Classroom dramas >.
Had the most horrible and disastrous time teaching keyboard to my 7 students today!!! ='(
You know, ever since I've started teaching keyboard on my own, I've really come to admire the teachers who can keep 30 kids under perfect control for the entire time they're in the classroom. How do they do it???!!! Hmm, I've come to suspect that to be a good teacher you have to have a certain degree of intolerance - something I currently lack (in the field of child-superviwion anyway) and am slowly learning to gain?? hahaha..... and I'm not sure it's a good thing T___T
Yes, you read it right, I did write intolerance and not tolerance. The reason for that is because I find that I tend to be too patient/lenient with naughty/hyperactive/easily distracted kids, and after a while of being nice ... they tend to take advantage of you, i.e., despite repeatedly saying: "Keyboards off!" and "Back to your seats please!", they'll persist with making noises on the keyboard while you're teaching something new, or running around provoking their classmates by fiddling with their keyboard and not their own. And this is on a good day.
It's very sad.
So, yes, I need to learn to be more firm!!! I need to learn to look more dark and ominous when issuing threats!!! And ARRRRGGHHH, I definitely need to have more resolve and follow through with my pathetic ultimatims: "Right! do this or I'll sit you in a corner for the rest of the lesson!" But sometime's it's so hard, especially when the cheeky kid you've issued a last warning to, turns to you all contrite and says: "Aww Miss, one more chance, pleeeease! I promise I'll be good!"
Ugh. I'm so bulliable >.< I feel so sorry for myself....
But, yes. I need to find that balance between being overly strict and not being firm enough. *Sigh* In these situations, you really can't afford to not find it, because not having enough control in a classroom can be very dangerous. You DO NOT EVER EVER EVER want kids not listening to you when they're climbing on low ladders, jumping off chairs and tables and generally running wild. *sob*
Anyway, after my sad sad day in the classroom, I rang my employer today to propose my plan of action disaster prevention for next week T___________T and asked if she had any additional tricks up her sleeve to keep both halves of my rather disparate class happy. (I tend to think of my Tuesday class that way since I'm in a weird and difficult situation where one half of the class is at a more advanced level on the rest, so the more advanced class tends to get really bored and distracted and starts mucking around when I'm spending time helping the others catch up ='( and in case you're wondering, yes, this was the main reason for my disastrous time in the classroom today). Happily, my employer was able to suggest some clever tips and tricks. Hopefully, they work when I try them out next week... *sobs*
In case I forget, this is for my own reference, so whoever's reading can stop reading now if you haven't already:
1. Announce straight off:
Because we have 2 groups at such different levels, this is what we're going to do for the next few weeks. I'm going to sit all of you in two different groups. While I'm teaching the first group the second group can practice their songs. If you don't want to practice, that's ok, you can muck around with the different sounds and play songs from the songbank, but no getting out of your seats and no reading books. When I finish with one group, I'll come teach the other group, so ;lease stay at your keyboards until I come to you. If you need me you can call out, but please stay in your seats.
2. Sit my 2 disparate halves at 2 different tables. Start with advanced group.
- Revision of how to read music in bass clef.
- Work out notes for song (LH - bass clef) before playing. Practice song so I can listen to it next week/today if time permitting.
- Experiment with sounds on keyboard. Choose favourite and play song in that sound
- Also, can go through songbank and choose favourite song, and play for me when I come round.
3. Beginners - Intermediate
- Revise keyboard alphabet, find notes
- try to get them to play the songs that have the note letters written on the notes
- retry teaching how to read music in bass clef
You know, ever since I've started teaching keyboard on my own, I've really come to admire the teachers who can keep 30 kids under perfect control for the entire time they're in the classroom. How do they do it???!!! Hmm, I've come to suspect that to be a good teacher you have to have a certain degree of intolerance - something I currently lack (in the field of child-superviwion anyway) and am slowly learning to gain?? hahaha..... and I'm not sure it's a good thing T___T
Yes, you read it right, I did write intolerance and not tolerance. The reason for that is because I find that I tend to be too patient/lenient with naughty/hyperactive/easily distracted kids, and after a while of being nice ... they tend to take advantage of you, i.e., despite repeatedly saying: "Keyboards off!" and "Back to your seats please!", they'll persist with making noises on the keyboard while you're teaching something new, or running around provoking their classmates by fiddling with their keyboard and not their own. And this is on a good day.
It's very sad.
So, yes, I need to learn to be more firm!!! I need to learn to look more dark and ominous when issuing threats!!! And ARRRRGGHHH, I definitely need to have more resolve and follow through with my pathetic ultimatims: "Right! do this or I'll sit you in a corner for the rest of the lesson!" But sometime's it's so hard, especially when the cheeky kid you've issued a last warning to, turns to you all contrite and says: "Aww Miss, one more chance, pleeeease! I promise I'll be good!"
Ugh. I'm so bulliable >.< I feel so sorry for myself....
But, yes. I need to find that balance between being overly strict and not being firm enough. *Sigh* In these situations, you really can't afford to not find it, because not having enough control in a classroom can be very dangerous. You DO NOT EVER EVER EVER want kids not listening to you when they're climbing on low ladders, jumping off chairs and tables and generally running wild. *sob*
Anyway, after my sad sad day in the classroom, I rang my employer today to propose my plan of action disaster prevention for next week T___________T and asked if she had any additional tricks up her sleeve to keep both halves of my rather disparate class happy. (I tend to think of my Tuesday class that way since I'm in a weird and difficult situation where one half of the class is at a more advanced level on the rest, so the more advanced class tends to get really bored and distracted and starts mucking around when I'm spending time helping the others catch up ='( and in case you're wondering, yes, this was the main reason for my disastrous time in the classroom today). Happily, my employer was able to suggest some clever tips and tricks. Hopefully, they work when I try them out next week... *sobs*
In case I forget, this is for my own reference, so whoever's reading can stop reading now if you haven't already:
1. Announce straight off:
Because we have 2 groups at such different levels, this is what we're going to do for the next few weeks. I'm going to sit all of you in two different groups. While I'm teaching the first group the second group can practice their songs. If you don't want to practice, that's ok, you can muck around with the different sounds and play songs from the songbank, but no getting out of your seats and no reading books. When I finish with one group, I'll come teach the other group, so ;lease stay at your keyboards until I come to you. If you need me you can call out, but please stay in your seats.
2. Sit my 2 disparate halves at 2 different tables. Start with advanced group.
- Revision of how to read music in bass clef.
- Work out notes for song (LH - bass clef) before playing. Practice song so I can listen to it next week/today if time permitting.
- Experiment with sounds on keyboard. Choose favourite and play song in that sound
- Also, can go through songbank and choose favourite song, and play for me when I come round.
3. Beginners - Intermediate
- Revise keyboard alphabet, find notes
- try to get them to play the songs that have the note letters written on the notes
- retry teaching how to read music in bass clef