My other hope was that I could combine both 5th and 6th graders together in one class and really get the best and the brightest of them. But when only 6th graders signed up for the class I inquired about why that was; after all, I was very clear that I wanted a mixed-grade classroom. My co-teacher explained that although it is possible in the school, due to scheduling it could only be one grade and so she obviously picked 6th grade since they are the oldest (and therefore should be the most advanced as far as language studies go).
12 people signed up for the club: 11 girls and 1 boy. I felt so bad for the one boy, Kevin, who is a really sweet kid and I watched him sink inside himself as he realized that he'd be stuck with all these girls. (When the class was over I tried to talk to him about being in this class but he didn't quite seem to understand what I was saying. My co-teacher came over and said she'd try to get more boys to join for him. Later, I heard that 1 more boy was interested in joining so that my club would now be 11 girls and 2 boys).
I was actually really surprised at who wanted to be in the club. I looked around and said to myself "Wait, these are the kids that electively picked to be in English Club? I had no idea they liked the subject." But later I found out that hardly any kids wanted to be in the club and that they rock-paper-scissored and the loser had to join the class. When my co-teacher told me that I tried not to let it show, but I was crushed and humiliated.
I think I designed a really good curriculum that everyone can enjoy. We spend a month learning about all the natural disasters (earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, etc), music (classical, hip-hop, pop, and music videos), journalism (where we will make a newspaper, magazine, and then star in our own TV news stories) and so forth. I tried really hard to make my curriculum fun and entertaining and not something that they get to do in normal English class or in their academies. I want to use a project-based, student directed learning approach. At the start of each month they will have the opportunity to suggest one activity for that month's theme. We will discuss this and see how we can make it happen.
But now that I know that my students didn't want to be in the class I don't have much hope for it anymore. Two of the girls squealed with delight as I showed them the powerpoint of what we will be doing. The others just sat there numbly. My greatest hope for the class is that they have fun and enjoy themselves. I want them to forget that it's English class and just see it as a class where they do exciting things like make volcanoes and do egg-drop contests, put on a TV news broadcast and learn through art. This is my love and I hope that they can see it too. I don't love teaching English but I do love learning and exploring ideas. My only goal is that the students leave my class with a smile on their face each week. If they happen to learn more English as a byproduct of that (and they will) then to me that's just an added bonus.
And now... Random Korea Pictures!!
Bikers are Hardcore in Seoul
Dogs are Hardcore in Suwon
Have hope - some people are reluctant to try anything new and different. They may be forced into the club or there by default, but I suspect by the end they will know that they really lucked out! Moreover, you, as their teacher, have no idea what influence you are having in their young lives. One day they may have a job or travel (that requires English) and they will look back on this seminal experience....and be thankful for it.
ReplyDeleteI know I was coerced into doing things that I ended up enjoying. Sometimes kids need a little push to do something active. Don't let that take the joy out of it for you.
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