Budda
- 2004-05-12
I know they are tired. I should have reported back earlier with the news. I got Pepsi (not coffee) for the two boys and they liked that but it had little positive effect. I have watched them a few more weeks and concluded that the smaller one is just not as intelligent as the other children. His attention span is really short. I just accept that and seat him at the front (He is a sweet kid.). The other big boy is weak in English (He has disadvantaged himself) and clearly lazy. He always dives for the seat at the back and likes to show off. His grandmother phoned the school and asked that he not be punished when he disrupts the class. Granny must have had a talk with him because this past week he was an angel!
About Ritalin. This drug acts as a depressant in ADD children, just the opposite to other kids. Some children in North America are so easily distracted that they sit at their desk inside cardboard walls and see only the teacher, screened from other children. This is done with parent approval.
Both mint candy and coffee can sharpen attention in class, especially at the university level.
Michael Joseph Beauchot
- 2004-05-11
I agree that Mister coffee's comment was NOT helpful. I don't think it is a good idea to use any artificial stimulant however - and certainly not to recommend it.
Asian children often have enormous workloads and horrendously long school days- ten or more hours is not uncommon. I am only surprised that more children don't fall asleep
Suzanne Contreras
- 2004-04-25
Please be careful about advising anyone to use coffee or anything with caffeine--especially kids beacause the effect of stimulation of the nervous system is much much greater in kids than in adults. In other words, one cup for an adult might affect a kid more like four cups. This is not a quote from a science book, its just information I have learned and am condensing and simplefying it for breifness but it is one of the things that has been contraversial for years about the benefit or harm of giving kids who cannot concentrate coffee to help them settle down. In any case, please be careful about advising it!
Budda
- 2004-04-17
Ok I will try the friendly approach. Am at this school for just 2 hours once a week so I don't have much time there and students arrive just before class.
I was thinking of giving them cola too as it has caffeine.
Chunping Alex Wu
- 2004-04-16
: I have a boy in one class, a real day dreamer even while he stands
: right next to me. I don't know where he goes in this mind but he
: is not listening to the English lesson or discussion. Another
: just seems to go into sleep mode, with his eyes open. I don't
: know what to do here. In university classes I suggested students
: drink strong coffee before class. Will this work with 12 year
: olds?
This kind of children or students are pretty common the world over. I would try befriend with them first after class, to find out their favorite sports, homeplace, cities they were from or habbies, etc. From there, while in class, give example sentences related to those info from time to time by using the words covered in class. I found when they heard my mentioning about those related sentences, their attention would be on my contents right away. At that time, don't look at them, so as not to let them know that you have found their weak spots.
Budda.
- 2004-04-15
Mr. Coffee I asked for help. Read my post again. I was asking for suggestions to deal with TWO students, one consistantly a "day dreamer" the other in "sleep mode". I was asking if anybody has used the coffee treatment. I see these boys weekly in a group class and it is the same problem each week. Anyway, I am going to try coffee, if they will drink it,and will report back.
In North America there is a lot of debate among teachers about using the drug ritalin to help concentration in ADD students. These two boys are not huperactive, but just the opposite.
Mr. Coffee
- 2004-04-14
If students are so bored they're falling asleep in class, it's possible the problem doesn't lie with the students...
I have a boy in one class, a real day dreamer even while he stands right next to me. I don't know where he goes in this mind but he is not listening to the English lesson or discussion. Another just seems to go into sleep mode, with his eyes open. I don't know what to do here. In university classes I suggested students drink strong coffee before class. Will this work with 12 year olds?