X in the classroom
Teaching (college student) teenagers again despite my best efforts to avoid it, there is one factor in the classroom that stands out more than other kinds of classes and, subtly or sometimes not so subtly, affects the classroom dynamic of almost every class. This certain something would, however, under no circumstances get a mention if my lesson was observed and is not written about in any books on teaching English I have ever seen. This is the totally taboo TEFL teaching factor X.
In this case, the X factor we are supposed to ignore manifests itself as a couple of starry eyed girls who are working hard in my class for reasons not connected to my lesson plans, whilst others no doubt perk up and do their homework much more for the blond teacher in their British culture class- and not due to his skills in using pairwork. And many of them are specifically planning to use their language skills to get a western boyfriend when they live abroad next year- you won’t see that written on your average needs analysis interview form!
Another more extreme example was a Belgian female student that picked up on every mistake a Brazilian student made after she saw us chatting outside the school gates. On the other side of the coin, I’ve had several very shy students who would most certainly come out of their shell a bit more if there were no people of the other sex in the class at all. I can think of one particular one-to-one student who I really wanted to tell my boss to find a female teacher for, but somehow felt it was something I couldn’t say.
Of course, I am not the first teacher to notice this and it does in fact get mentioned- by lecherous teachers who’ve had a few too many down the gaijin (ex-pat) pub. Which is one reason why the rest of us try our best to blank the whole factor out. But surely, if my female students want to be able to mix with their British counterparts in Liverpool or Folkestone on a Saturday night (ｇod help them) they are going to need to be able to say they “fancy someone”. In fact, if they want to bond with some of their British female sisters they are going to need to be able to mention specific pieces of body vocabulary that I will certainly not be mentioning near my students! But if I knew of a vocab book of slang that filled in the holes in my classroom syllabus I guess I could approach it that way?? I guess what I am thinking of is an all-female discussion class once a term or a book like “Taboos and Issues”, but with the topics chosen by what the students will need to be aware of and able to talk about rather than what teachers want them to be aware of.
As far as tackling difficult stuff in the classroom goes, slang for vomiting (you should see their faces when they click what a “pavement pizza” is) is about as far as I go, and probably further than my boss would like me to…
Other reasons to tackle this subject: differences in dating culture and personal safety when they go abroad. The most satisfying moment in the classroom is when you help a student understand something they had completely eluded them before and they will always wonder have they ever lived without- my best one being when one Russian student in London found out that “come up for a coffee” is very different from “would you like a cup of tea?”. We never learnt the story behind the look of shock and sudden comprehension on her face…
One other connected unmentioned taboo: some schools in Japan (not mine), only employ male teachers because they know it keeps the main housewife/ OL (”office lady”) customers happy. Whether they have to pretend to be single like members of a boy band I am not sure…
Comments? Advice? Disbelief that a 19 year old could fancy me? Write it all below:
Tags: Japan/ Japanese students
June 20th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Wow, you get X in your TEFL class! I only get ZZZ’s in my physics class.
June 21st, 2007 at 7:59 am
hey man, surprising , i like the blog! when i first saw the link, i thought ‘o god, another navel gazer with no talent - like me’, but no, your articles were surprisingly controversial and written in rambling style which im a fan of.
Incredibly , you may just be the first person to write about latent sex in the classroom without sounding a dirty bastard, but it was close man.
gotta go, my friend has just arrived to drink coffee and chew the vietnamese fat, which is chewy!
cb
June 26th, 2007 at 2:46 am
Experiences varies from country to country and class to class. It dpends upon How you react to the situation ? How you comment on students ? Do they ask such questions, atleast giving some hints to that X ?
June 26th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Well, yes and no. Obviously, X exists in every country but how you can react to it does indeed rely on hundreds of different factors including what culture you are teaching in. Which is perhaps another reason why we usually chose to ignore it. However, when someone (preferably someone else) is brave enough to tackle a difficult subject like this, especially when they do it in a scientific way, we all tend to be much better off.
June 26th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
[...] Teaching (college student) teenagers again despite my best efforts to avoid it, there is one factor in the classroom that stands out more than other kinds of classes and, subtly or sometimes not so subtly, affects the classroom dynamic of almost every class. This certain something would, however, under no circumstances get a mention if my lesson was observed and is not written about in any books on teaching English I have ever seen. This is the totally taboo TEFL teaching factor X… Sorry, you have to read the post to find out what it’s about. [...]
June 27th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Preempt the predictable problems with social / cultural pre-teaching. Stop being so green ( and equally as naive as your hapless students ), and learn some classroom management skills. Despite your ‘experience’ of teaching in other countries, you appear new to teaching; perhaps you should embark on a higher EFL qualification beyond the standard “it’s a free air ticket” basic qualification - but I suspect that’s an unlikely option- Are you really a teacher trainer? Where? Mars?
