It is my 3rd month as a cram school teacher but, everyday, all i think is quitting. Going for a year over this job is impossible. I have 3 years of classroom teaching in my home country on which i really enjoyed but, here in Taiwan is a nightmare… (btw, im not from the US)
Question:
How can you maintain classroom management without being hated by the students?
How to establish rapport to students?
Does students’ approval on my teaching performance matter for cramschool admin evaluation?
Your responses will be helpful for clueless, newbie teachers like me. Thank you.
I understand this sentiment because teaching in the actual school vs. cram school is different. I’m now into my 7th year teaching in public schools, but I still feel the jitters when I enter the classroom for a cram school. (If OP was a public school teacher before)
Most of the time, kids don’t want to be in the cram school as they are forced to be in there.
I’m sure others can adapt differently. It took me a while…
As I said above, I think cram school can be very tough on some teachers.
You have to create your own style of management where it involves reward and a mixture of fun, even to the older kids. I highly respect competent cram school teachers because you have to be very active and creative to keep the students interested.
You should stay consistent with who you are, and how you manage your class. Don’t change your method or personality drastically just because things didn’t work out right there. It’ll take time, but once kids see how you approach things (albeit it should be effective enough) they will understand you better.
Cram school admins are usually null when it comes to what is being taught in the class. They only care (well, at least most of them. Some are wonderful) about how many kids are enrolled and tuition is being paid in full each term. If kids leave, it’s your fault…and this is why I’m not thrilled to work in the cram school. I’d focus on if kids are enjoying the class, and to make sure that they are learning, even a little.
Cram school students hate you unless you are a “fun” teacher - ie. someone who doesn’t make them do actual work but instead plays games the entire class. So just focus on rewarding the students who behave and punishing the students who don’t. The students with bad behavior will hate you but that’s life. Parents still force them to be there and keep paying tuition so it doesn’t really matter in the end to the business.
Cram school culture is toxic and I dread going to work every day. My contract ends in a few months and I’m going back to the US. Good luck! I hope it gets better for you or you can land a job in a real school instead of a sticky ball nightmare.
They’ve been in school since 7.20am. They are very tired and extremely bored. They are also full of energy because they don’t get enough opportunities to play sport or exercise. They’ve been sitting in a small chair all day listening, or pretending to listen, to teachers.
I’d add that oftentimes they are also hungry. I used to take a couple of bags of Doritos or shrimp chips, changing them up every other week, as a goal for the last half hour review game. 2 bags, 2 teams; winner picks which ones they wanted. 50 bucks was worth spending on my part.
It could be that you’re just stuck in a shitty school. However, developing classroom management skills is an art form (in my opinion). You really have to experiment with what works. Another thing to remember is that what works with one group, may not work with another. So, therefor you need to be able to adapt.
Humor is a big tool that I use with my students. It really works for me. But, if you don’t have the tools, then you might have a hard time with it.
As a few others have mentioned, cramschools are there to make money. Happy parents is the #1 goal. That said, a good school will recognize that difficult students may, in the long run, cost them money. Bad, schools will just ignore everything and keep on milking them for every penny they have and as long as possible regardless of the long term effects on their teachers, other students, and future income. This seems to be a very common problem for many Taiwanese business people.
Talk to your manager about problems you’re having in class. When I did it, they came up with solutions. The owner even told me to contact him anytime there were problems with students. I was lucky there. Try different things.
When does your contract end? If it’s at the end of the summer, then just put up with the bullshit and start looking now. Lots of schools are hiring and getting quite desperate. If worse comes to worse, find another place and quit. Or, even tell your manager/boss that if they don’t help you resolve these problems, you’re going to quit.
The director told me to approach if there is any problem with the students, and i did once. But, i dont want to it often, as it may be a sign of my inefficiency as a teacher. And he has a lot of things to do in the school, from cleaning to fetching kids. He has so much on his back.
I dont have a contract, but he already arranged my schedule to teach for a month-long summer camp. He said he has confidence on me, but i really doubt if this job is really for me.
As for humor, im trying to be incorporate it now. It is hard though haha but im trying. Thanks for your response.
I had observed an experienced teacher for 6 times. What she did was yelling a lot to students. If i were to do that, i wont last for a month. But i learned how to put games in the class
