1.- Simple present tense. Students by Age
Views #1443 | Low-Intermediate 4
Students by Age
Aimee: So Katie, you're a
teacher.
Katie: Yes.
Aimee: What is your
favorite age group of students?
Katie: Probably my
favorite age group is around the junior high school age. So from about 11 to
15.
Aimee: Okay.
Katie: I think they're the
most interesting to teach.
Aimee: What makes them so
interesting?
Katie: Well, they already
have personalities. And they're like almost adults but not quite adults. So
it's interesting to see like – I think that it's just really interesting to
teach them and see how they respond to stuff. It's very different from adults
and it's very different from children but it's kind of almost there but not
quite.
Aimee: Yeah. That sort of
bridging, bridging age group, I guess.
Katie: Yeah. So they're
still like, they're still young kids. I can still teach them stuff but they're
old enough to also do stuff by themselves.
Aimee: Yes.
Katie: So it's like the
perfect age group to teach, I think.
Aimee: Yeah. Independence.
Katie: Yeah.
Aimee: That's right. What
about things like behavior and attitude? I just imagine that age group to be
quite challenging. I mean, there's a lot of hormones going on and, you know,
personalities are forming, so.
Katie: Usually when in
their first year of junior high school, they're fine because they're all still
like, they're still babies. They've gone from being the oldest kids in
elementary school to like the babies at junior high school.
But when they get to
second year, that's when they start getting like a bit moody, a bit hormonal, a
bit grumpy in class. But then when they go to
third grade, that's when they start becoming normal people again, I think.
Aimee: So the second year
is the challenging year.
Katie: Yeah. Yeah. The
terrible twos.
Aimee: Yeah.
Katie: Yeah.
Aimee: Well that works in
both ways, huh?
Katie: Yeah, it does.
Aimee: So do you have any
particular strategies or tips for dealing with that difficult age?
Katie: I think why they're
so moody is because they're – again, they're almost adults. They're becoming
adults. So if you stop treating them like kids and start treating them like
adults, talking to them like adults, treating them like you treat an adult,
then they respond better to that than if you like to shout at them like you
would a kid or if you discipline them like you would a kid.
Aimee: Yeah.
Katie: Yeah. Just treat
them more like adults and they respond to it really well, I think.
Aimee: So you find they
step up to the – they meet the expectations.
Katie: Most of the time.
Most of the time.
Aimee: Have you ever had
any particularly challenging moments in the classroom?
Katie: Yeah. Yeah.
Aimee: Silly question
really, isn't it?
Katie: Of course.
Yeah. I mean, I've had kids like throw textbooks out the window.
Aimee: Oh really?
Katie: I've had kids like punch their fists through walls like just – yeah, I've
had lots of angry kids. But they're very rare.
Aimee: Wow.
Katie: I've had lots of
them but they're rare.
Aimee: Yeah, that's an
interesting…
Katie: Interesting, yeah.
Aimee: Yeah.
Katie: In terms of like
overall in a class, there's usually only one in each class that's a troubled student. But I mean, that's anywhere. That
happens anywhere.
Aimee: That's true. So how
do you deal with troubled students?
Katie: I think that's a
very difficult question. There's no like textbook way of dealing with troubled
students in general because every kid is different. Every kid has a different
problem. Every kid is acting out for different
reasons. So you have to find out why they're troubled, why they're acting out
and try and deal with it in the best way you can.
Aimee: Uh-hmm.
Katie: Yeah. Don't get
angry. It was probably my best advice even though you feel like strangling them
sometimes. But just try and be patient, try and figure out why they're acting
out and just deal with it from there.
Aimee: Yeah. Nine times out of ten, staying calm is probably the
best option, isn't it?
Katie: Hmm. And the one
time out of ten, is when you really need to get really angry. That's the scary
time.
Aimee: Yeah. Sometimes,
they just need to know because there may be children with, you know, just
personalities, strong personalities and they just are maybe showing off to the class, being a clown. And they just
need that one moment where you show them, "You have to listen to me. I am
the boss" kind of thing.
Katie: Yeah.
Aimee: Just get your power
back perhaps?
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