yeah little R pissed me off the other day. first i asked him to move his chair up into our circle. he says “no i don’t want to”. i try to nicely encourage him. no use. my CT tells him to move, so he moves. then little R and his buddy keep coloring when we’re suppsed to be reading “two little black birds”. i asked him to stop. he doesn’t.so i let it slide. when we get to the part that says “one named jack and one named jill” he corrects me and says i’m pronouncing it wrong. it should be “dree ul”. i said jill. he said “wrong it’s ‘dree ul.’”. the other teacher (local) said it dree ul. i said no, shrugged, and and went on reading with them.
that’s when i saw it. the fist fuck sign. you know, the one with one hand on the crook of your arm. the ram it up your ass sign. not one time, but over and over, with an evil “fuck you” look.
i realize it wasn’t meant for me to see, but the intent just pissed me off. i said OUT. he said “i didn’t use the finger.” OUT.
don’t know if i did the right thing by local standards. probably not. he’s not coming back in my room til i get an apology. i told my CT. what would you have done?
You did the right thing. He’s lucky you’re not allowed to give him a fat lip.
I would have read How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.
There’s also a version specially for teachers. I used the info in them to amazing effect.
You can buy them at Caves or on Amazon.com.
Good luck.
Sean
I thought Little Richard left school decades ago and started playing the piano and singing anyway.
that sounds like a good book, Stray.
R must be from a well to do family. that’s the impression he gives me. he and his little sister think theirs smells better than other people’s. they brag all day about their family.R even told me his dad could kill me because he has a black belt in tae kwon doo doo. i’m shakin.
If little R gives you the finger, just grab that finger and do this:
au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/akibon … pg&.src=ph
I guarantee you…no more problems.
yeah i wonder how far a ten year old kid would fly with “yubi waza”.^^
i saw my junior high science teacher body slam a kid onto some desks one time. i think he had pulled a screwdriver or something.i gained a new respect for that teacher that day. he was one of the boys.
I would have sat him down and proceeded to show the class how to do it the right way and explain that when you do it you are not suppossed to be a little punk about it and do it while the intented target is not looking like the norm here, but instead make sure the target sees it cleary and then spend the rest of the class teaching additional phrases that can go along with the motion and use him and his sister as examples:
Your dad is a biatch, Everyone repeat: “little R’s dad is a biatch” Not beech, not bitch, but biatch.
And your mom is a HO… Repeat: “little R’s mom is a ho” not whore, not who, but HO.
Sorry just extremely bored.
yeah, that’s a good idea. let him eat it. give it to him til he throws it up and sees how bad it is.
[quote=“rantheman”]
don’t know if I did the right thing by local standards. probably not. [/quote]
What do you mean probably? Nothing a foreigner does is the right thing by local standards. By my standards, however, you did the right thing and I would have done the same; indeed, I have tossed students out of my class for much less.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk sounds like a good books. It would be ideal for this kind of situation not to arise at all, but if it does I see no reason to bend over and take it.
How to Talk So Kids Can Learn by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. Both of their books are useful for this situation, but if you want to know how to get down to their level without sinking, I highly recommend Esme Raji Codell’s Educating Esme.
WWED (What would Esme Do?), according to Esme in her novel Sahara Special: correct the student’s bird flipping by demonstration. Tell him do it properly 10 times because after the 10th time, you will never see it in your classroom again.
Don’t show shock. Don’t show anger. That’s the reaction they want to see in you. Be bored and be a know-it-all. The two things kids really hate, especially because they are the two things that reflect the message he was trying to convey with his hand gesture.
Same here. Ran, I applaud your patience and restraint. 
my CT told me, “oh well i’m sure he didn’t mean for you to see it”. that pretty much sums up Taiwanese Moral Training 101.
Lord, not again.
