Fee Fastest TESOL

Discipline in the ClassroomI was being lead down a second floor corridor by the school principal, a person whom I’d just met and who was rambling along in a language I could barely understand when suddenly a door to my right was flung open. A teacher appeared violently yelling at an eight-year-old student she had by the scruff of the neck. I watched helplessly as the child was thrown against the opposite wall and slid down to the floor. I was in shock. I was definitely not in the united states anymore. In all my years I had never seen a teacher even physically touch a student. And as the principal lead me through the open classroom door I realized that this was my classroom and my reality for the next nine months. Every country around the world uses different methods when dealing with discipline in the classroom. Several countries even use corporal punishment in the classroom today, including South Korea, the Middle East, several african and Southeast Asia countries (even in progressive countries like Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the united states corporal punishment wasn’t banned until the late 20th century). As a TEFL teacher it is always necessary to know your rights as a teacher in the classroom and what types of discipline are allowed, encouraged and prohibited within the school at which you are teaching. It is also important to consider which types of discipline you are comfortable with carrying out, especially if you are a TEFL teaching in a country that engages in corporal punishment. And always remember an important part of discipline in the classroom is to prevent problem behavior before it starts. A TEFL teacher can prevent problem behavior before it starts by building up a strong rapport with the students they will be teaching. Ways to establish rapport within the classroom include: being punctual, being prepared, not losing you temper or make threats that you aren’t prepared to carry out, make your lessons interesting and varied, show that you are enthusiastic about your teaching and most importantly show your students the same respect as you expect to receive from them. Knowing your rights as a teacher within a classroom is very important. For example: In the united states a teacher can be held liable for any injury that is inflicted upon a student, even if the teacher is simply trying to break up a fight in order to protect another student. Many teachers have been sued and fired over that same situation. If a fight breaks out in the classroom it is often necessary for the teacher to seek an ‘administrator’ to end the violence. While teaching in france I stumbled upon this very same situation. Two eight-year-old boys had just returned from recess and begun throwing punches at each other in the classroom. I had to make a split second decision to jump in and separate the children or flag down another teacher to deal with it. I quickly jumped between the two students grasping each by the shoulder and separated them using my body as a barrier between the two. Thankfully from my first day’s experience in that school I’d learned it was okay to jump in during those circumstances, but in other countries I might have been putting myself between a rock and a lawsuit. On your first day at a new school it is always wise to question the other teachers about how they respond to disruptive students, what methods they use for discipline and any suggestions they can give you about ‘what if’ and ‘worse case scenario’ situations. Make sure to read through the school’s disciplinary code as well. Although around the world there are many types of discipline allowed from detentions to corporal punishment, it is up to the teacher to decide the appropriate form of punishment. Keep in mind that when responding to problem behavior it is important to act immediately (don’t wait for the problem to worsen) this can be as simple as stopping and giving the student ‘the eye’ or actually having to remove the disruptive student from the class. When addressing the disruptive student make sure to focus on their behavior (not the student) and keep calm. If you need to discuss the issue further talk to the student after class or take them out into the hallway.