Topic: Teacher is Grandpa

Today I had to be a "mean" and "strict" teacher. In my first class, I made a group of 3 girls stay in class during their break. For the second break, I made one of the 3 write "I will not interrupt class" fifteen times on the board. First, she asked me what "interrupt" meant. I can't believe I had to resort to the "sentences" punishment. Good thing she wasn't resentful. She actually participated and laughed at my jokes. After she finished the sentences, I had to ask her if she would ever interrupt in class or not pay attention--putting it in simpler terms.

One student in the same class is constantly yelling answers out of turn, speaking Korean, and calling me names. Today, I decided to make an example of him in class. For our Topic, Major Details, & Minor Details mini-lesson, I used Fred as the example topic.

T: Fred is skinny
MD1: He exercises a lot
md: He plays a lot of sports and runs 10k a day
MD2: His eating habits
md: He eats bacteria and only drinks water

They all laugh and snicker through the demonstration. Fred yells, "Teacher is fat! Teacher is grandpa!" I ignore the fat comment by saying, "Of course I am. I am 100 years old and you are 11." I then have to use:

T: Teacher is Grandpa
MD1: Teacher was born in 1266
md: Teacher has to use a cane and has no teeth
MD2: Teacher is old
md: Teacher has grandchildren and drinks soju and smokes

Since when is "grandpa" an insult. I remind them that the older you are, the wise or smarter you are. Fred continues to cheer, "Teacher is grandpa!"

Exhausted from my elementary school children, I look forward to the much milder middle-school Bridge Reading students. For the past few weeks, we've been reading about photosynthesis, genetics, and now dinosaurs. I only have 8 students, which to the novice teacher, should be much easier to handle than the 16 elementary school students who have the shortest attention span. Usually this class is very attentive. Either they are completely disrespecting me or they feel a lot more comfortable around me. our class was so broke because they would constantly ask me how much questions were worth for the in-class quiz and what my favorite black singers is--one guys asked if I knew who was Bone Thug n' Harmony! Then, two boys sitting across the room from each other kept making faces and speaking Korean. What really just made my night was when Unknown--yes, that is what he chose for his English name, went over to Max who was sitting at his desk and hit Max's cheek with a full fist. I could tolerate all the other disturbances and interruptions, but a boy actually hitting another student was out of my reach. I ha to remain composed and in control, but my face was definitely in shock, disbelief, and amazement. Could I have stopped it? I had walked right into it. Why didn't I thrust my arms before the punish or furthermore, my body? I'm sure my students think I am incompetent. I am such a passive person that I just watched it all unfold like a train wreck. I tried to get the 2 boys to go to the office, but neither budged. I had to relinquish my authority and beg another more senior teacher to help me. She made both boys follow me to the office, which I asked if I needed to go with them--rookie mistake. Already 40 minutes behind in our lesson, the other students were reluctant to take their quiz and were also shake by the incident. Apparently, Unknown has been trouble for every other instructor he's had. Gina, the other teacher that helped me, asked me afterwards if I was alright and why was I not more aggressive about the situation. Never did I expect to discipline while teaching Korean kids, but kids will be kids anywhere in the world despite the "well-known" acknowledgement that Korean kids are angelic pupils. Now, I don' t know how I will gain that class' respect as an authority figure. Our term will probably continue in dysfunction and tension between the 2 boys in that class of 8. They will probably question my teaching ability and continue to test my patience. Hopefully, I'm just thinking the worst and the matter will be forgotten a week from now especially when the middle-school kids leave CDI at the back of their mind and struggle through mid-terms.