BLOG 16
Oct 6
Today was another pretty average day. I taught two lessons and had language class. I think that the counterparts are getting comfortable with us doing lessons, because they used to sit down and just watch - not saying anything. Now it's just yelling and noise all.the.time. I can't even think during my own lesson! It's just non-stop talking and translating and yelling and saying the answers before the student even has a chance to compute the question. Its no wonder that these students don't know half of what they should by the grade they are in. literally not even half. I have yet to see one legitimately graded activity. Students receive a daily grade on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest. The grade is based on nothing in my opinion. 3 is the lowest grade given out. Even if a student doesn't participate, is disruptive, and doesn't have his homework or even is absent without an excuse. Nobody fails. period. So, no matter if the student receives 0's everyday which would never happen - but if it did... the kid would somehow pass for the year. But I just have to remember that the reason I'm here isn't to make every system the way I had it... but to teach English. I don't give out final grades. But I think that I will keep my own grading system for the students if they want it (and I can figure it out)
I just think that the classroom mimics the lead the teacher gives. In my case today I saw that so long as the teacher is just yelling and making noise... so will the students! It just gets to me that I really have seen sort of the troubled kids clean their act up in the past couple of lessons I've taught (with the local teacher not present) - all gone to waste today because they know how to get a rise out of her. Another thing with undisciplined students is that I'm still not entirely sure what the best way to discipline them is - being that there are no such things as detentions, you can't throw a kid out of the class, or send them to the principal (and you can't even give them a 0 for the day) I'll keep thinking about it though.
Tomorrow for our technical training we are supposed to bring in 4 different activities focused on reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I just finished making two decks of "go fish" using pictures of my 5th graders vocabulary that I drew haha. It kind of feels like I'm a kid again being here. Literally just not having much to work with. It's like I'm playing pretend haha. I'm making mud pies with whatever I can find. I like it. After school, of course I did the dishes and helped my host mom cook. I like cooking. Especially this way - where you just put things together... whatever is ripe in the garden. I really just walk outside with a big bowl and pick different vegetables... tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, onions, potatoes... whatever and bring them in, wash them, chop them up, cook them and eat them. I don't know why this is so fun haha but just to eat what you grew, cleaned and cooked is just fun for some reason. It tastes better... sometimes :) I'm not sure what the food will look like in the winter though... when the vegetables won't be from the garden. I also wonder what all the little seller people along the roads and sidewalks will do in the winter - they won't have as many (if any) fruits and vegetables to sell...
I'm surprised it's been such beautiful weather for this long. I am still not wearing a jacket here. The literature that PC gave us all said that by October it's already snowy - not the case for us. I'm not complaining!
Oct 6
Today was another pretty average day. I taught two lessons and had language class. I think that the counterparts are getting comfortable with us doing lessons, because they used to sit down and just watch - not saying anything. Now it's just yelling and noise all.the.time. I can't even think during my own lesson! It's just non-stop talking and translating and yelling and saying the answers before the student even has a chance to compute the question. Its no wonder that these students don't know half of what they should by the grade they are in. literally not even half. I have yet to see one legitimately graded activity. Students receive a daily grade on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest. The grade is based on nothing in my opinion. 3 is the lowest grade given out. Even if a student doesn't participate, is disruptive, and doesn't have his homework or even is absent without an excuse. Nobody fails. period. So, no matter if the student receives 0's everyday which would never happen - but if it did... the kid would somehow pass for the year. But I just have to remember that the reason I'm here isn't to make every system the way I had it... but to teach English. I don't give out final grades. But I think that I will keep my own grading system for the students if they want it (and I can figure it out)
I just think that the classroom mimics the lead the teacher gives. In my case today I saw that so long as the teacher is just yelling and making noise... so will the students! It just gets to me that I really have seen sort of the troubled kids clean their act up in the past couple of lessons I've taught (with the local teacher not present) - all gone to waste today because they know how to get a rise out of her. Another thing with undisciplined students is that I'm still not entirely sure what the best way to discipline them is - being that there are no such things as detentions, you can't throw a kid out of the class, or send them to the principal (and you can't even give them a 0 for the day) I'll keep thinking about it though.
Tomorrow for our technical training we are supposed to bring in 4 different activities focused on reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I just finished making two decks of "go fish" using pictures of my 5th graders vocabulary that I drew haha. It kind of feels like I'm a kid again being here. Literally just not having much to work with. It's like I'm playing pretend haha. I'm making mud pies with whatever I can find. I like it. After school, of course I did the dishes and helped my host mom cook. I like cooking. Especially this way - where you just put things together... whatever is ripe in the garden. I really just walk outside with a big bowl and pick different vegetables... tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, onions, potatoes... whatever and bring them in, wash them, chop them up, cook them and eat them. I don't know why this is so fun haha but just to eat what you grew, cleaned and cooked is just fun for some reason. It tastes better... sometimes :) I'm not sure what the food will look like in the winter though... when the vegetables won't be from the garden. I also wonder what all the little seller people along the roads and sidewalks will do in the winter - they won't have as many (if any) fruits and vegetables to sell...
I'm surprised it's been such beautiful weather for this long. I am still not wearing a jacket here. The literature that PC gave us all said that by October it's already snowy - not the case for us. I'm not complaining!
What about reward instead of discipline? Can you offer them a reward for being good, instead of a punishment for being bad? I don't know if you have access to candy and such but maybe something like that.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful picture!