It finally happened: I had my first day feeling like an actual semi-good teacher!
It all began during my lunchtime class with the 7th graders - the group of children that even the toughest of teachers absolutely dreads. They are known throughout the school as the horror class because there are SO many of them (30ish?) and they are ALWAYS talking and ignoring the teacher and just being generally disrespectful and obnoxious. They were the class that I accidentally let and F-bomb fly with a few weeks ago when I was put in this same lunchtime class and told "Good luck!" as the teacher ran out the door.
The class began just as all the others had - no direction, nobody paying attention, everyone talking over each other, yelling, just a disaster. Fifteen minutes into it all, though, I finally got their attention and got them ALL to stop talking for a few moments. In that precious and rare window I told them that we would be having a Christmas party in this lunchtime class in which I was the teacher for the two classes preceeding Christmas Break with cookies and a movie. They all cheered and started talking about it with each other. I hushed them and told them, "BUT for each minute that you are being loud and disrespectful and talking over each other and not paying attention, one minute will be subtracted from the party." They all GASPED. "This starts today, so mind your behavior so that we can have an awesome two full days of parties."
I expected some protesting out of them, but to my shock they all nodded, SILENTLY. That's right. They were SILENT and nobody was yelling at them or threatening them or otherwise scaring or belittling them. They were being silent on their own accord.
Rewards and punishments. Every teacher had tried the punishment side with these kids - no recess, detention after school, notes home to parents, extra homework, etc. But no teacher had thus far tried an incentive/reward. I didn't even think it'd really work, to be honest, and I was totally surprised and in awe.
During the rest of the class they all did their work and raised their hand and spoke English. I only had to take four minutes away from them (any other class I would have had to take the full 45 minutes away), and each time I took one away, they gasped and went silent immediately. o_O
Ah-MAY-zing.
My director asked how the class went later and when I told her what I'd done and what had happened she said it was a brilliant idea and she'd like to try it. TOO LATE. ;)
After school I was feeling so awesome from my small victory in the class that I decided it should be the day I turned around my private lessons with the girl. Up until that point she had refused to say more than two words per class in English and instead would be disrespectful and rude.
I went to a store during my half hour break and bought Play-Doh and some wooden letters, thinking I could use them during classes with those kids if the didn't have any homework to study with me. I just needed to feel a little prepared. And it totally worked, even though we never even got to the new supplies.
As soon as I walked into the girl's room, I asked her all about her birthday (she'd turned 6 on Saturday). She told me all about it in Spanish as I asked her more and more questions in English (which she can more or less totally understand). Then, after she'd finished telling me about it, I said: "Guess what!? Now that you're SIX years old and such a BIG girl, you get to start speaking in English! You're finally big enough to be able to speak English - it's a really big responsibility - but you're so smart and good at it, I know you'll be great!"
She stared at me with wide eyes, totally entranced by what I was saying. I kept repeating it in different ways to let her have time to figure out the gist of what I was saying and fully digest it. And then all at once she said, "Yes! Okay!"
O_O
WHAT!?
All I needed this whole time was to burst through the door totally animated and excited and build up her tiny kid ego and she would have done whatever I wanted this whole time!? >_< Ohhhh man.
Better to learn all this stuff later than never, I guess! ;) Hence, "Student Teaching." Rawr.
We proceeded to study the months of the year and go over what important thing happened in every month and memorize and practice the order of the months. This girl is actually really cute when she starts to understand something, because she gets so excited and the biggest, proudest smile ever! :oD
Things went well with the boy, as we discussed all sorts of animals and food, and we both had a generally good time, too. :)
I was feeling so successful and was happy to get home to share my successes with my roomies. :) I showed them the brightly colored, painted wooden letters I'd bought to help with the 1st graders' phonics, and they loved them. They loved them so much that it somehow turned into our entertainment for the whole night. We literally sat/stood around the kitchen bar for two hours spelling things out and trying to find the prettiest color/pattern combinations - first names, then English words, then Spanish words, then made up words. HA! A few of us had a beer and just kept working on it, so focused, and giggling all the while.
It was like my dream night at home, all of us huddled together, working on building pretty colored words. :oD I ADORE having fun, nerdy friends. It's like a FOR REAL dream come true!!! ^_^
XOXO
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