These photos are before the students arrive...
Most of the kids are pretty funny and fun, there are only a few bad apples in the bunch...and the fun thing is, we're a private school, we don't have to allow the bad ones back...we can throw them back!!! :P Today, this one his English name is Mack, was really getting on my nerves, he was singing some song, not listening but when he was learning something he'd listen, if he already knew it or remembered it from a prior lesson he'd act out...like he kept falling out of his chair, it sounds funny but when you're trying to teach a group of students from 6-9 it's not exactly funny at the moment. Now of course it makes me laugh, but he also has a hitting problem...which is not so funny. He's a pain in the ass to deal with and its obvious to me that his mom let's him do whatever he wants. The principle talked to him after class the last time, because the parents are viewing the class as it's happening in the room next door, via video surveillance...and one of the other parents told the principle what a bad student he was that day and that during their break he hit some students and ME!
After that, two things happened, I got the 3 Chinese-English speaking assistance, 1 assistant teacher on the way...and Mack was semi-pleasant last week. This week, he was back to being the same old Mack. So I told him today how bad he was, even with the assistant in the room, he said, 'okay, we'll ask him not
to come back. Or maybe I'll give him a final warning and if he's bad like this again in class, we can just usher him out during break time and tell the parents politely to find another school.' I do feel bad, but the kid is a total train wreck, I should take my phone in class with me just to show you how bad some of the kids can be, they throw toys not only at the walls but also at each other!
But on the bright side, I get some of the cutest little kids ever! They're willing to learn and ready for any question or sentence. Trying as hard as they can to pronounce it properly and saying it a few times aloud to their selves before saying it aloud, so as not to sound bad. One of my favorites, his name is Tom. He's in 1st grade; he's been learning English for 2 years. You can tell when he's thinking; he gets really quiet and sits in his chair, one hand under the other like he's coming up with how to generate electricity. Then the light bulb hits and he raises his hand...when he's picked, he stands up, says the sentence so close to perfect that it's sometimes hard to correct him...so instead I'll say something like, “It is or He is” and then he will say the sentence again the right way...SO CUTE!
My students ages range from just under 3 to 14 years old, and every age in between. This weekend was a mush of all different ages.
Saturday’s schedule: 9:30-11a Grade 1, lunch break, 2-3:30p Grade 3, 3:30-5p Kindergarten, dinner break, 6:30-8:30p Grade 2;
Sunday’s schedule: 9:30-11a Grade 1, 11-11:30a Demo class for Kindergarten, lunch break, 1-2:30p Grade 1, 2:30-4p Kindergarten, 4-6p Grade 4, dinner break, 7-9p Grade 6 & 7; yes, I am tired.
So, when I first started here I had 3 assistants to help me in getting the students information, phone, grade level etc. from the parents, reminding them to come/what time/what day…after 2 weeks, 2 quit. One of them went back to school, the other is well off and doesn’t need to work, she gets to go to makeup class for fun and eats bon-bons during the day. After a few incidents in my younger levels, kids hitting and
screaming during the lessons with no way for me to tell them to stop as they A) don’t understand me and B) even if the did they really didn’t want to. I now have 3 assistant teachers, 1 assistant for setting up the class and now 1 other part-time English teacher coming in from England. It's good because they're doing the easy stuff, however I think it's taking me twice as long to do things...because I have to manage them, show them things...it's good and yet tiring. The principle has said that it’s for me to be able to do other things for the class set up, typing, grading their work and also being able to take a holiday. He’s said that this class has been a success so far and that the group who’s running this program really likes the material they’ve seen so far. Yea me!! They’re thinking of expanding the program to other cities around the Province. Which will take a few years since it’s still a new program.
Today, I am going out with some of my assistants for coffee and shopping around the city. Maybe some more photos and video to come...No, I'm sure of it!
After that, two things happened, I got the 3 Chinese-English speaking assistance, 1 assistant teacher on the way...and Mack was semi-pleasant last week. This week, he was back to being the same old Mack. So I told him today how bad he was, even with the assistant in the room, he said, 'okay, we'll ask him not
to come back. Or maybe I'll give him a final warning and if he's bad like this again in class, we can just usher him out during break time and tell the parents politely to find another school.' I do feel bad, but the kid is a total train wreck, I should take my phone in class with me just to show you how bad some of the kids can be, they throw toys not only at the walls but also at each other!
But on the bright side, I get some of the cutest little kids ever! They're willing to learn and ready for any question or sentence. Trying as hard as they can to pronounce it properly and saying it a few times aloud to their selves before saying it aloud, so as not to sound bad. One of my favorites, his name is Tom. He's in 1st grade; he's been learning English for 2 years. You can tell when he's thinking; he gets really quiet and sits in his chair, one hand under the other like he's coming up with how to generate electricity. Then the light bulb hits and he raises his hand...when he's picked, he stands up, says the sentence so close to perfect that it's sometimes hard to correct him...so instead I'll say something like, “It is or He is” and then he will say the sentence again the right way...SO CUTE!
My students ages range from just under 3 to 14 years old, and every age in between. This weekend was a mush of all different ages.
Saturday’s schedule: 9:30-11a Grade 1, lunch break, 2-3:30p Grade 3, 3:30-5p Kindergarten, dinner break, 6:30-8:30p Grade 2;
Sunday’s schedule: 9:30-11a Grade 1, 11-11:30a Demo class for Kindergarten, lunch break, 1-2:30p Grade 1, 2:30-4p Kindergarten, 4-6p Grade 4, dinner break, 7-9p Grade 6 & 7; yes, I am tired.
So, when I first started here I had 3 assistants to help me in getting the students information, phone, grade level etc. from the parents, reminding them to come/what time/what day…after 2 weeks, 2 quit. One of them went back to school, the other is well off and doesn’t need to work, she gets to go to makeup class for fun and eats bon-bons during the day. After a few incidents in my younger levels, kids hitting and
screaming during the lessons with no way for me to tell them to stop as they A) don’t understand me and B) even if the did they really didn’t want to. I now have 3 assistant teachers, 1 assistant for setting up the class and now 1 other part-time English teacher coming in from England. It's good because they're doing the easy stuff, however I think it's taking me twice as long to do things...because I have to manage them, show them things...it's good and yet tiring. The principle has said that it’s for me to be able to do other things for the class set up, typing, grading their work and also being able to take a holiday. He’s said that this class has been a success so far and that the group who’s running this program really likes the material they’ve seen so far. Yea me!! They’re thinking of expanding the program to other cities around the Province. Which will take a few years since it’s still a new program.
Today, I am going out with some of my assistants for coffee and shopping around the city. Maybe some more photos and video to come...No, I'm sure of it!