teaching children has quickly become my least favorite thing to do in the world. it basically all the elements that i hate about life combined with all the things that i suck at nestled into a box of skills that i lack. lemme break it down:
1. social energy. this is something that i lack completely. for example, if i'm out at a bar and don't know anyone to talk to, it's much easier for me just to go home than meet new people. little tiny japanese babies, on the other hand, seem to enjoy simply climbing out of the windows* and giving each other bloody noses*.
2. discipline. i've always felt that if i wanted to tell kids how to do things, i'd just have a pair or two myself. as it stands, i'm still figuring life out, and i think that makes me unqualified to tell other people how to do things. if you can't teach your children how to sit still in a chair, then clearly they aren't ready to learn english.
3. assholes. i don't like them, and try to avoid interacting with them. regardless of age.
4. humor. i've been known to whip out some hella-wit on occasion whilst kickin' it old school adult-stylie, but it seems nearly impossible for ol' monotonous mikey to get laughs out of the young japanese.
5. respect. i'm not going to reach into your pocket and try to take your money*, and i expect the same courtesy from you. somewhere along the line english teachers have instilled the idea that we're all just kids ourselves, and we love to run around screaming and not paying attention to anything! whoo! english time!
6. second guesses. i leave each class trying to reassure myself that i don't actually hate children, i'm just not cut out to teach them things.
this is written in complete frustration, and hopefully it's one of those silly post-skis that i'll look back on and be like "man, i can't believe that i was once so bad at teaching children." at the very least, i'm confident that i'll look back on it after this month and be like "man, i'm glad that i'm never teaching children again. ever."
*actual occurences (over the past two days).
5 comments:
Teaching children is totally hard. I don't know how I would teach kids language. Just having something to do with their hands is hard enough.
During my clay class experience I found myself often thinking, "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you all a bunch of babies or something?!" when in fact they were.
I've been thinking about this a bunch, so forgive me if I go on and on---I blogged about it too! That's how much it confused me!
I think the key to teaching kids is to 1) be realistic about their developmental abilities---accept that they are people exactly where they are suppose to be, 2) once they are comfortable in their surroundings, find their humor and play into it, but recognize that no one will think you are funny until they are done being terrified of you 3) keep the pace quick so you don't loose them and change activities a lot to allow them to move around, 4) even if you don't like them at that moment, try to communicate that you do like them. Young children are more emotional beings than intellectual. They function from their feelings. Kids need to be feel liked and once they do, they will return the favor. 5) If you were ever in a school play, call on all your drama skills. You are not so much a teacher as an actor in an unpredictable play.
Overall though, I am not sure I like teaching very young kids (I do like teaching older kids). You are still a good person even if you don't care for it. Just be super nice to all those elementary teachers out there because they are all saints.
This is so hard to imagine... I LOVE kids before they turn 6! I get exponentially more uncomforatable each consecutive year after that(literally, I have no people skills when it comes to adults). But ask Anne... it comes at the price of my being really weird. Consider yourself lucky! Most of the population are adults, anyway!
I think it takes a special person to like kids. The same could be said for people that like computers, which are totally irrational and unpredictable as well.
Every age group and every class is different and believe me, I've had classes from hell and classes that are gifts! You'll figure out how you can survive through whatever type of class you have. Get some non-verbal communication going on that can signal a set of behaviors you are looking for . . . I had a class where I called it "old timey school" and the students soon learned that the leeway on behavior was pretty narrow!
The face of a child says it all, especially the mouth part of the face...
Nikki
Post a Comment