Classroom management workshop

5 November 2006
I have been attending this workshop for teachers at PPB UI. Since I work part-time there, like everyone else in PPB, I can attend the workshop for free. The presenter is Heather Linville. She is an English Language Fellow from the US Embassy and she has been assigned to UI.
In the first workshop, we talked about seating arrangements. I found the workshop was very interesting and the ideas seemed to be worthwhile doing. Thus, I tried to have a different seating arrangement for my smallest classes. I have to say, it works quite well.
The second workshop is about affective considerations in a classroom. This is a very important topic. UPH is certainly full of students who have bad emotions in the class–most prevalent of all, being lazy. So Heather suggested some ideas as well as providing good theoretical basis for some of those ideas. But her ideas seemed to be very positive–too positive I might say. I think besides motivating the students and giving positive reinforcement, we also need to have negative reinforcement. (Well, if you didn’t do psychology or education when you are in college, it’s gonna be difficult to understand positive and negative reinforcement). I agree that the students should feel happy in the classroom, but not at the expense of my happiness. For this reason, we need to apply some discipline in the classroom, otherwise the students will come late, forget their homework, forget their textbook, etc. Well, if we tolerate them, they will certainly feel happy, but I am not happy with that.
Other than that, she suggests that ’success breeds success’. The implication is that we need to give something rather easy during the first meetings so that the students feel successful in their studies. After that, we can give something more difficult with the hope that the first success will breed more success.
Well, having been a student at top schools and good universities, I have to say that I did not have that experience. Rarely, I entered a classroom and said to myself, ‘this is a piece of cake and I feel successful’. My classes are pain in the neck. The first thing I say usually, "Lord, help me in this impossible-to-succeed class." But, I came out allright. I really worked hard for many classes but the hardwork usually paid off. And once I learn that hardwork is really the best way to succeed, I will work even harder to be even more successful. Thus, the success-breeds-success cycle is continuously perpetuated in me (hopefully).
So, want to have good grades? There is no easy way, I would say. You have to work hard. Your teachers may give you easier assignments to make you feel OK, but the world out there is cruel. It does not reward the lazy.
A good teacher, I assume, brings their students to the reality of life, and it’s a nasty life out there.
PS: Heather, you have done a good job. For all PPB teachers, it’s worthwhile to join the workshop.