NOTES FROM THE BURROW

NOTES FROM THE BURROW

Monday, August 18, 2008

You may not talk, you will not move from these seats. Any questions?

I got released from my RS calling a few weeks ago and yesterday was my last Sunday to teach. Aside from the fact that I felt totally overwhelmed by the (lack of) material given (I will not miss those manuals!!), I am going to miss teaching. I enjoyed the feeling of connecting with Sisters and feeling the Spirit as I taught.

I still have a calling left. I teach the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. I am feeling very frustrated with it lately. There is not enough material in the manual. I have to supplement every week with other stuff which totally goes against the paragraph in the front of the manual that says don't supplement with other stuff. When I walk into the room at least one or two of the kids groan. Like they are disappointed that I showed up. And I'm a cool adult! At least I think I am. I guess maybe I'm not. They do not listen to me. They throw stuff around the room during the lesson. When asked direct questions, they do not answer or they give stupid answers that don't make any sense. They write on the board with chalk. I take the chalk away and they produce more. They don't bring their scriptures. They don't like to participate. I ask them to be quiet nicely and they still talk. Loudly. I don't yell or get upset at them but I feel like it. Last week was so bad that I just left the room. They didn't care. I could hear them pounding erasers on the wall as I walked away down the hall. My class last year was not like this. They would talk sometimes but I would ask them to be quiet and they would. They respected me as a teacher. The kids I have now do not. I don't know what to do and I don't want to just bribe them with food. I like this calling...I like teaching...but these kids...I don't like teaching these kids. I like them individually. I think most of them are really nice but they are disrespectful when they are all together. 12 and 13 year olds should know how to behave. If my kids ever treat a teacher the way these kids treat me, I will be very disappointed and they will be punished.

Tips, anyone?

5 comments:

Stacie said...

You might consider talking to the parents of the worst offenders...I would want to know if my kid was acting up. Sorry to hear that...those kids should be much better. I say forget about being nice. Do what you have to do to get your point across. Good luck!

Emily said...

You are a cool audult.You are a great teacher its just the kids.

Suzy said...

Emily is right! You are a cool adult. You know I can totally sympathize with you on this one...my problem is I threaten the parent thing and never follow through because I don't want to upset the parents, although if it were my kid I'd totally want to know too (like Stacie said). The other thing you can do is talk to the SS presidency and ask for an assistant...might help for crowd control (that's what the primary gave me), or they could just pop in themselves to offer moral support. I've considered walking out too, but was always scared that the Bishop or a parent would come walking up the hall at the same time. The only other consolation I can think of is that you'll get a new group of kids in January...only 4 months to go (and you get the month after baby arrives off)!!

AmyB said...

OK, after all of these months I finally got an account specifically so I could respond to this post--I just wanted to say that Christopher sympathizes with you because he teaches the 12-13 year olds during the third hour and he usually leaves church wanting to strangle someone....he has tried to bribe with food but it doesn't really work--they just eat the food and then keep acting like monkeys. He ends up just yelling at them a lot and he hates doing that but he's not sure what else to do. I think it does help to have another adult in the classroom, just so you have a witness--Christopher is glad that another adult leader can attest to the fact that he is trying is best to teach these boys.....I keep telling him to talk to their parents but that can get tricky....more jewels in your heavenly crown, I guess. Oh, and by the way, you are a VERY cool adult.

Mark Brown said...

Have you considered beating them with a rubber hose?

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