This is what I hear everyday from my grade 1's as I'm walking down the hallway to my classroom. This is what I hear as I'm trying to set up my lesson. This is what I hear in the lunch room, and it is what I hear when I'm leaving at the end of the day. I like to see how far I can make it down the hallway before I am stopped by the mad rush of students that cling to my legs and waist causing me to be stuck where I am.
I love these kids. It means so much to me that I mean so much to these kids. It's the hugs, the high fives, the inside jokes, and the excitement to learn that makes this experience all worth while. This journey hasn't been easy, but with hard work comes the joy, love, and appreciation from the students and that is why I work as hard as I do. Every headache, exhaustion, and lack of materials is worked around to make sure the students receive the best lesson every day because they are worth it. Sure I have a few stubborn students, but they make me laugh. I also know that they are just kids and sitting still in a classroom all day is tough for them, so I try not to take it personally.
When my grade 1's are being difficult to settle down, often times if the Chinese teacher is near they will scold the children. While it does settle my class down and I appreciate that, it also is frustrating to me. I need to be the one to settle my students so they will learn to take me seriously. I know the Chinese teachers are just trying to help me in every way, but sometimes I think their help does the opposite for me. I have walked into my classroom many times to see the desk rearranged and new faces (and some missing faces). They have moved students between mine and Shelbi's class now four times without telling us beforehand (or asking us if that is something we want). Yes, this is their school and we are teaching for them. However I believe that to manage the students successfully, you need to build a connection with them first and the management will follow. I have tried many different types of attention grabbers, but I have finally found the one that stuck. I say "Whooooooooooo's ready to learn?" And the students know that I want them to sit quietly and focus their attention on me. Some even respond with "Ms. C, I am ready to learn!". I have begun to also change this slightly to be more specific for what I want, such as "Whoooooooooo's ready to listen?" Again, I get some responding with "Ms. C, I am ready to listen!". This makes me happy.
I have rules for my grade 1's, but I have recently put them in a chant/song structure that we say at the beginning of every class. Rather they realize it or not, I am putting the ownership on the students - that way when a student misbehaves or is disruptive I do not feel horrible about taking away their points, stickers, or making them stand up (standing is seen as a punishment here in China). Before I created this chant, it was difficult to make students stand up because I could see the fear in their eyes. I had one student begin to tear up and I wasn't far behind having to choke back teary eyes. It is obvious how much fear and punishment is instilled in them by their Chinese teachers. But now with my chant, the students seem to notice this ownership change and listen better in class which rarely makes me ask them to stand up.
My rules consist of: listen, eyes on the teacher, no shouting, no fighting, raise your hand, and no talking Chinese. My consequences are: lose your points, stand up, stand up at the front of the classroom. This is for all of my classes of all grades.
To help with classroom management and to build a sense of community in the classroom, my students are put into teams. With participation, students receive points that I put on the board. Students get individual points and are competing for a big or special sticker. Their individual points also count towards their team points and the team with the most points at the end of class gets stickers. At first I was just giving the students their stickers and most wore them on their hand, put them in their books, or on their pencil case. But since for grade 1's, I have my own classroom that no other teachers use, I created sticker name tags for them all (42 in total, 21 in each class) and hung them on the classroom wall around a poster of our class chant. Now all of the stickers are on display and students love to show me that amount they have. In my classroom I also have a noise chart which is a person speaking and beside them there's a cone shape with 3 levels: good, quiet down, and too loud. When students are getting noisy I point to the chart to remind them. I also hang up student drawings in the classroom, which they are proud of.
"TEACHER ME! TEACHER ME!"
My grade 6's, on the other hand, are chill. I have 18 in my class. It's fun to joke around with them even if they don't always understand - they do the same with me. We both get confused and then laugh because it's funny. In this class I can really see the difference of levels between my students. Few are able to write detailed paragraphs, most write basic sentences, and a handful are considered to be at a grade 2 level. This makes teaching sometimes difficult because I need to accommodate for everyone's learning level. During the first few weeks of teaching I was unaware of the big difference in my class, but now that I have got to know my students better, I know who needs help with what. I'm trying to find the balance between making sure my low level students understand, but also be able to challenge my high levelled students.
At the very start of a new unit I explicitly go over the vocabulary words that will be used in the unit. I define them and examples of the words being used in a sentence. I add pictures in when I can for an added visual aid. I also have students write their own sentences with the vocabulary words so they can practice using the words in a way that makes sense to them. From there, I provide extra worksheets for those that need the help and I review the vocabulary every class. I try to make my lessons relatable to the students that way they feel more inclined to pay attention since they can see how it is important to them. However, sometimes this is difficult and the benefit of them learning about a particular topic is solely useful to them because they are learning the English language. In the books I am required to teach from, I am able to be flexible with the material up to a certain point, but there are some activities/projects in there that my employers really want me to stick close to, especially since they will be tested on that exact material in the future. The tests I give my students are usually comprehension tests on vocabulary or is an assignment/worksheet concluding the unit we just finished. I also try to make the lessons as hands on as possible, but that is tough to do with limited supplies and limited English understanding. I am seeing the struggle that most teachers have when teaching: do I teach the same material until the students understand it or do I follow the provided pacing schedule and move on to the next lesson when I'm told to.