Your photograph does not inspire me to hire seemingly unprofessional coasters like you. You sound like a typical drifter, with no interest in student development or welfare; one which our industry could well do without. I will circulate your blog page amongst other professional colleagues and garner their opinions. I suspect their reactions will be the same as mine. A.N., Director of Studies, PGCE ESOL, M.A ( Cambridge ).
June 27th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Dear AN
If you are a professional making a professional point then please make clear the following points:
-Which points do you disagree with?
-If it is the X in the classroom article, how does one stop teenage hormones with pre-teaching? This was not covered in my DELTA, perhaps it came up in your MA.
-Please do pass on my blog for other comments, that is what it is here for. You will notice that I did pass your rather negative message in order to continue the discussion
-In your practical experience as a DoS observing other people’s lessons, do the best qualified always give the best lessons?
June 28th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
On second thoughts, that comment is so incoherent it has to be a wind up- Mr Nelzille in disguise?
July 8th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Comment was not incoherent, it was articulate. Suspect your response was as deliberately naive as your posting: All hail the guy that female students fancy! Do what we all do in that situation, deal with it. And stop getting off on it so much that you have to write about it on a blog. Try and be professional for all our sakes.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Thank you for responding, AN DOS. As a DoS, it will obviously be part of your job to give advice to teachers who experience things in the classroom they did not learn how to deal with in their classes- e.g. v shy students. Is this how you would give your teachers feedback- “get a grip and be a professional”?? You don’t think some more specific advice would be more useful, e.g. explaining what cultural pre-teaching is and how it would help in this situation?
I see nothing unprofessional in admitting this factor exists in the classroom and discussing it as adults. I see something very unprofessional in a Director of Studies who uses aggression and insults to bully teachers into submission.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
PS, please do ask your other “professional colleagues” to comment.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:40 am
Great post, came here via the teflogue
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Hi, as a long-term ESOL teacher I’d like to ask a totally unrelated question - are you related in any way to the late Doug Case? Hope to hear from you:-)
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Not that I know. I don’t think there are any TEFL teaching dynasties yet, are there? Though John and Liz Soars might be spawning a whole new teaching master race…
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Balancing truth and tact remains a delicate dance.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Indeed. Hope I manage it sometimes…
August 4th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Just be sure to leave your classroom door open. Keep your desk in view from outside your door. Be VERY careful not to be caught alone with any of your students. A “spurned” student can do a lot of damage- even if nothing is true. Is there another teacher that bops in regularly after class? do that favor for one another. You really have to CYA! Ain’t it the pits!
August 4th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Luckily, in Japan we still live in a more innocent age. It might be that a few dodgy teachers slip through the net because of that, but at least it means everyone does not have to live in an atmosphere of paranoid fear. If a pre-school kid decides to climb onto your lap for storytime, you don’t have to push them away. And there are still male primary school teachers- something they seem to have given up in the UK, probably for insurance reasons. And with boys with a complete lack of meaningful contact with male role models in Britain, what is the result?
The suicide rate in Japan shows that we also have a fair number of fucked up people here too, but at least the way they deal with that doesn’t ruin it for everyone else. If a student got the wrong idea here and felt rejected, I’d be more worried about them doing harm to themselves than I would be about them doing harm to me
August 5th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
interesting article, i’ve not been in Japan that long but I’ve found myself in some weird situations involving the X factor a few times.
as for teaching little kids and not having to worry - it’s kinda nice. I’ve never been in a job before where that would be an issue (aka I’ve never dealt with kids professionaly) so i cant say it crosses my mind frequently, however i do think a lot about the lack of male role models and general dads in Japan, as you do tend to have kids who are very touchy-feely (is that even a recognised word??) during lessons and constantly want to be grabbed, play with you, jump on your back, legs etc… which at first is a little disconcerting if you aren’t such a kids person but you soon realise they just don’t ahve it in their life.
I never think about having the door open but every once in a while you do think that it’s nice not to have this demented perception of evil everywhere like you’re starting to do back in Europe.
also lol at that dos comment thing. priceless. I find your picture quite endearing, ha ha.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Actually, I was talking about the lack of male role models in the UK taken as a common reason for boy students doing badly at school- but you are absolutely right and some of the most clingy students in Japan have been ones with absent dads. So why doesn’t that spell the end of civilisation in Japan too?? It could be because the mothers aren’t actually divorced and anyway are used to spending their lives with their female friends and with no men around, so they don’t have the “Mummy’s in a bad mood because she doesn’t have a boyfriend” trauma. Any other suggestions anyone? Maybe one for Auntie Alex…