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Ask for help > Classroom management. Any recipe ? How to handle apathy and discipline problems?
Classroom management. Any recipe ? How to handle apathy and discipline problems?
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serene
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Hi Ohlala,
Thank you for bringing up this interesting topic to the forum. I can understand perfectly well how you feel as I experienced similar situations in the past.
I was young, inexperienced, and had to work with large classes ( 30 students) at public schools which had no consistent policy on discipline matters. I felt totally alone and helpless. Other teachers used to threaten or yell at students so that they were afraid of them. I couldn �t bring myself to do that, it was against my natural disposition. Yet, I managed to survive and this is how, I think, I did it. I was honest to my students, I didn �t hold a grudge against disruptive students, didn �t threaten them with bad marks, I made it clear that I didn �t dislike them, it was just their particular behaviour I disapproved of. The most important thing is that I worked hard to prepare my lessons so that my students appreciated that I liked what I was doing and that I really cared and I respected them.
Now I �m older, more experienced and lucky enough to work at a public school with smaller groups (25-27 students), the head teacher trusts me and supports me and all the teachers have the same attitude to discipline matters (we are friendly and strict at the same time but not authoritarian). So the students clearly understand that disrespectful behaviour will not be accepted.
Although I do not face any serious discipline problems, I do have lack of motivation problems. The students at upper secondary schools in my country are preoccupied with passing the entrance exams to university so they have to study hard for some particular subjects. Apart from that most of them have completed an English cource at a private language school. This is why they are not interested in English. So what I try to do, is focus on using English as a means of learning about other things that might be of interest to them. I bring news articles in the classroom, stories, interviews of famous people, Today in History short texts, songs, and if I had the necessary equipment I would show them videos and films.
I �m sorry for the long post, I just wanted to share my experience so that you don �t feel alone. I wish you good luck.
Warm regards
serene |
9 Sep 2009
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Samantha.esl
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Dear people thank you so much for all your kind answers and suggestions!
I see the post is about to dissapear from the board and as I went to work earlier today I couldn �t again follow and answer to you all!
I �ll send you a PM Ivona your suggestions are great. I really feel identified with what Serene mentions, other teachers seem to threaten students so they behave �correclty for a while. � And this kind of strategy or whatever is called, it �s very difficult for me, It �s not in my nature to have a really frigthening personality, or character... And I felt terrible when I was told by one of the �assistant � who is at school, (supposedly helping teachers with problematic students and situations--- Not too sure if you have these people in your schools. ).. Well, she told me that some students do not do anything in class, because I am too good!!! In the sense that I apparently don �t threaten them enough, shout at them enough, put bad grades and send them with the headmistress. It �s a horrible situation, considering state schools do not have a good system that really supports the teacher. Besides, there aren´t clear and serious methods to deal with students who can �t behave at school and do not want to do anything.
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10 Sep 2009
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