When I encountered a student being scolded in front of Me

Being an online teacher is not that easy from the fact that we are working at night up until 12 midnight. I mentioned this in one of my previous articles that as of now I'm working or teaching online to Chinese students both kids and adults while I'm waiting for my application process to be hired in DepEd (Department of Education).

Since, I can't sleep well if I can't publish today an article that is why I will shared to you my experience tonight while I had my class.

Students are unique. They have differences and different attitudes while in class. For me as teacher, it is really a challenged for me on how will I cater all those individualities of the students in my class. A challenged for me, on what strategies I may used just to make learning effective and to be able to catch the student's attention as well especially those zero to three level of students.

I already been encountering many types of students starting when I was still doing my OJT (on the job training) or the practice teaching of the education students before they can graduate college up until I worked in a private school and then now while I'm working or teaching online.

Well, teaching online has a big difference while doing actual teaching. In actual teaching, of course my students were just Filipinos and I knew our culture and how do we behave and that was easy for me to handle their attitudes in some way. But teaching online, you are teaching foreign students especially in my case I'm teaching Chinese students and language barrier is number one hindrance for me to deliver fluently my lessons. Yes, you can speak English and they can understand also basic English but when were talking about kids, those beginners these is really hard to do because if they can't understand your English then you need to translate that into their language for them to know what your talking about.

So, there's really a big difference. But, since teachers must be versatile at all times so we make strategies on how we can able to inculcate knowledge to our students.

Now for my experience today while I'm having my class, I had this student who always booked my class for almost a month now. He was 7 years old. Well, I can say that this student were a fast learner since he can answered correctly the questions that are given in every lessons. But this student, starting from the time he booked my class he already gave me headache every time we had a class up until now. Well, he participates though but my only problem to him is that he will be out of focused and he stops from participating in class up until the class will end. Of course as a teacher, every time we had a class I always figured out his likes for me to used it in my class in order for him to engaged my class up until the end. I did many things, I used props, visual aids (a colorful one), I'm always giving him rewards either a virtual rewards and physical rewards just for me to catch his attention and to feel the praised that I gave him even though his not listening and participating. I did sang a song in my class. There is one time that he were doing good up until the end of the class, of course I was amazed because he's already participating well but to find out he was just doing that way because his mother were there beside him. In other words, he's afraid of his mother. Then the next day, he's mother wasn't there beside him so as usual he's not participating again.

I don't really of what's the problem. I even asked myself if, "Am I an effective teacher?" Why can't I catch his attention? Am I not teaching him well? And I've read some feedbacks of other teachers to him, I found out that we had the same problem with this student. That is why, I said to myself that it's not a teacher factor but a student factor because I already did everything in my case and then how come?

Then today, at 6PM were my class with this student started. He entered the room late for already 2 minutes. Then, he had a sad face while entering the classroom. Of course I greeted him "ni hao" or "hello" and asked him if he's okay because I've seen in his face that he's not. I also asked him if what's wrong why is it he's sad. He's not responding to me, I smiled at him and let him smile too but he's really not talking anything. He just looked at me with his sad face. Then, his mother came and I was shocked because he was being hit by his mother and that he cried loudly then suddenly the student left the room.

Then I waited until the student came back after 5 minutes. I don't what his mother did to him after he left the room. I was kind of shocked because I wasn't expected that his mother would do that and in front of me, the teacher of his kid. Because, we Filipinos as long as we can control ourselves we won't hit our kid especially in front of a teacher since it is not good to see.

So, the kid came back the room with a teary eye and his mother still continues to scolds him while his trying to participates in my class. I really don't know what to do, all I did is to continue with my class and tried to calm the student. I even helped him answered the activities so that he won't be scolded with his mother if he can't answer the questions. I was kind of sad for that fact because I felt the child were being pressured that time. He really tried not to cry while in class because his mother will hit him again. I really felt hurt with my 6PM class with this student because I wasn't expecting the action of the mother in disciplining his kid.

With this experience I had today, I've been wondering maybe this student were really being pressured to do well in class and if he can't meet his mother's expectation of him he will be scolded. That is why he's not doing well in my class because he gets pressured. Also, realizing some things that every student had also their behind stories of why they're not participating well in the class and not doing well in the class. Then, as a teacher I realized that, touching students hearts is very important not just to feed them the knowledge they needed to know but also to checked on them if they're emotionally fine. For that, we can be able to assess them on their needs emotionally and of course to let them engaged in the class as well.

Closing Thoughts

As a teacher, this is what I learned from my experienced today. If we encounter a student that causes us headaches, why not try to touch the heart of the students and asked them pains, weaknesses and strengths and then teaches them with full of passion and patience. Then, probably we can be part of the students life and journey and the student also will never forget us. Since, beautiful experienced of the students with their teachers remains in their heart and for sure you will never be forgotten.

How about you? Do you have bad experienced with your parents while your teacher is in front of you?

(feel free to comment down your thoughts)

Hopefully, I imparted some insights to all of you. Happy reading!!!

@Janz

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