we declare Your Perfection above and beyond all: we have no knowledge whatsoever except what You have taught us. No doubt it is You, and You alone that is all Knowledgeable and all Wise. (al-Baqarah, 32)

Monday, April 27, 2009

St. Anger

If my 8 months experience of teaching had taught me something, its that classroom is a battlefield, anger is the weapon, and victory and respect are earned through fear.

Now, I do not get angry easily. Perhaps even unhealthily so. I’m just not the type to shout at people. Heck, I can’t even talk smack properly. Being at school, my patience had been tested to its very limits time and again. If I were to have a limit break gauge, I’d say it’s been filled up more times this year than the last 22 years combined!

A few weeks ago the worst I could do was just vent my anger through verbal means. Last week, I smacked a in the back kid for fooling around in class and today, I pulled a kid’s ear for not listening to me in class, pretty hard too. Lately, I’ve been getting angry pretty more and more often, and I started to realize; you get angry one too many times and anger becomes you.

I hate getting angry… It drains the energy out of me. It makes me feel bad about myself..

But, I have been able to control the class much better these days. The kids are paying attention in class like they’ve never been before. So, I’m completely torn now. Should I put a cap on my limit gauge and go back to the likeable teacher who everyone ignores and eventually forgets, or do I let the rage consume me and be a teacher everyone fears but will be remembered for the rest of their life, in a good or bad way.

And then there’s that other option : be done with teaching and start a video game retail empire!! Mwahahahahahaha *coughs*



*Title inspired by Metallica's St. Anger, from their Some Kind of Monster album. Wicked

5 free comments:

ahseng said...

oooooo.... u know wat i want. haha. but at the mean time, i do try not to physically punish the students. I do scold them once in a while but I guess every time I do it, I am not angry. Jst that students need to be scolded once in a while. And I always use 'you are responsible for what you are' approach. Students are co-operative but well not to the extent that they will finish up their homework on time but at least they shut up. Mebe oso because i occasionally give them 'the look'.

Jarod Yong said...

I scold my students with a loud voice all the time.
But I make sure that with every verbal smackdown I lay on their asses, I give them a solution for salvation.

I also physically punish students who do not finish their homework.
Pinching ears, short hair & cheek are very common in my class.

Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.
If you have to be physical, make sure your admin is okay with it & make extra care not to leave any marks!

Let's put these creatures in their rightful place!

Anonymous said...

Gawd.. you guys serious?? Can't imagine you all with that kind of attitude.. The worst my kids can do is sleep in my class which is my Sejarah class.. so not too angry to start with.. as long as they copy my notes, I am fine with it.. They seldom talk in my english class and even if they have their own conference, i will stop the class and the other boys will start scolding them... but 2 days ago, out of 31 students, only 1 boy did my homework which I have given a duration of a week to complete it. That said, i spent 1/2 an hour reprimanding them and had them stand while completing their work. Maybe I cant physically punish them since they are all boys and are in form 4. the most i can do is ignore them and just focus on those kids who have the potential. Once or twice, check back on these kids to make sure they are still in the boat and have not dozed and dropped off the boat. My advice, Najib is spare the rod and spoil the child. If your kids are in form 1 and 2.. your approach is still usable since their minds are still raw and fear is still in them. Once they reach form 4 and 5, they know how to defend themselves and even has the ability to put you in a difficult position. Gambate and good luck! Again, as I mentioned somewhere before, most importantly is at the end of the month, the numbers in the account multiply. As for the kids, they are made of what they have been moulded from. Take it easy..

ahseng said...

ooooo, btw, i like the game retail empire idea. hehe

Najib Azmi said...

thanks for the tips guys. after giving it some thought, yes. just like tam said; spare the rod and spoil the child

 
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