Hello all!
Sorry I have been abandoning my blog for a while. Have been busy with my teaching stuff to do, sometimes I feel so exhausted to do anything else.
My teaching term has been extended and I'll be teaching English Language till the 6th of March tentative. Now that gives me some time to rest and brace myself mentally for civil defence on the 10th. Dang! That thought still gives me cold shivers...
Classes have been pretty good to me, so far no extreme cases, yet...
My relief classes are all filled with nice kids, most of them at least, and the class I'm taking for english, they are really lovely and receptive people whom I really enjoy teaching. I'm taking Normal Technical english by the way..
Some questions I have been asking myself throughout my entire period working as a teacher.. Now where does a teacher draw the line between being nice and fierce? A teacher has to be strict in order to maintain discipline and orderliness in the class, yet at the same time, he has to be nice in order for his students to respect and like him as a teacher.
Let's face it. No student would like a fierce teacher, and when students dislike a teacher, they do not feel motivated to learn. How about when a teacher really has to be fierce as his students are not paying attention or are not doing their work as expected? Now how fierce should he be then?
There was once I got really mad at my class for not handing in to me my assignment when it was due. Another time I got really mad was when a girl cursed and insulted me in malay, calling me something unpleasant in front of her classmates thinking I was a Chinese and blissfully unaware that she was hurling those words to me. That student got a whole load of hardship from me afterwards inclusive a bad scolding, which taught her that perhaps that I am not one to be trifled with.
I can be nice, but mess with me and you're asking for it
I've been very nice on my classes, too nice in fact, and I have yet to learn how to take the bold move and really scold and put on a frowning face when my students refuse to pay attention or text in my class. So far I have scolded classes really bad for not handing in homework, but that seems to be the only reason why I scold. Now I must learn to be fierce in making sure they listen to me and do not drift away during my own lessons. I know I can do it, sometimes I feel like doing it, but I just do not have the heart to.
So what is the proper way then?
There was once I got really mad at my class for not handing in to me my assignment when it was due. Another time I got really mad was when a girl cursed and insulted me in malay, calling me something unpleasant in front of her classmates thinking I was a Chinese and blissfully unaware that she was hurling those words to me. That student got a whole load of hardship from me afterwards inclusive a bad scolding, which taught her that perhaps that I am not one to be trifled with.
I can be nice, but mess with me and you're asking for it
I've been very nice on my classes, too nice in fact, and I have yet to learn how to take the bold move and really scold and put on a frowning face when my students refuse to pay attention or text in my class. So far I have scolded classes really bad for not handing in homework, but that seems to be the only reason why I scold. Now I must learn to be fierce in making sure they listen to me and do not drift away during my own lessons. I know I can do it, sometimes I feel like doing it, but I just do not have the heart to.
So what is the proper way then?
These are my chains of thoughts so far as I move on with my job as a teacher. There are many others which I need answers to, yet I know they do not come instantaneously. I'll find my answers as time passes by.
Somehow I will...
On the bright side, students have been really sweet to me. Some came to meet up with me, telling me that I did a great job reliefing their class for English lesson, up to the point their English teacher was singing praises to my other relief teacher and I for doing our jobs well. They even asked me to relief them again given the chance.
Another class enjoyed my English lesson alot, up to the point they asked their English HOD to attach me to their class to teach them English, and this is the Sec 3 Normal technical class I am currently teaching for the next month.
And finally, my Sec 2 Malay students have been really nice on me, coming to me to say hi or even approaching me to ask me to teach them how to write proper compositions and newspaper reviews.
The fact that they treat me as a senior whom they can look up to when they had problems with their studies showed me that I have somehow succeeded in my mission thus far. I wanted to be not only a teacher in class, but their friend outside class, one whom they could turn to when they need help. They are doing just that to me, a random outsider, and that just goes to show that I have built a relationship with my students, something so meaningful to me.
Perhaps it is this close bond I have with them that makes it so hard for me to scold them. Sometimes I am afraid that after scolding them, they will hate me forever and just shut down during my class. I have my own fears, and I am trying hard to overcome them.
Sometimes taking a bold risky move would be the best option
On the bright side, students have been really sweet to me. Some came to meet up with me, telling me that I did a great job reliefing their class for English lesson, up to the point their English teacher was singing praises to my other relief teacher and I for doing our jobs well. They even asked me to relief them again given the chance.
Another class enjoyed my English lesson alot, up to the point they asked their English HOD to attach me to their class to teach them English, and this is the Sec 3 Normal technical class I am currently teaching for the next month.
And finally, my Sec 2 Malay students have been really nice on me, coming to me to say hi or even approaching me to ask me to teach them how to write proper compositions and newspaper reviews.
The fact that they treat me as a senior whom they can look up to when they had problems with their studies showed me that I have somehow succeeded in my mission thus far. I wanted to be not only a teacher in class, but their friend outside class, one whom they could turn to when they need help. They are doing just that to me, a random outsider, and that just goes to show that I have built a relationship with my students, something so meaningful to me.
Perhaps it is this close bond I have with them that makes it so hard for me to scold them. Sometimes I am afraid that after scolding them, they will hate me forever and just shut down during my class. I have my own fears, and I am trying hard to overcome them.
Sometimes taking a bold risky move would be the best option
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