Have to agree, there. It’s rather like when locals are talking about you --often in not so flattering terms-- and you confront them on it. “Oh, we didn’t think you understood what we said.” :loco:
Seriously, I think it’s important to be sincere with kids. If something they did is offensive, I believe in correcting the behaviour and letting them know they’ve pissed you off. After all, I believe most kids are decent and want to please you. I might start by asking the kid if he knows what that gesture’s Chinese equivalent is. If he claims not to know, I might just tell him. Then I’d walk uncomfortably close to him and ask him if he dares to say that to me in Chinese. Guaranteed, he won’t say a word. I’d then inform the whole class of the seriousness of the insult and likely consequences should they use it on the street. There would be consequences in the classroom as well. I’d force the kid to stand, knees slightly bent, holding his arms straight out in front of him for a period of time. The rest of the class would then continue the lesson. If he drops his arms or otherwise fails to “stand well,” I’ll add time to his punishment. His arms may start to feel little uncomfortable after a while. That may sound a little mean, but the punishment fits the crime, IMO. Most of the time, I’m the big softy who gives piggy back rides. My kids get away with a heck of a lot from me, but they learn that I’m not always a push over, especially where insults and swearing are concerned.
Have to agree, there. It’s rather like when locals are talking about you --often in not so flatterin terms-- and you confront them on it. “Oh, we didn’t think you understood what we said.” :loco:
Seriously, I think it’s important to be sincere with kids. If something they did is offensive, I believe in correcting the behaviour and letting them know they’ve pissed you off. After all, I believe most kids are decent and want to please you. I might start by asking the kid if he knows what that gesture’s Chinese equivalent is. If he claims not to know, I might just tell him. [/quote]
Nice, but IMO THEY know. It’s almost in the unwritten rule book on TW culture for foriegners to know NOT to give the bird to the TW,so why do some kids think they can do it to us? Seems like Papa is giving certain messages to his kid about how to behave toward foriegners.Nice:roll:
Problem is, I’ve encounted this also, is that they know your words don’t have the same weight as the CT or the boss’s if you were to tell the parents. I had a situation last semester where the boys just kept towing the line, so finally I made them write out 100x “i will not talk back to the teacher” in english and in chinese, and have their parents sign it. One tried to forge his, but I sent it right back with the threat that we could go to the principal’s office. I saw an about face thereafter.
i agree that kids are not essentially bad. they want to please somebody. somewhere i made R not want to please me.i should figure out why in a way.
on the other hand, the “me centeredness” in the world today is wierd. like i have to bend over to find out why R doesn’t like me.
R doesn’t like me because i tell him to do stuff he doesn’t want to do, like actually participate in the class, not read louder and faster than teacher, and generally, lose his status as the “li hai kid” in the class. what’s that saying about an empty cup? this kid is full of himself. i have never seen two kids as convinced they shit gold as these two do. they talk to me like i’m their foriegn nanny or something. like i’m gonna make their beds for them or they’ll tell daddy and have me shipped back.
I agree that most often kids know something about the meaning of the gesture, but not always. Out where I work, kids are not so English and foreigner savy as Taipei, so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt-- sometimes. Anyway, a panicked denial, a piesay and a few “bai chi” and “bai mu” catcalls from classmates (who can be surprisingly protective of their teacher) sometimes negate the necessity for further punishment.
[quote=“rantheman”]I agree that kids are not essentially bad. they want to please somebody. somewhere I made R not want to please me.I should figure out why in a way.
on the other hand, the “me centeredness” in the world today is wierd. like I have to bend over to find out why R doesn’t like me.
R doesn’t like me because i tell him to do stuff he doesn’t want to do, like actually participate in the class, not read louder and faster than teacher, and generally, lose his status as the “li hai kid” in the class. what’s that saying about an empty cup? this kid is full of himself. I have never seen two kids as convinced they shit gold as these two do. they talk to me like I’m their foreign nanny or something. like I’m gonna make their beds for them or they’ll tell daddy and have me shipped back.[/quote]
You’ve gotta get that book. Read it and you’ll understand what I mean. 
book is definitely on my list.