I'm dangerously on my way to reaching the half-way mark with a family size bag of Hershey Kisses.
Thanks to Alicia for sending me a package of Kisses and a tin of fancy cinammon tea that arrived promptly on Valentine's Day....delivered to classroom by my favorite person in the school, the doorman!!
Of course, it's acceptable to indulge on Valentine's Day, but my chocolate binge is really being fueled by some unbelievable 8th grade behavior.
I had an up and down day with some lessons reaching an all time horrible high. On the horrible meter, they'd probably reach about 2,765 out of 100. I've never felt like such a failure in my teaching. It's like I'm not even there. I've tried everything I can think of short of walking out of the room and running away.
But after my lesson with 8A, I stood in my classroom shaking. First, one boy asks to use the bathroom at the beginning of the lesson. I told him that he had a minute to be back. In the meantime, two girls, laden with the worst attitude problems I've seen in anyone, walk in 15 minutes late. One of them just looks sour all the time and the other plays the ditz card all day, nipping all of her mistakes with a giggle. Meanwhile, Gergo, the bathroom boy either has diarreha or has simply run away to smoke.
About two students paid a good amount of attention to my lesson while the rest sat there like idiots who've just come out of a lobotomy.
At the end of the lesson, a girl, Niki (who repeatedly spews naughty words in my lessons), from my other 8th grade class walks into the room without a word, grabs Bathroom Boy's bags, and walks out. I hear a "Oh my god" from Csaba in the back row as if his brain had miraculously been shocked back into working. At least someone else was phased by this situation.
I immediately marched up to the teacher's room where I told all to their English teacher. She said that she'd talk to them about it the next time. But that didn't give me enough satisfaction. "What would?" I thought to myself.
I stood there, dreamily avenging Bathroom Boy...
Maybe I'll make him explain his troubles in the bathroom for next time.
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6 comments:
This calls for something dramatic and possibly evil on your part. I assume you're allowed to give them marks? I suggest a test next week, something that you know is way over their heads. As they're doing it (no doubt complaining at the top of their lungs), walk around and help out the good ones. Then give them all big marks for it, making a show of calling out "Csaba, 1. Liza, 2. Edit, 1" as you write the marks into the naplo.
I was drwn to your site cos you were in Szerencs last year - which is where I will be heading on Tuesday/Wednesday to see my wife...
can u tell me if Szerencs has an internet cafe?
btw - love yr blog style - very easy to read and the photos look great
Archy/
SHR3
I think I need to address what you have actually written here... not jut make a general comment about yr excellent Blog.
You are the Teacher - You need to be in charge...
Examine the sanctions at your school - what about detentions? you need to take control of this group - FAST - though we all know once a class is difficult its is hard to pull it back... Remember you are the PROFFESSIONAL. These are kids - capable of much - sure - but you can run rings around them. Who at the school is really on the case - has the best discipline - whatever - look to take a leaf outa their book. Be prepared to shout - scream; to keep them in during break (recess); to single out the leaders and haul them up to the principle... go for it Kat...
SHR3
My favourite"guru" of discipline - check out this guy - Bill Rogers "Classroom Behaviour"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classroom-Behaviour-Out-Print-First/dp/0761940189
look at the expectations - without the need for confrontation... its really cool - get a copy pronto.
SHR3
Im not sure whether Bill Rogers is gonna be enough for you Kat...
I have been reading back into the blog - omg - u sound like its really awful much of the time in your lessons - sure sounds like Hungarian Education has gone the same way that UK Education has been - but it wasnt always like this ... When my wife was at school - Teachers ruled with a rod of iron, kids sufferred some pretty savage treatment - - now the penulum has swung - too far - typical...
Remember we all have choices - even if they are sometimes not that obvious - or maybe too obvious... You chose to stay and teach = you must still see some point - or you would leave...
Hang on in there
SHR3
wow! I think we may have taught the same 8a class that day! If you come up with some miraculous way to get them to at least acknowledge your presence in the classroom let me know! (yesterday I told one particularly nasty girl that she was being a brat with a bad attitude and I was sick of it and it would get her nowhere in life!- I don't think she understood a word of it but the tone and volume was enough to get her to shut up for at least the next 20 minutes)
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