At this age level, where some students may be 'too cool for school', I believe it is very important to build connections with the students outside of class time. This helps students see that I really just want the best for them and that although classes may be boring sometimes , I am trying to find a way to make it enjoyable for them. I like to be on the same level as my student. Yes, I want my students to respect me and see me as their teacher and an authority figure, but I also think it is very important for them to see me as simply another person, as human. (Especially since my teaching methods are so different from their usual Chinese teachers). I show my authority in different ways, but mostly I place the ownership on the grade 6's themselves. I have them read my class rules and the consequences. After this, they know that I am punishing the behavior and not the student themselves (this is so important for all students to understand). I want to have fun with the students and I can either make my lessons fun or boring. If the students behave well it is easier for me to trust them in focusing when I have fun activities, but I show my authority by being able to take away the fun things and teach them the material in a boring manner. However, I also sometimes struggle with this because I know that the students will likely remember the material more if it is presented to them in a fun way and I don't want to compromise their learning by making them sit through a boring lesson because it will only be counter productive.
Just the other day I was walking home in the same direction as one of my grade 6 students, Mike. We chatted about school and things he likes to do. He also taught me what 'teacher' is in Chinese (pronounced lao-shu). The next day in class, I seemed to get a different vibe from him and noticed he put forward more effort I in class. One of my other students, Jack, is very smart and writes detailed sentences which I enjoy reading. What is great about him is that he understands what I ask of the students and can explain it to others in Chinese. I often use him to remind students what their homework is. On my first day of teaching I became very aware of one student in particular, Aaron. His Chinese teacher pulled me aside after class and told me that he said that this is the first time in a long time that he felt he fit in. My heart was bursting with joy. This was everything I needed to hear, especially after a long first day.
I teach at two different schools - Boashan and Pacican. At Boashan I teach two grade 1 classes and one grade 6 class. (Shelbi teaches the same classes except she does level A (high level) and I do level B (low level)). At first, I taught all of the level B's, but now my grade 1 classes are a mix of level A and B. Between the two of us, Shelbi ad I teach every student that attends Boashan. We teach the grade 1's on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for 40 minutes a class. Friday's class is reserved for phonetics and written and oral tests (for grade 1!) We teach our grade 6 class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday for 40 minutes a class. We teach the students 4 times as much as the Chinese teachers. We also teach the same materials to the students, but do so in such a different way that it is beneficial to the students to have the materials repeated to them.
The above classes are at Baoshan. Pacican is a bit different.
I teach at Pacican on Saturdays. At first, I taught a grade 6 class for two hours and a grade 2 class for two hours, but now I teach a grade 7 student (tutoring) for an hour and a half and I still have my grade 2 class.
The grade 2's are smart and I notice a difference between them and the grade 1's. However, I think that the students that take Saturday classes are more advanced and serious about their education because they also go to regular weekday classes. In this class, I have 11 students. Something that I really enjoy doing with them is dancing during the few minutes break; they think it's fun and silly. While, I haven't given these students at tests, I do have to give them homework every week.
I only taught the 3 students in grade 6 at Pacican for 2 weeks, but wow they are so smart; definitely at a grade 7 or 8 level back home. I was sad to hear that I would not be teaching them anymore, but Pacican wanted me to tutor a grade 7 student instead. I was very nervous at first because it was at a different location (an hour and a bit away from Pacican), which meant that Shelbi and I wouldn't be travelling together. and I had to meet a new student and basically start fro scratch. I also didn't know if I would be going to their house or meeting them in a public place. New area meant new concerns. While it would've been neat to be in a Chinese home, I was glad to arrive at a lovely coffee shop. This is where I have been tutoring Sally. She is very smart and I would say she is at the level of a grade 8 student in Canada. After the first class, I was so relieved. She told me she was also nervous at first (her mother told me she actually asked one of her friends if they could come along with her for support and company). Sally and I are chill. It's really like talking to a friend instead of teaching a student. This type of conversation is so refreshing and I have also learned from her. It makes getting up early on Saturday mornings much easier. We sit, chat, write, learn, and have a latte. Teaching Sally is different. I do have a book that I use materials from, but it is less strict because it is tutoring. I have made the class to be very focused on what she wants to learn about. Then I race to Pacican to make it on time before I teach the grade 2's. I usually only arrive there 10-15 mins before class starts so lunch is either very rushed or I miss it completely.
There is so much to think about. In planning, in teaching, in instruction, in everything. Presentation is important and any one change in the details can change the whole lesson making it either difficult for students to learn or making all the difference in the world allowing the information to finally click for them.
Teaching is everything I have imagined it to be and more. And this is only the beginning. But wow, what a start!
- Ms. C
Grade 6 classroom at Pacican:
Grade 2 classroom at Pacican:
Boashan School:
Office at Baoshan:
very interesting and so glad you are enjoying your profession! xoxo
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