Day 2: Crack Makes the Day Better
Written by Kyle on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 in Korea, Republic Of
Feelin' happy
Ok, so Day 1 in Korea isn't exactly what I would file in my "Do it again" experiences. In fact, I'll just put that in my "Learning" folder. Feelin' happy
I was glad to hear from other teachers that this whole teaching thing (gasp!) takes a little time to get used to. Most people told me "Yeah, the first week or month kind of sucks. But it gets better." Beleive me, without people telling me that, I might have just thrown my arms up and said forget it.
On Day 2, after getting advice from other teaches, I figured out that kids really like stickers. More than once, a teacher said "Stickers are like crack." I don't know if that's entirely a good thing, but if crack makes kids sit down and listen, then crack it is. And to my surprise, it works like a charm. When I told a class of students that if they earn 3 stars during the class for doing good behavior they get a sticker at the end of class, everyone was suddenly interested. Whenever someone was doing something bad (like getting out of his/her chair or speaking Korean), I would only have to say "Can you get back into your chair, please, so that you don't lose a star?" and the child was in the chair before I would finish the sentence.
And, man what a difference that makes. Compared to Day 1, Day 2 made me feel accomplished and a little bit like a teacher. It was a good way to follow up day one and remind myself that, yes, I can do this. I'm sure some day I'll feel like a full-fledged teacher, but until then, I'll keep distributing the crack.
Comments on "Day 2: Crack Makes the Day Better"
Just think of the stickers as their own little "retention bonus", to use a term Americans are all too familiar with now. :) But much cheaper than American retention bonuses so you're in luck.
Hope you were able to load up on "scratch and sniff" stickers before you left the U.S. If not, let me know, we'll find some for you! Nothing like a sniff of chocolate, or strawberry, or grape to get a student interested in any task. I should have dusted off my student rewards "goody-box" before you left! What was I thinking! Brightly design imprinted pencils are also "magical" persuaders in the pursue to knowledge!
We have a bunch of stickers with English sayings like "Good Job" and "100%". They love those. For my slightly older students (2nd graders), I'll probably keep a chart where the class can earn a sticker for the day. If they get a certain amount of stickers, they will get a prize (like a brightly designed pencil).
Keep feeling happy. Things WILL improve! Good job, Son!
Welcome to what was once "My World." LOL You just need to see things through the eyes of a child. Life is Simple. Welcome to THEIR World. :)
by mumsie at April 07, 2009 10:41 PM