"I don't know why they give you this class (4 Batai). They are very good in English, so that's why I think they are not really interested to learn anything during English class. They think they are so good that they don't need you to teach them anything anymore. They will not listen to you when you're teaching. They don't care what you're doing/saying in front of the class. They make a lot of noises, talking with their friends; they like to move around, do other stuffs... And most of all, they disrespect their teacher. So, I think it will be very hard for you to tackle this class,"said Pn. Emily to me when I told her that I would be taking over her English class & asked her about 4 Batai (i.e. What is their proficiency level? How the students are? What should I expect when I start teaching them later?)
And I'm not gonna lie - I was shivering as I listened to her describing how rude, how naughty, and how arrogant the kids were in that class. To my horror, she's not the only one who said the class is a problematic class, other teachers who taught them other subjects said the same things as well!
One of them was shocked when she found out that I would be teaching the class, she even said this to me: "You're teaching 4 Batai English?? Ooohhh, good luck with that! The class is a nightmare...."
When I followed Pn. Emily to the class & observed her teaching, I was indeed very dumbfounded to see the students' true colour. I was sitting at the back, no one cared who I was nor what I did there. I had to find my own chair to sit. Even when Pn. Emily was introducing me, they just glanced at me. Only when their teacher asked them to greet me, then they did it. Throughout the lesson, I watched in horror as I saw how the kids behaved in the class. It's like you're in a zoo or a pasar malam. I pitied Pn. Emily, she's trying so hard to gain the students' attention. She had to repeat her questions for many times then the students would give their response. When she asked any pair to volunteer to do the given task in front of the class, no one was eager or wanted to do so. I could see that the teacher had to force them to be involved in the class activity by calling out their names. At the end of the class, Pn. Emily was very angry and disappointed with their attitudes that she had to scold the whole class in front of me.
When we stepped out of the class, she straight away expressed her fear by telling me that she worried that if I took over the class, it would be very challenging for me to handle the class. She scared that they would bully me since I am small in stature. She said it would be very risky as she feared that it would affect and jeopardize my grade when the supervisor comes to observe me later.
"I'm afraid you'll get into trouble if you teach 4 Batai. Your supervisor may not understand what you'll have to go through with them because he/she may not know the students like we do. I think it's better if you teach 4 Jati or 4 Nemesu. They may not be as good as 4 Batai but at least they are more attentive and willing to listen to you when you're teaching. 4 Jati/Nemesu will definitely help & cooperate with you when you're being observed for your teaching. I can talk to Pn. Angie to help you to change to another class if you want."
Considering what I had seen during the class observation & what I had heard from not only Pn. Emily & other teachers, I was a bit tempted with the offer. I even discussed with my partner, Pei Pei & my mentor, Pn. Farahnaz about the problem. Almost everyone said I should change to another class, but there's nothing wrong too if I would like to give it a try to "tame" the class.
"If you change, you may get a better grade. But if you stick with 4 Batai, take it as a great challenge and just try your best."
The teachers were very thoughtful - they scared that it would affect my grade. However, like what some of the teachers said, I may eventually encounter the same class like this when I become a real teacher in the future. So, it was all in my own hand. I had to decide fast & make a wise decision. A better grade. Or a valuable lesson.
And I chose to LEARN. Hence, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
So, what were my strategies to handle 4 Batai?
One, I set a few ground rules that they needed to follow strictly: Respect will only be earned if they respect their teachers & peers; Only good manners and courtesies are acceptable in the class; Listen & pay attention when the teacher is teaching; English class means English only (i.e. no other works from other subjects are allowed during the lesson).
Two, I had decided to conduct more speaking activities since the students are talkative and high in proficiency. Pn. Emily agreed that they would enjoy speaking tasks more than the other 3 skills. I also managed to find out that they dislike writing activity. So, I'd also decided to use writing task as a punishment for the students if they misbehave in the class. Other than that I also realized that although the students are very good in English, most of them are lack in speaking & presentation skills. Some of them even revealed that they are too shy to speak in front of the class. Thus, I would do more speaking class with them so that they can improve in both skills.
Three was to provide more challenging activities to gain their interest in learning as well as to make them to be more eager to participate in the classroom activities. In other words, use advanced materials or teach out of the textbook but still following the syllabus. Surprise the kids with fun & challenging tasks that they had never done in the class before.
So, did all my strategies work? Wait for my third reflection to find out. Adios!
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
- Martin Luther King, Jr. -
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