Slightly better Tuesday

Today was slightly less awful than yesterday, but not by much. Things that made today better:

1) I was determined not to lose my cool. I stayed calm and smiled through a lot of crap today.

2) The spy wasn't there, so I didn't feel like I was being watched and judged the whole time. Normally I don't mind observed teaching, but it was a serious blow to my pride to be watched during my worst teaching failures to date!

3) I ended up sending the two main troublemakers (one boy and one girl) to my co-teacher. This was a pretty serious move, and had a few benefits: it got them out of my hair, told the rest of the class I was serious about involving Mr Beak, and maybe might make the kids in question a little better tomorrow. I don't hold my breath though - they are truly awful. Some of these kids are just so oblivious! Talk right over the top of me, interrupt lessons and activities to ask if we can watch Justin Beiber, they even physically fight sometimes. I've read that this is pretty common stuff. I feel like a total failure for not being able to deal with it! I tried a whole slew of behaviour management today - points systems, warning systems, clear punishments, on and on. I reduced the number of handouts to make the class more verbal and interactive, I made some of the activities more active so they weren't stuck at their desks, I had a 'naughty seat', I rearranged the room so they all faced forward, and more. Nothing worked. It was shitty.

I read yesterday that with a 'bad' class like this, you shouldn't try to tackle the whole class, just pick the main leaders, get them under control and the rest will follow. Well, I tried, I really did. Different kids just emerged as new pain-in-the-ass leaders. I tried to engage the really misbehaving kids in positive ways by giving them responsibility - like handing out sheets and stuff. They did it, and the resumed messing around.

So what do I do now? Endure the week until I get a new class next week? I guess so.

One nice thing was one lovely Korean teacher came up to me in the staffroom and told me that the girl I had sent out of class was in her home-room, and that the girl was always misbehaved, never studied, and was hard to deal with. She was trying to tell me it wasn't just me, and wasn't my fault. It was so, so nice of her to do that. and, honestly, a bit heartening.

Anyway, I ended up going to dinner with Jen, Courtney and Nayasha last night, which was great. I was a very nice end to a crap-tastic day :) Jen, Nayasha, and I are planning a trip to Busan this weekend, so we can go this kind of beach party thing for New Years. Yeah, in the middle of winter on the beach, but whatever :) And speaking of winter, I have taken to wearing two pairs of pants - it really works. As long as you have one pair of pants big enough to fit over the other. I'm considering buying some of the awesomely hideous snowflake and reindeer kintted leggings to wear underneath :)

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And to end on a good note: A big package from Brook was waiting outside my door when I got home! With a box of the best Chocolate in the World inside! Awesome!!