motivated students - Teachers discussion

I've taught grade school, middle school and young adults in China. Seems to me the ration of motivated vs. not-so-motivated students is about the same as anywhere. There will always be a portion of students, at any age--any where--that won't be clinging to our every word. Sorry for the breaking news, but sometimes we ain't real interesting.
The other problem is that if a corporate class is paying for their management level employees, they may not be as motivated to excel as if they were paying for it out of their own pocket. Surprise! Like when dear old dad paid for the 1st year of college for me, and I got B's and C's. But as soon as I started paying for it myself, they went to A's and B's. That's pretty common.
Don't worry too much about "connecting" with each and every student. It just won't happen.

There's Hope Yet! - Teachers discussion

> No, ESL isn't even close to what I thought it would be. Instead of
> helping young people have access to better lives, I'm helping greedy
> school owners get more tuition money and helping bored teens and
> young adults kill some time between now and graduation.

I couldn't have put it better Rheno. You and me both!

When people ask me if I enjoy teaching ESL I often tell them that I love it and hate it! I HATE it if I teach in classes where most of the students are not interested in studying, don't want to listen and feel that the FT's class is just a fun, free lesson. It's at times like that, that I wonder what the hell I'm doing here, and think that perhaps it's time to go home. On the other hand, if I have a class full of students who are keen to study, who listen, are respectful and try to learn, then I truly LOVE teaching and don't want to do anything else.

From reading your posts I'm sure you feel the same way Rheno. I still believe that if we find the right schools we can successfully and happily teach in Asia. I know it's possible in China.

If somebody sent you into an arena to fight another guy with no freedom to choose your own tactics or weapons (while he had total freedom), you wouldn't get too far. On the other hand if you had total freedom in your choice of tactics or weapons you would be much more likely to succeed! So it is with the ESL classroom. In many schools being asked to teach a rigid set curriculum with no freedom to do your own thing can often limit your chance of success.

Don't give up yet, Rheno. There are schools in China where you will find leaders who really want the students to learn, and I'm pretty sure there must be such schools in Thailand. We just have to put in that extra research, including contacting FTs who have worked at these schools before, and hope for the best.

Believe me, from my experience, having the freedom to develop my own curriculum has helped me to succeed where I probably would have failed. In the end it's about finding the right school in which you can get a real opportunity to teach. They ARE here in Asia. It's just a case of finding them.

You're not the Only One - Teachers discussion

Hi Rheno

You're certainly not the only one in Asia who sees it. I can see from my experience where you're coming from. In virtually all the schools I've taught in in China, the only thing the leaders are concerned about is if the students like you, and you keep them happy and entertained. They don't seem to care if the students actually learn anything. You don't really need to be able to teach to be successful here, but just be able to entertain. How I see it (although I certainly don't agree with it), business comes before education here. It seems to be a Pan-Asian thing!

I don't think it's the fault of the FTs (foreign teachers) though. I feel entertainer teachers are a SYMPTOM of the environment we teach in. The CAUSE of the problem starts higher up with the managers and owners of the schools. Many of them couldn't care less what goes into the student's heads. They are only concerned with what comes out of their pockets, and the more the better. It's the mindset of the owners and managers of the schools that are the major problem. Only when they realize that the best way to have a successful business is to work on creating a good product, will we see some change for the better in the students. I don't blame some of the FTs for going along with this charade. They would probably rather have a quiet, trouble free life rather than be banging their heads against a brick wall. Why try to fight a system you can't change? I honestly see their point, although I don't agree with it.

Rheno, Get out of there, and find a school where you will be given more freedom in the classroom. One thing I have found good and enjoyable is the fact that in most schools in China, I've had virtually total freedom in the classroom. I've always been given textbooks, but also the option of using my own curriculum if I want to. The textbooks have only been issued as back up or to give ideas. If you can't find schools like that in Thailand, hop over here to China and get a job at a public school. You'll find that the freedom will help you to deal with the symptoms of a bad system, much better.

I'm fortunate at my college, because the leaders here actually want us to encourage the students to be autonomous. They also insist on students attending every class, and being punctual. They require us to set regular homework, and useful valid exam assignments that will encourage students to use their initiative and learn practical skills that will help them in the future. That kind of thinking is unusual in China though, so I count myself lucky to be teaching here.

During my time in China I've learnt to be realistic. I realize that most schools only care about money, that education often takes a back seat, and that many children are lazily pushed through the system without learning how to apply themselves or gain any practical knowledge. Remember even most adults don't really like to study. Who does? It's human nature to always look for the short cut. We all want to better ourselves. If I could find a quick legal way to get a masters degree I would take it. How many people can honestly say that they loved to study at school, were always studious and never slacked off? I know I can't! I personally expect and almost DEMAND 100% effort from my students. I hate it if students slack off, yet I know that NOBODY will study anything if they can't see any benefit! I certainly wouldn't.

I try to reason with students. With college/ university students it's a bit easier. I get them to think about their futures and the benefits of actually learning something, and to not just think about passing exams and getting degrees. I also used a class grading system last semester where the whole class would lose marks if students didn't attend, were late, behaved badly or didn't participate. I told every class at the beginning of the semester that the class with the highest marks would win a prize. This meant any student slacking would be subject to pressure from their peers. I had an excellent response from every class last semester. My grading system may not necessarily have been the reason. They may just be responsible (not rich) students who want to make the most of their education, but I thought it would be good to have that system in place at least for back up.

I think there's no harm in trying to make my classes as interesting, challenging, and as stimulating as I can. Also there's no harm in using humour, being friendly and putting a bit of your personality into the class. I think trying to put some life into the subject is helpful too. Even politicians realize the short attention spans people have these days and pepper their speeches with humor. They even use humor during summit meetings where important decisions that affect the lives of many people are made. If they can use humor in those circumstances... In an ideal world we could probably just teach, but this is not an ideal world, and Asia is by far not an ideal place to teach ESL. We need to be realistic, and to be aware of the environment we're in. I believe in really teaching the students, and expect them to regularly attend on time, fully participate, behave well and try their best to learn something in EVERY lesson. I will use nearly "ANY means necessary? (Malcolm X) to get them to do this, usually using the carrot method. At the same time though I try to understand if some of them slack off a bit sometimes. It's human to do so!

Some teachers may disagree with using award systems to motivate students, saying that students need to be trained to study in other ways, but as I said before, in an ideal world... If it gets students to reach our fundamental aim of learning adequately, then I believe the end justifies the means. I think the key is getting them to think about the benefits of really studying and learning, and in us FTs finding schools that will at least give us enough freedom in the classroom to obtain some real results. I don't think there is much else we can do!

Rheno, it's always good to read your posts and hear from a teacher who really wants his students to learn and prosper. I find your posts stimulating. Keep posting. Get out of there man, and find a school that gives you more freedom in the classroom. You will find it will help you to deal with the symptoms of an often bad system a lot better! All the best!

Ying