I nearly chucked my marker at a student in my class today. Between personal conversations, questions to me (usually about something I barely answered), answering the phone in class (the inappropriateness of which we've already discussed) comments about our discussion, and random inane comments and noises from one strange Mexican kid, I could hardly hear myself think. Until today I've liked this class, but I'm starting to reconsider. They're just too unruly.
In their defense:
- We have a large class in a teensy classroom that is ill-lit (unless you open the shades on the windows, which in turn blind the teacher).
- The students are sitting nearly on top of each other, making it extra easy for them to chat.
- Because they're sitting so close together, it's very easy to conceal phones and text messages, furthering classroom distraction.
- We meet right after lunch, which usually has a drowsy effect on students, but with this group it's like a party.
- It's a listening speaking class, so we do lots of conversational, active activities.
But REALLY. During the second hour of class, I was ready to pack up and leave. But then the students would have been delighted to leave early, and student glee is NOT what I'm going for. I've had unruly classes in the past, but this one is pushing all the right buttons. Perhaps it's the Arab guy who gives me less respect than his male teacher. Maybe it's the weird Mexican kid who sits in the back and says "no" and/or claps at everything
anyone says. Whatever the problem, they're going to be surprised when they come to class on Thursday and find that their teacher isn't quite as nice as she may have seemed. Here's what I've been tossing around as disciplinary ideas:
- Throw things at them when they're noisy.
- Refuse to speak until everyone is quiet.
- Bring a horn/whistle to blow whenever they're not listening.
- Stage a public beating.
- Refuse to answer questions of students who may not have done their homework.
- Throw out students who come unprepared.
- Deduct 10 points every time a student speaks out of turn.
- Yell.
- Throw out the weird Mexican kid.
- Confiscate cell phones and possibly laptops (I don't know if I can make myself do this one- my German teacher answers phones that go off in class...in German. I don't have that kind of...courage).
My personal favorite is to throw things, but I might get in trouble for that. I suppose I could make my class very boring in hopes that it will calm them down, but I already struggle to make our topics relevant and interesting to skeptical students. I get sick of hearing "teacher, why you make us do this?" or "teacher, how does this help my English?" Or maybe they think my class is boring and that's the problem? I'm not sure. Any other ideas out there?
2 comments:
Throw out the mexican kid once and see if he decides to be dumb again, make a seating chart, every time a cell phone goes off tell them that they have to bring (insert a choice food item) the next day or they will lose 10 points of their grade (can you make someone bring glazed donuts one day? I sure do love them), I like the taking away points every time someone talks.... or oh oh oh, you could just have Trav sit in the back cleaning his gun.
Would that be legal?
I like the idea of a horn. One of those blast air horns in a can that peeps have at graduations and football games. Just walk up and blast it at the kid's face. You could briefly put a pair of earmuffs on your head. Well, maybe that wouldn't work out that well after all. But it paints a delightful scene in my imagination.
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