Hello. I´m glad to see you online again :). And since you are, allow me to ask a question. I have several classes under my wing and the Y7 (13yrs olds) are definitely in the centre of their puberty, absolutely neglecting my subject (English), are disruptive, disrespectful, sometimes they get so disruptive that the few good students just ask me for a tutorial lesson because they could not hear anything. Still, I consider them my favourite class and a bunch of boys are on the failing line and (1/2
2/2 and I wonder whether I should talk to them privately about my concerns. I don´t want them to fail but it is obvious they don´t understand the grammar at all and are just passing the vocabulary tests because they remember a word or two. I´m just afraid that they are sick of my preaching and will roll their eyes and think that I´m weird and make fun of me behind my back as they always do. They say I´m too nice and they just ignore. I don´t know whether I should just stop caring. thank you
You definitely should not stop caring: that’s how a system that consistently disenfranchises certain kinds of students win. Although I know it can seem hard to care after you’re trying your best and students just seem to not engage, and burn-out is a real problem.
Have you talked to other teachers in the school? Is this a consistent problem these boys are having or does it just seem to be in your class? Do these students have any particular needs, or is it just hormones and puberty gone mad?
I think talking to them privately - not as a group, but 1-1, with each of them, and then talk to them as a group as well might be useful, and talk to them in terms of what’s at stake (eg failling). The reason why i say talk to them both 1-1 and together is because sometimes they might open up more if it’s 1-1: maybe something actually is going on or maybe they’re having difficulties they don’t want to say in front of their friends. But even if they promise to be better individually, group pressure, esp at that age, almost always wins and so talking to them as a group as well, so everyone is on the same page, re-enforces whatever it is they need to do.
While you talking to them: see what it is they do need. Grammar is obviously not the most exciting topics etc., but is there a way they can get motivated, etc.?
See if you can mix up your lessons. Change the kinds of activities they do in class: so if you find you’re mostly doing individual desk work, try to do more mixed group work as well. Do they need different kinds of activities? Do they need to have some desk work, some computer-based work and then some other kind of work? Things like that.
When I taught in high school, I had some really difficult classes. I found something that was helpful was putting the disruptive students in an “in charge” position: like a peer tutor to a more struggling student (if possible) or they would help me do board work or they would be responsible for their group and feeding back to the class, etc.. Making them a more active participant helped a lot, as opposed to being a passive learner.
Maybe someone else will have more up to date suggestions as well in the comments!
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