)!
I had a great weekend before this hectic week started. On Friday I went to the Lantern Festival. If you haven't gone you have till he 14th to check it out. I enjoyed walking around, snapping up photos, and hanging out with my friends. I didn't enjoy the crowds that push. I got really anxious at one point because there was just too many people shoving me around as we walked. The Lantern Festival is definitely a date spot, hence the overload of couples and their lovey dovery business:). I'm so not jealous. Haha. The best part of the night was after the festival when my friends and I had a D&M four hour conversation at McDonalds that went from one topic to another but was all kinds of wonderful and interesting. Lots of laughter, McFlurries, and bonding. I needed that. After, we got into a taxi with a driver that laughs like the killer in Wolf Creek. As we went he would start pointing at things and getting excited. He also didn't seem to know where he was going. He was weird and freaked me out a bit especially since I was getting dropped off last. Well his weirdness didn't turn psycho and I got home safe.
I got home after 3:30 AM. I was going to go to sleep, but then my dear friends from back home got on skype and we tried out the group video chatting so I didn't get to sleep till around 6 AM. It was worth it. I woke up around 5PM and spent the rest of the day watching tv shows and being lazy. I spent all Sunday cleaning and decorating my aparment adding little slivers of art to make it more me...more than it already was. I love my apartment. I look forward to going home and knowing that for now this place has me written all over it.
The student has left now, and as the sun shines through my window I feel better. Teaching is trial and error, and today was a trial filled with errors and triumphs. Now it is over, and tomorrow will start soon enough. So I'm going to enjoy the rest of today. Get myself a mango smoothie from Paris Baguette, cook myself something scrumptious, and just enjoy. I hope you enjoy your day too!!!
The Civil Wars "Poison & Wine"
Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don't have a choice but I still choose you
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