Teaching Teenagers Again

It has been a long time since I have taught teenagers during the actual school day. When I do it here in Trieste, it is normally a one-shot thing and I come in and leave like a rock star. Teaching every day in a school where kids are required to go and you are their TEACHER, is a completely different beast. I had forgotten about how many of them  come in and sit down all slumped over like they just woke up 5 minutes ago, or, worse, they are still sleeping. It doesn't matter what hour you have them, by the way.

Some glare at you in a daze but suddenly become animated the moment you start teaching. The problem is that this burst of energy has nothing to do with you. It is to begin a cross-room dialogue with another zombie who has just awoken from the dead.

At these moments, here is what goes through my mind.

1. What am I doing here?
2. Why don't they know how cool I am?
3. Can't they understand how lucky they are to have me?
4. Why can't I be famous (and somewhere else)?
5. Who are their parents?
6. Are those locks on the windows to keep them from throwing stuff or me from pushing them out?

But you can't lose your top. You have to just sit and wait. Like a dog you are trying to train when you give the command. Don't repeat, don't get angry. Wait. No rewards until that hinder is on the pavement.

However, it is as if my NOT speaking is just PERMISSION for them to apply makeup, fill up the silence by talking to friends, or throw small objects at each other (small, plastic, round, are the characteristics of choice).

It makes you think about what makes a person successful. I realize it is not brains. There are plenty of them in this classroom. Lots of smart kids. But that is not enough.

Knowing where you are. So that is my mantra. When things get out of hand, I just ask them.

WHERE ARE WE?

and they are trained to answer.

WE ARE AT SCHOOL.

and then I continue.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

They answer, because it is automatic at this point.

WE ARE LEARNING ENGLISH.

It is a double whammy. One, it gets them back on track (for a few minutes). Two. If nothing else, they will know one sentence in the present simple and one sentance in the present continuous, and that is pretty good.