teaching karoke, etc.

Ok so it's been over two weeks since my last post. I apologize, been really busy mostly with teaching but also with going out and having fun. Just to let you all know I survived the typhoon (obviously) it wasn't too bad, just really rainy and windy. It's crazy rain though...it'll be sunny as can be and pouring. So strange. School was canceled which was great and I started teaching the little 6 year olds.
So because it's been so long, a lot's been going on, mostly fun stuff. Cause it's boring to write about all of it, I'm gonna break it down into a few posts.
I'll talk about teaching in this one,
Homesickness in the next one
and a crazy night at this great Karoke place called KTV (with pictures :)) in the post after that, but that time it'll be the weekend and since I'm planning on heading down to the east cost the weekend of the 16th, to try my hand at surfing, these three posts should segway nicely into whatever I do down there...

TEACHING
Even though I've only been here two or so months now (man is time really flying), I feel I've grown a lot in many ways, but I think I've learned more from teaching and how to be a better teacher in that time. I've taught all ranges and ages and I can honestly say each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
(I'll go in reverse age order to make it interesting)
TOEFL: The advantages of TOEFL are that these kids or adults have a very specific purpose for why they want to learn English. Also you really feel like you are helping them achieve an important goal, studying in the US, for most of them, has been a dream since they were very young. It does feel good to help them accomplish something like that. Also they are obviously well behaved because the course costs a ton of money.
The disadvantage: They are very serious, I can't joke or laugh with them. Also many of them do know the rules of grammar better than me. There is also a serious gap in the language abilities. Some have near perfect English and only really need to learn more vocabulary, while others can barely understand me. It's tough finding the middle ground.

Adult Conversation Class: Advantage: It's actually a lot of fun. I can just talk to them about anything, and really let my personality come through. I can joke or tell stories, or better yet listen to them tell stories. Plus I think they enjoy learning from each other, most of them are my age....... give or take a year or two, and I really have a good time getting them to talk with each other or about themselves.
Disadvantage: It's sometimes difficult to illicit responses from them. Many are shy. One class I went around the room asking them to explain something about themselves and this girl said I am Wendy, I'm 23 and very nervous. That's terrible she should be relaxed. So I try my best to make it less formal and have them talk together.

11 Year Olds: Advantage: They are not teenagers. And do I do not have to deal with all that being a teenager brings with it. Also when they ACTUALLY want to do work, I feel they are learning the most out of all my classes. And they still have fun and enjoy games. Also there is no real discipline issue, I just add more homework and they shut up, or sit down, or whatever.
Disadvantage: They hate English. And resist at every point. But that's ok they are kids.

Now my biggest challenge: 6 to 7 year olds.
I'm gonna talk about them a lot because even though I've only been subbing for them for about 2 weeks (tomorrow is my last day with them :( ) I think they are the most challenging but also most rewarding class.
Advantages: They are really cute, and fun. And most surprising of all have really strong English skills. And if I give them work, even if it's just coloring or writing their name, they do it very quietly until it's finished. They still respect teachers and adults so when there is work to do they do it.
Disadvantages: Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Like I said everything is fine when they are doing their work but as soon as one is finished, or two, there is complete chaos. They run around, scream, yell, hit each other. I have to deal with fights, stolen pencils, biting, scratching, hair pulling, fighting over sharing a desk, jumping up and down for no reason (one kid loves to crawl backwards on the floor when I call on him to come to the front to read his homework), crying, standing on chairs, everything......even peeing, and pooping.
(I had one girl raising her hand like she really had something very important to tell me. I thought she was going to give me an amazing sentence with the spelling word NET. She had her hand raised shouting "teacher teachaaaa! Teacher!" So I went over there and said "yes Joanne waht is it?" " Teacher I have to poop" haha "well you may go to the bathroom")

There is always someone who takes someone's eraser. I swear I hear "Teacher before Tommy took my eraser" or "before Tommy was speaking Chinese" at least 50 times a day (and to be fair most of the time it is this trouble-maker Tommy starting the 6 year-old proletarian revolt in my class). People talk a lot about fear, and being nervous but for walking into a room full of 13 six-year olds, after they have been on a field trip, and had "cookies and ice cream" is almost enough to make me want to hop on the next plane and go back in a cubicle. It's scary stuff.

