Losing Control

I am currently using a lesson plan I created that allows for EVERY SINGLE students to come up and speak to me, at least one sentence and they MUST remember the answer. (They also must speak to their JTE, which is hilarious as the JTE's say this is the first time they are ever hearing a lot of their students say anything in English to them) Granted not every student comes up because they either choose not to participate at all, or they just slag off.

Consequently during the game the JTE and me are very busy answering questions and at least half the class is sitting down doing something, (thats at least 20 students) which basically means it can easily lead to chaos. ESPECIALLY in my classes, kids have literally pounded the walls, gotten each other into choke holds, scratched offensive pictures into their desks.

I was really worried, as those were some of my better classes. But today I realize order was broken down so easily due to lack of respect.

I am generally really nice to my students, I don't want them afraid of me and I think some (a lot) of my schools bizarro rules are unnecessary and superfluous(silly word). BUT, today I was teaching with a JTE of mine, shes a part timer but I teach A LOT of lessons with her (3, which is a lot for just one teacher in my school) I sometimes think shes really too strict.

Today while making pairs, two groups of girls made groups of threes, which is silly since the game asked to make pairs. The girls didn't really want to move, and this exercise was only supposed to take 2 minutes, but she got angry screamed at them to move their asses and make pairs. It took something like 3 minutes just to do this, as the girls were I guess moody and not wanting to listen. BUT this teacher STOOD her ground, and I thought holy shit this is insane, just who cares. She is often like this and I just stand there kinda like what should I do, with this face of slight confusion.

BUT, in the game, the one where many classes lost control, they were well ordered, they generally listened and it went well. Probably went the best of all classes so far, even though class 8 is not the brightest. The control this lady has over the classes really makes teaching easier.

The problem with one class (which is not dumb, but they just were animals in the lesson) is that they have no respect for the teacher. They call her by her first name, and she often loses control of them. But, she is really nice to them and generally acquiesces to their rudeness and demands (calling her rudely by her first name in a shouting manner) I have a VERY hard time teaching with her class, half the time we are just shouting pointlessly (pointlessly because it never works) at the students. I really should not get angry at them, as that does not endanger respect or even fear just makes me scream, making them scream, thus creating more chaos. (Also the ones I have gotten angry at, then dislike me from then on becoming even MORE difficult in my classes, ugh vicious cycle)

I wish I wasn't so nice in the beginning, well at least I wish the teachers were more strict so I could be nice. But, seeing as out of 6 of the teacher I teach with, only 2 have any form of respect from their students, I am really unsure of what to do. I wish I could mind wipe them and have them respect me, but in this school you certainly HAVE TO EARN it. And you don't earn respect by being nice in this school, these kids know when you give an inch to take a mile, and I think I've already given them a yard.

So, this school isn't that bad, as long as you know what to do . AND DAMN IT, it sure took me a long time. Actually I realized a long time ago I did not have to be their friend to be a good teacher, BUT I still tried to be very nice....ugh just being strict works best here. The ALT 3 ALTs ago was strict, and did well in the school....granted he did hit the kids, and granted he was a VERY large man...and he spoke Japanese to the students... damn it I keep on forgetting the level of my students. I don't want to give in, I see the ALT's with schools my level who just speak to the kids in Japanese and I think that if thats the case then we just become pointless, but as time goes on I really start to debate my strategy....

Once again I am torn in my decision to stay another year....