I just got back from the Saturday tuition sessions. It has been almost 5 months since I started.I have two classes of primary school children, P4 and P3, taking Maths and Science, and English, respectively. It has become a Saturday routine. A energy-draining activity.
It is somehow different from giving volunteering tuition. When you are paid, the responsibility seems greater. And if you ain't doing a good job, someone else is readily available to take up yours. The fact that I really need that money, I have to put in more effort.
Some students have left, and some have joined. I'm not sure whether they left cuz they think I ain't good 'nuff for them. But there are some who seem really happy and appreciative to have me around.
On my first lesson, I set the ground rules for my classes. I told them my expectations on their behavior. On boy, how naive I was. They are only nine or ten, they don't understand the significance of those rules. After a couple of lessons with those kids jumping around and making helluva noice, I realised that discpline is necessary in order to have any proper lessons. My job is not only about teaching.
I began to think of ways to get their attention. How about rewards? Arrr, I bought two bags of sweets and lolipops. Only those well-behaved children will get them. But, ha ha, guess what? Those kids asked me whether they can exchange for another flavour of sweets, this, and that. Two weeks later, rewards no longer work for them.
Then discipline too the form of punishments. Those who misbehave three times will get their names into my lil' black book. First time, fingers on their lips, second time, stand at their desk, third time, a smack on their palm with the ruler. But, ha ha, guess what? Those kids continued to talk with their fingers on their lips. They also smiled and said that the smackings were not painful enough.
Finally, two weeks ago, I decided to go back to the old-school kinda punishments - writing lines. Complain composition too many words (add 50 words), don't know where to get foolscap paper (add 50 words). Misbehave in class, write 100 lines of "I will behave myself in class". But, ha ha, guess what? It doesn't really work...
So today, I made them sit with their best friends, who they like to. For punishment, those who misbehave, their best friend will need to write 100 lines. Every person caught misbehaving will mean that the number of lines to write for each person will double.
Hopefully they'll understand that their actions will affect their friends as well and learn to be more responsible!
It is somehow different from giving volunteering tuition. When you are paid, the responsibility seems greater. And if you ain't doing a good job, someone else is readily available to take up yours. The fact that I really need that money, I have to put in more effort.
Some students have left, and some have joined. I'm not sure whether they left cuz they think I ain't good 'nuff for them. But there are some who seem really happy and appreciative to have me around.
On my first lesson, I set the ground rules for my classes. I told them my expectations on their behavior. On boy, how naive I was. They are only nine or ten, they don't understand the significance of those rules. After a couple of lessons with those kids jumping around and making helluva noice, I realised that discpline is necessary in order to have any proper lessons. My job is not only about teaching.
I began to think of ways to get their attention. How about rewards? Arrr, I bought two bags of sweets and lolipops. Only those well-behaved children will get them. But, ha ha, guess what? Those kids asked me whether they can exchange for another flavour of sweets, this, and that. Two weeks later, rewards no longer work for them.
Then discipline too the form of punishments. Those who misbehave three times will get their names into my lil' black book. First time, fingers on their lips, second time, stand at their desk, third time, a smack on their palm with the ruler. But, ha ha, guess what? Those kids continued to talk with their fingers on their lips. They also smiled and said that the smackings were not painful enough.
Finally, two weeks ago, I decided to go back to the old-school kinda punishments - writing lines. Complain composition too many words (add 50 words), don't know where to get foolscap paper (add 50 words). Misbehave in class, write 100 lines of "I will behave myself in class". But, ha ha, guess what? It doesn't really work...
So today, I made them sit with their best friends, who they like to. For punishment, those who misbehave, their best friend will need to write 100 lines. Every person caught misbehaving will mean that the number of lines to write for each person will double.
Hopefully they'll understand that their actions will affect their friends as well and learn to be more responsible!
Comments
seriously....i dun think they'll understand the rules and significance behind the rules...ahaha...they're simply too young! but anyway...good luck to you...hope this method will work...ahahaha
this is partly the reason why i gave up tuition just before entering university...coz i realised i can't even handle a young boy aged 8 years old...i'm lousy with disciplinary stuff...i was actually BULLIED by him! can u imagine? hahaha
to egeus: kids nowadays....
but that's a good methd... but normally i'll just work with the parents.. cos they have the real authority...
they like to disturb passer-bys walking downstairs. and one hour, the kid only do 5 maths questions. funny kids. last time i saw him, he's taller than me already.
in foc nobody dares to be fierce to them, the kids always creating havoc. hahah. but of cuz, the programme wasnt really about tutoring them la. =p
rp: i had two parents questioning me since i started. when they scolded their kids in front of me, the were actually saying it was my fault that their kids don't listen in class and don't do their hw. her son left my class liao. hahaha.
sx: i think that time u were quite a cheap bargain for them right? buy 1 get 1 free ar? hahaha. I had a worse one, 12 intensive lessons in a month at chinatown. the sec 2 boy played his gameboy when i taught him. in 2 hrs i gotta teach maths, chinese, english, science and literature. in the end, his mum sent me packing, i was so glad!
its not that i dun wanna be fierce to him...but there's a certain extent to it...too much their parents will complain...and usually after the scolding they'll settle foe a min or 2 and then everything is back to terror again...hahaha
but anyway... at my centre.. working closely with the parents do help..
yours dun work doesn't the methd won't work
kids these days ar, not like us last time, so guai. most kids these days very the pampered one loh. u just need a couple of these kinda kids, headache liao.
parents also got nice and understanding ones, and sacarstic and nasty ones...
rp: u teach at tuition centre too? which centre? good $$???
wahahhahaa
anyway.. you should be talking abt suitress