The Battle with the Hooligans

i've written enough about the hooligans in my facebook. though it's a one-liner comment, my friends and my ex students know what i've to go through whenever i teach them.

in defence of the hooligans, i must say that not all of the students i teach in the current school are such. there are some nice and good students - those who listen to my instructions and obey them. however, there's one particular class which gave me (and still do) migraines whenever i think about them (okay that's an exaggeration).

i was just talking to my fren shima yesterday, and though at first it didn't seem hilarious, it tickled my funny bone when i remembered the students' antics.

to control the class is a challenge. let alone teach. they may have the physical attributes of a 16 year old, but their mentality is not so. not that i want to insult them, it's just i get frustrated whenever i teach them. in class, there'll be a buzz because there'll be a few groups talking. some will become nomads and start changing places every few minutes. someone suddenly bursts into singing. and one boy will be walking on the ledge outside the class (where there's no corridor) because some of the window panes broke. there's one boy who, whenever he wears songkok, will start finding ways to suddenly "disappear" from class. he's better when not wearing songkok.

so you can just imagine that this is a nightmare for me, after being in a good school, and also teaching good schools.

in an attempt to appease them, and turn them into obedient students, i decided to bake a chocolate cake. of course, they finished the cake, but minutes after that, sugar rush started to have its effect, especially since my class is during the last period, so instead of taming them, they start chasing each other in class!! disappointed, i went back to the staffroom, and saw the counsellor there. i immediately asked him how to tackle these kids. the answer?

"akak, budak-budak sekolah ni tak sesuai la kalau nak bagi chocolate cake"

i asked a few teachers on what to do. they told me to divide the class - those who want to learn and those who dont. the former must not make noise, but they can choose not to listen.

in desperation, i used the tactic, and surprisingly, there were only 3 students who chose not to listen. even those who usually made noise did not want to be the odd ones out and joined the large group (although i suspect the intention wasnt' so much to learn, but just to join the crowd). needless to say, it was the quietest time for me - "quiet" here means a few buzz, but at least i did not have to shout.

it's a victory, and i came out smiling.

i dont know whether they can do well in English, but all i know is they're taking tiny steps to listening to me, and that's good enough.