Teacher! Teacher!

By Karl

So it's been about 4 weeks into my teaching career and I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I think I mentioned once before in a post that teaching seems to be kind of hit or miss. Sometimes you think something will work and it doesn't. You figure out what went wrong and make the necessary adjustments so that if you ever try the same thing again, it'll work out better. This happened to me the first time I tried playing a game in one of my classes. This post will be long enough already so I'll cut to the chase on this part: the way I explained it the first time wasn't so great, nor was the way the game was executed. So during the next class I made a few adjustments to the flow of things and it worked out a little better. The class after that went even better than the second one.

I would like to think it did have something with the way I explained and executed the game but then again, it could just have been the mood of the class. I've done bingo now several times with classes and sometimes they are really into the game, sometimes not so much. So I do what I can and if it doesn't work, well, there is always tomorrow.

At any rate, all in all I think I like my job. It's certainly no dream occupation but compared to previous jobs it ranks pretty high. I'll probably feel a lot more comfortable next semester. I think I'll feel more like I'm working with the students right from the beginning instead of coming in as an interloper. Plus it'll allow me to set some ground rules of my own. This isn't so much a problem at DE My Co-teacher (Co-Y) can be kinda strict and really seems to have a handle on the students. Even the 6th graders don't pose a problem. At GE, the story is a little different.  My Co-Teachers teach alternating classes. So Co-B teaches 3rd and 5th while Co-J teaches 4th and 6th. Kids at Ge tend to be a little more roudy and excitable. And the 6th graders can be a tough crowd. Some of them have attitudes coming to the surface and they seem to like to push it a little. They know they're above the elementary school mentality and they're ready to move on (which is why in the U.S. we put the little brats 6th graders in Middle School). In fact, last time I was with Co-J I had to bring the hammer down. And it worked.

This is one of the 6th grade classes. I snuck the shot while they were busy doing a workbook activity. Anyway, out of frame is one particular young man who thinks he's way better than this stuff. So when we started playing a matching card game towards the end of class, him and his buddies decided they were going to goof around. When I asked them to play it correctly, they faked it long enough until I walked away. Co-J even went over to have a word with them but they wanted nothing of it. They were going to do what they wanted, even if it was folding the cards and throwing them around. So I told them, "If you don't want to play the game, I will give you a test." Co-J even translated to make sure they understood but they seemed to think I was bluffing. So I sat at the computer and typed out a quick 5 question quiz and printed off a few copies. Unfortunately, class was almost over so I really couldn't administer the punishment. Instead, before class left, Co-J announced to the class that I had something to say. I congratulated those that had fun playing the game and admonished those who wanted to goof off. Then I told the class, "The next we play a game, if you don't want to play it the proper way, I will give you a test." As I held up the copies of the tests I printed the class got very quite and their jaws fell open and their eyes got wider. Co-J, I think, was trying not to giggle at the site of the shocked faces. I was quite stern in my tone and I repeated myself saying, "next time someone wants to misbehave during the game, everyone will take a test." I looked at the kid and his friends who started the shananigans and so did everyone else. They got the point.

We'll see if they remember it this week since I have another game for them. But that's part of being a teacher. WG (a Professor from BGSU) told me that when he first started teaching he quickly realized that it was easier to "bring the hammer down" right from the start and then ease up as the semester went on. It's a lot harder to be the nice guy from day one and then try to be a hard ass when things get out of hand later. I definitely agree with his philosophy and it works the same with children as it does with college students. So at the start of next semester, I may just have to bring down the hammer on day one. Especially with those little brats  6th graders.

This is the hallway of the English Adventure! classrooms at GE, with Co-J's classroom to the right and Co-B's classroom behind me and to the right (which you can't see because the camera only faces one way).










Here is my classroom at DE. You can see the grey cubicle wall, on the right side of the picture, that hides my office.

Here standing outside my "office" you really can't see much except for the storage closets. But one inside....

I have my own little hideaway. I just need to get something for the walls. It's pretty stark at the moment.

Sometimes I do get tired on the walls around me so I'll stand and look out the classroom windows for a while and day dream.


But not during class of course.