This week is the last week of my teaching career.
I'm teaching in a school located next to a public housing estate where most of my students' are from families with low or no education.
Most of their parents don't even work. Maybe they're lazy, maybe they are so unskillful and can't find a job.
My students do quite poor academically, they're almost illiterate in English, and they can't do simple calculations.
E.g.
they confuse "r" with "l"
they can't be bothered memorizing the multiplications table
some of the are like 5 7" , 15 years old lad but still stuck in primary grade 6.
they swear a lot
I'm quite surprised there are so many (this kind of people) still exist in this society.
What kind of job can they get when they grow up?
A lot of the times I really want to teach them how to do addition and subtraction (:-p I'm working as a supply teacher in primary school), but my class is a chaos, kids running around hitting each other, screaming, yelling and shouting.
I feel sorry for them because I think they're all nice kids but they have a bad upbringings.
8:57 p.m
Classic examples about the effect of good upbringing
There are some problems with the pipe in my apartment, the landlord brought some fixer man to fix it, my landlord spoke good English, and he seemed very decent.
That's why he lives in a good neighbour hood. That's why his son turns out to be a decent man.
Hehe...am I getting my point across? I suck in expressing myself and I feel frustrated about not being able to tell people how I feel
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4 comments:
Hey Jennifer,
I'm not too sure if you've taken any psychology courses before but f.y.i., there are 4 major influences on a child's upbringing: parents, school, peers and media (in order of importance).
From your post, it would appear that the first 3 major factors have already contributed to the child's upbringing.
Also, perhaps you should enlighten them and give them hope for their futures. It could be that the kids feel as if they don't have any hope and thus, act as they do.
Lastly, in North America, there are kids who are like that too (maybe not to the extent that you were talking about), so don't feel too bad about it. These things are just inevitable.
Poor family can have decent kids too. Because this kids are poor, they can be more mature than kids at same age. They can turely know the meaning of blood-and-sweat in every penny they earn.
(message from LAURENT)
I totally agree with Ryan and Laurent's comment with regards to the up-bringing to those kids.
But, I think we should take a step back to what Jennifer is pointing out. She's trying to point out their surroundings. It's the surroundings that brought the person up (And pure pressure from their classmates). Kids these days are really affected by their surroundings and the pure pressures from their classmates (which goes back to Ryan's point of early child development).
Furthermore, we have to look at the definitions of what a "Teacher" is. Teachers are people who teach others from their experiences and knowledges in particular fields or things. (This could be wrong). They are people who can "ENLIGHT" others in doing things. So, I totally agree with what Ryan had said. Maybe you can Enlight/Inspire them in being a better person. I know it's a hard deal. But, there's always so much we can do to help them. (You can go watch the Japanse TV Show, GTO, for some inspirations).
As with Laurent's comment, there're always "EXCEPTIONS". I believe it's only how Teachers can Inspire them or things within their life inspire them.. Till then, we can only observe their own...
Just to conclude, I am thankful about what I have experienced in the past and what my parents did in the past just to bring me up as an adult (And how I've turned out now).. But, just most-likely that how they're being brought up as a person and their surroundings shaped them into what they're. It's really the kids' choice as to what they should follow. So, I guess that's why we've "Teachers" in helping/guiding these Kids to be on the "Right Track".
Please keep up the good work Jennifer. Please try to teach them or guide them if you can.
Trawling through your old posts and felt moved to comment on this one.
As I see it what you are running into is the problem of how Chinese people traditionally see the roles of teachers, pupils and education, with the teacher as the font of wisdom from which the students should sup. Rather than think of teaching as you imparting knowledge to your pupils, think of yourself as a leader, leading your pupils through example and debate. Show don't tell.
Take your example of multiplication table, the tradition is to learn by rote the tables, but how much do your students understand? and more importantly how much do you understand, what are the patterns in the tables, why do the numbers arrange themselves in the way they do and how does this relate to real life. Its easy for a teacher to recite the tables, and have the pupils follow him or her, easy for the teacher and boring for the students. If you can show them the principles,columns of coins, notes and shopping baskets are a good stand by. e.g. if one can of Coke costs ten dollars, how much does 7 cans of Coke cost e.t.c. by teaching the principles behind the multiplication tables, they should be able to work out for themselves the tables when they need it, without knowing it off by heart.
The wisest thing any of my teachers taught me, was that it was impossible for him to teach me everything I needed to know, it was impossible for him to have the breadth of knowledge to know everything, and impossible for him to know what I needed. However what he could do for me was to teach me how to teach myself, how to go to the library and find the books I needed , how to ask for the help I needed.
Of course this was before the internet. Nowdays rahter than taking your pupils down to the library, you could show your students how to surf the net, sell it as a fun activity, maybe you can't improve them today but maybe you can give them the tools to improve themselves when they are ready inside of theselves for it.
Engage with your students, dismissing them as louts and hooligans doesn't help. You say they swear, you say they have no English. Be brave, maybe offer to teach them to swear and curse and cuss in English, Maybe like MacBeth "you cannot do such a bloody thing" but just offering will catch their attention, maybe they'll take a liking for Shakespeare. They fight and scream and yell? Than regale them with tales of blood and guts, fighting and battles. Growing up in England I got the Spartans, Romans, Normans and Anglo-Saxons, I'm sure the best bit of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can match these blood thirstyness. But the excesses of these historical antecedents was but a way to teach us about, honour, duty, prudence and the classical virtues, virtues I'm sure that you can find in your students if you try.
I agree totally with Gary, when he says that a teacher should inspire and is a guide. You are not more intelligent than these kids or better than them because you are older. Its as if you know the route between two points because you have travelled it before many times before. Your pupils need you to guide them from where they are now to where they can continue the journey onwards themselves.
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