BUT and this is a big BUT....it really is a great experience teaching little kids like that, even though it is really really tough. There are a few stories that make it fun and really make me feel good despite the anarchy.

First of all I do have a Chinese teaching assistant, and she has the discipline thing down....just stares at the kids and they sit down and behave. I mean even I shut up when she does it. She said that's all I need to be a good disciplinarian; an evil eye stare
....I try working on my evil eye stare, but I'm not mean enough, and it never works....I practice and I think it is gettign better. All the Chinese assistants say "you're too nice you're too nice" (haha the story of my life). But I did need to do something about the discipline because it was a zoo in there, like a zoo where all the animals escaped and had access to whatever they wanted. Really was disrupting the class...
So what I did was I divided the class into two teams. One team has two boys who cause trouble and the other team had the other trouble-making boy (the three of them cause 90% of the anarchy in the class, once they were all outside and it was eerily quiet in the classroom). I put 100 points on the board for each team, and told them I'd take away points from the team that misbehaves. That got them quiet for sure. By the end of the first day I'd taken away at least ten points from each. All the other kids started self policing the trouble makers so they don't lose points. "Shhhhh be quiet Tommy Teacher will take away points" It works pretty well. They hate getting points taken away.

The only serious problem I had was somehow this girl brought in this little pocket knife to class. I saw her and another boy playing with it. I ran over to take it away and got cut on the finger as I went to grab it..... a little cut but still the class got really quiet. Because I was bleeding, and they were probably worried I would maybe flip out or get really mad..... I took the two outside and let the Chinese assistants deal with them, they came back and said sorry, and I can tell they really were...I said it's ok just an accident BUT, I said ....."you see what happens when we don't do what we're supposed to?"And they've been better since then.....all I know is it's better I got cut than they did.

But there are good parts too........For instance, this one girl is so cute. Everyday I have to sign their notebooks and she always says "teacher... oh... your name it is soooo ugly" Or one time "teacher you are so slow.... you are a turtle" or when I told her I was 24 she said " That's older than my grandpa"
A girl was writing very small one time and her partner who shares the desk said "you write so small...you are an ant" (at least her grammar was good).

Probably the funniest was a kid sneezed, and his nose started bleeding, so I ran over with a tissue and as I'm helping out the door to the bathroom he says " My mom says this happens when I put my finger in my nose too much" (ala Ralph Wiggum). haha.

But I think the thing that made it all worth it was on Friday, we played a game. I drew a bullseye on the board, a giant one. In the middle I put 10 points, then 5, then 1, then MINUS 1....then; and this got the whole class excited; minus 10. Then (and at this point I'm all the way across the board) -20. And the whole class went nuts....

I had a sucktion cup ball that sticks, and there were two teams (the Ninjas against team Lion King, they're idea for names). So each student would stand about 5 feet from the board, one at a time and if they spell a spelling word correctly, they get to throw the ball at the bullseye. They loved it. Of course I stood right near them and helped them spell the word right if they were stuck, so they didn't feel bad. And I gave the shyer kids more throws and more encouragement. It was a lot of fun, one poor girl couldn't throw strong enough to make the ball stick on the target, but she finally did and hit the bullseye (actually it was on the line but I gave her the points). And one kid threw the ball straight up and it stuck about 15 ft. in the air...haha they loved that. To be fair though the Chinese teacher and I were also laughing pretty hard. The kid was 5 feet from the bullseye and threw it 15 feet in the air haha.....

For anyone interested, it was neck and neck the whole way, but the shyest kid in the class, Alan....pulled off a bullseye with the last throw to carry team Lion King to an improbable victory! There was chaos and crazy celebrations in the snack room..

Anyway the best part was all the kids, shy, smart, outgoing, got a chance to play and spell the words. And I was surprised how even the slower students got the words right. It was very fulfilling knowing they were learning and having some fun.
Next blog: homesickness or insane Karoke night....not sure yet
(sorry for the length of this post)

Oh also want to say Congrats to Jared and Jenny on getting married and all the best! Their wedding was Saturday and it sucks that I couldn't make it. But Mazeltough! (sp?).

Cheers,
Brian