A native English teacher from another elementary school asked me, "You manage the students like you manage a business?" I explained, "People are people..."
It is my experience that Koreans are a little shy at first. When I first started teaching it was difficult to get students to come to the center of class and role play. In today's classes students get excited upon the introduction of a role play. Their hands shoot up into the air all at once to come up front. Some of the kids cry out, "Me! Me... Pick Me.... Pick Christie... Me!!" What changed?
I began reinforcing the behaviors I wanted the kids to emulate. I reinforced behavior immediately when it was observed, explained specifically what was being rewarded (with help from Co-Teacher) and added extra incentive candy, fruit, or yogurt.
PASSWORDS
I've instituted passwords, something my Spanish teacher, Mrs. Obregon, used at Miami Palmetto Senior High. Students are given a password which is required to enter the next class. The students have really taken to this... and enjoy enforcing the rule nearly too much. Different grade levels get different passwords... they have included:
Family: My (insert family member) is (insert adjective
Home: Home is where the heart is (Advanced). Home sweet home (Intermediate). Name two objects in the house (Beginner).
Home2: Name two activities in the house.
School: Switch an activity to the past tense(Advanced). What is your favorite subject? Do you like to (insert school activity)?
Reflecting on My Education
Class is going well... and I'm putting my tens-of-thousands of dollars of education to work. I wanted to major in English in college, but it sounded so impractical. I majored in Management Information Systems instead... I don't know if I've ever needed programming or database design on a daily basis.
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