Friday, 04 July 2008
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This isn't going to be my best-written entry, since I'm writing it not to be entertaining, but to clear my mind.
Student Face-OffI was playing scrabble with my near-to-last class today when the only students - a brother and a sister - starting repeating everything I say with a slightly higher-pitched, whinier voice, in addition to add-lipped such 'clever' comments as "Teacher, you no brain?" and "Teacher ugly". It's not abnormal for them to mock me, thus bringing to mind the phrase most EFL teachers use to describe their jobs - "glorified baby-sitting". I usually try to limit it whenever possible, though my efforts aren't that great, as I know it simply won't end well with this pair.Regardless, I was doing them a favor today by playing a game. Mocking should never occur towards a teacher, but especially not when she's doing you a favor. So I explained to them a few times to "stop it" - which of course got repeated in a slightly higher-pitched, whinier voice. It fact, they repeated it three times for every one time I said it. I told them to stop it or we'll do work book. Again, they repeated it. I abructly stood up, shut the board with a snap, and ordered them to their seats. (At this point, I wasn't angry. I was simply trying to press the point). The boy immediately opened his book and did it; the girl pretended she had no book.I found her book (as always), opened it up, and told her to start writing. She sat there for 15 minutes, doing absolutely nothing. Her brother finished early, so I told him he could go. As soon as the clock hit "finish time", she stood up and headed for the door. I told her no, she did not do her workbook. She had to sit and finish. (In actuality, the classroom was reserved 5 minutes later; again, I was more trying to press a point. I figured if she did solid work for a minute, I'd let her go).She refused, stomping past me to the door. Duh, I haven't been a teacher this long for nothing. I got to the door first, locked it, obstructed it with my body, AND told her to sit down. I said "1 minute, you sit". Trust me, she knows each word. She fought harder, unlocking the door and trying to yank it open. I kept blocking it, telling her to sit down. After about a minute of tug-a-door, it got annoying. I wanted to prove a point; not fight. I took her glasses off.I'm not claiming this was the smartest move, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. All I knew was that she needed to remember who the dominant one in our interactions is supposed to be. Physical reminders, clearly, shouldn't be allowed. Ergo, glasses removal.She started clawing me - pinching, hitting, whining, screaming. I've been taking hapkido for a year now. My instinct is to fight back if someone fights me. Multiple moves filtered through my head. I ignored them, grabbed her arm before I did anything stupid, and dragged her out of the classroom to my boss (who I usually don't take students to, as he always kisses up to them). I couldn't find him at first, so I was dragging her through the halls while she screamed and pinched me. Bruises started growing up and down my arms. Since I couldn't get a firm hold on her to get her to look me in the eyes, I started screaming "Don't punch. Don't hit. You NEVER hit me. Okay? Never!"This was not the most professional. Far from it. But this kid is not listening. You NEVER hit, punch, whatever a teacher. NEVER. And she's about 10. She's old enough to know better. Personally, if she were my daughter, I'd slap her - hard. She NEEDS to learn a bit of respect.I finally found my boss. My student immediately collapsed in his arms, crying. I knew she was going to start wailing about the big, bad teacher who locked her in a classroom and stole her glasses, Before she could get a word out, I screamed at my boss: "She is NEVER to hit me. She is NEVER to pinch me." I showed him my bruises and stormed out. I knew he was going to listen to her and side with her. I at least wanted to get a few words in first so he can consider how I (not her) was abused.When I finally walked back a minute later, the wailer was gone. My boss was sitting there. I tried explaining him precisely what happened, all the while emphasizing the word "respect". I even found myself spelling it, just like in the song. Finally, I had to write it down, as he could not easily recognize the word. He understood it from reading it. He looked at it, nodded, and said, "Perhaps she should not hit you. I will tell her tomorrow." And then he uttered the golden words, the words he used when a student peed on my floor and/or when other students spit in my coffee: "I think it was a misunderstadning. She did not know what you wanted her to do."Riiiiight. She repeated everything I said in a higher pitched, whiny voice (much like you do to a tortured kid sister) because she thought that's what I wanted. She claimed she had no workbook because she did not realize I wanted her to open it. She didn't write in her opened workbook - like her brother was doing - because she thought I wanted her to stare at it. And she hadn't learned the word "sit" in all her years of studying English. Sure. I believe that.So now I'm bruised and annoyed at myself for losing my temper. Her mother is probably going to consider withdrawling her from this abusive school (since they never seem to question the kids here) and my boss is going to have less money to pay me with. All the while, as much as I regret that episode and as much as I wish I handled it better, part of me doesn't see how I could have handled it better. She constantly disrespects me, which simply is not conducive to a learning environment. Furthermore, she never lets herself be disciplined, always escalating it one step farther. What should I do? Just sit there and take it? It's the mature thing, sure - but it doesn't seem like the proper "authority figure" thing to do.
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