I blogged the other day, about how I reward my students who make an extra effort in class. The students who do small things that make them stand out from the rest. This can be a number of things but a few students have been turning their workbooks into colouring books.
Some students have been going beyond anything I expected; these are students in primary 5 or 11 years of age. I didn’t know kids were still into colouring at this age.
When you open a student’s workbook to mark and are met with such a vibrant sight, it does brighten the task of marking.
I want the students to hand in neat work, work that is comprehensible. I am very stern with students who hand in work that is unintelligible. The students who used to hand in work like this now understand that they have to redo the work again and again until it is up to a suitable standard.
Some students have surprised me with their effort they are making. Already in a short time, we have only been back at school 4 weeks some students have made leaps and bounds in work effort and quality.
Most the students are after this very boring looking stamp. It is a stamp of a cross and I put the date on it and then initial it. When a student has accumulated 20, they are able to select a reward. The rewards are books, sketch books, colouring pencils, crayons, erasers, pens and pencils and so forth. For the small amount of money I outlay for rewards it is well worth seeing the results of the student’s work.
Brunty
3 comments:
Brunty, thanks for the glimpse into a teacher's life. your students are really coming along by the looks of it. good work my friend.
Brunty, those are impressive workbooks. Your report stands in contrast to the numerous comments from farangs who scoff at the Thai educational system, implying the kids are, uh, not well equipped to absorb lessons. Well, this says they show early promise, at least.
BTW, you sure are tough ;-) Do you actually come right out and tell parents little Lek or Somchai is doing badly? If so, I would have thought that was a little hard in terms of "face."
Chok dee!
-rick
MJ, they are doing well. I am more than happy with 90% of them and the effort they are making.
Rick, I am very straight forward, to the point but very politely. I tell parents the facts no matter how hard this could be for them. Telling a parent and even showing them the problem that exists usually has them thanking you for making an effort and showing you care about the child’s education.
I always put test scores in the main office window and Thai teachers were worried about this as other students would see who failed.
This was the point to try and make the students work harder to not be embarrassed by being lazy.
I try to always offer parents I am talking to a solution that will help their child improve. It is never an ear bashing situation, more of “an ask for help” from them.
I used to be one of those farangs, and I am not shy to admit this Rick. I was not a good teacher when I first started. Over years of experience and also understanding the Thai system (well trying too) has definitely changed my outlook on all that has to do with the Thai education system.
So many of us teachers think we are perfect and all the students are bad and wrong but really it isn’t so. It is amazing how changing approaches in class and the way you conduct yourself can change a class you think is terrible.
Just a small insight.
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