I have a student in one of my Kindergarten classes named Harry. He's a bright kid, but gets wound up pretty easily and has been punching other students (infrequently, but with growing regularity). The one time it happened in my class was when another student bumped into him while playing "Teacher Says." (Forget that loser Simon! This is MY house!)
Harry started me thinking about how I am during class and how that affects my students. Deep inside, I want students to think I'm a fun teacher, so I tend to do funny things that get them all riled up. Unfortunately, they'll stay riled up longer than I want, but they can't just turn their "work/play" dial to the "work" setting whenever I want. That's when they go to far and get in trouble.
I think that in my insecurities and desire to be liked, I act too goofy with the younger students, knowing I can make them laugh. With older students it's a little different, because they just don't get "riled up." With Kindergarten, though, sometimes they'll be wound up tighter than a tripwire before I even walk into class. They don't need a goofy teacher; they need a Zen Buddhist master armed with a bathtub of ice to chill out.
I think Harry and I need some to make some changes. He's only five years old, though, so I'll do what I can and hope it rubs off on him. No more rough-housing with Harry or anyone else who runs up to the board and erases stuff as I'm writing. No more silliness on my part, and I'll have to be vigilant about addressing bad behavior as soon as it starts.
Plus, I think Harry needs some recognition apart from when he's punching other kids.
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2 comments:
Oh.. I like “Bryan Teacher Says” thingy.
Btw, since you are there teaching Eng, I want to ask you something. Harry’s five years old boy who goes out to Eng hagwon. At five! I bet he goes out to other hagwons for whatever their parents feel like he should know. I remember when I was five, I didn’t know how to read or write (yeah.. slow ^^;). I didn’t attend a pre-school and attended a kindergarten just about 6 months before enrolling in the primary school. But I guess I turned out to be okay!
It’s just that when I think about all that educational heat in Korea, it makes my head spin! (to be honest, all those years in schools, I was also going some other hagwons (painting, drawing, playing piano, math, eng, and private lessons, etc, etc….) I’m not saying that I was a unhappy kid. It’s just that five years old… just too young too be confined in a walled room! So here’s my question, what do you think about it?
Harry's five by Western measure, six by Korean. Is he too young for school (Kindergarten/유치원)? Nah, I don't think so -- when I was five I went to Kindergarten.
However, I do think the curriculum for our Kindergarten students is more difficult than mine was. They're put under a lot of scrutiny -- moreso because with the birthrate declining many are only children.
I agree they don't need the pressure. I'd definitely like to see the kids having a lot more fun while they're young, but I doubt parents would continue sending them to an English immersion Kindergarten for that.
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