Becoming a Task Master

One thing I've noticed through my one month of teaching here is that you really have to become a task master in order to get the job done. I was trained to be a fun loving teacher, but I don't think that really matches with the Taiwanese ideal of what a teacher should be. I think in Taiwan they prefer serious teachers who harshly discipline the children, and drill the English into them.

I remember talking to a girl working in Korea, who told be that the talkative student who she considered her best student, was viewed by other Korean teachers as their worst student. The Asian idea of a good student is one who sits their quietly and gets all their work done.

When I first began working here I had the mistaken idea that it would be great to be more of a friend to the students that a teacher. But know I've come to realise that if I want them to shut up and do their work that isn't really possible. Now my priorities are making them all sit down, behave, do their work, and if they actually like me that's just extra.

I've had to really crack down in my Treehouse class. If you work for Hess most people will say that the Treehouse classes are crazy. I've gotten a lot tougher with the classroom management. Before I would just take away stars if they misbehaved, but now I've also started writing their names of the board and making them stay in for an extra 10 minutes after class. If they don't finish their classwork they also have to remain after class until it's finished. Some other techniques that I've heard of include giving them extra homework, but I think I would forget about this one. Another teacher at my branch also had the idea of making them write a letter home to their parents, saying how bad they were in class. Being meaner has worked though, it make my job a lot easier when they misbehave less.

But I really feel like I've become a task master. I really don't like the idea of it, but it's my job and there isn't really anything that I can do about it. I've never been a fan of cram school system, and I believe that it's too much stress on the children, and they should really be outside running around. Sometimes I look at certain students and I think You clearly shouldn't be here, you would be a lot happier if your parents stopped making you come. But I can't tell the parents to quit sending their child, because the parents pay the school and the school pays me. Hess also offers cash incentives if 90% of students return the following semester.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my job, it's probably the most entertaining one that I've had for a while, I just wish people would consider the mental health of their children.