Ugh

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Teenagers.

Do I really need to type any more than that? Probably not, I know you all feel me on that one.

Last week, at my summer job, I had a really nice oral communication class. They were respectful, and good at participating, but could have been more talkative. They were also adults. Which made my job a lot easier because I didn’t have to deal with teenagers. Yesterday I filled in for another adult class, speaking this time, and they were AMAZING! I love them! I want to teach them all the time.

Yesterday, I also started teaching the classes that I was actually hired to teach this summer. So from 8:40-9:30 it’s a grammar class, and from 9:40-12:20 it’s an oral communication class. I know understand how the one teacher got through all the material in one day last week. But like also, I kind of don’t get it.

The grammar class is ok for material. I can cover two units in one week which is a nice breakdown of the material. And I can also give tests so I might try to work that in on the Friday and then the material is less stretched out. But it’s still ok to just do two units in one week.

But the oral communication? I could possibly do the whole unit in two days depending on how many times I have to re-play the listening activities. And they are hard. Like I do them the day before to get the answers, and last night while I was doing it for the first time, it took me over an hour to get the answers and I was able to listen and stop it whenever I wanted to with ease.

But we are just given way too much time for the oral! Maybe it’s just the class that I have. They don’t really like to answer as a large group. Smaller groups are ok, and that allows a nice mixing of the students, but it also means that there is a lot of different talking going on.

I have two students who are just a distraction all the time. I’ve only had them two days and I’m already like “omg how long is your stay here?!” I’m hoping just a week or two. It would seriously suck if I’m stuck with them ALL summer long. They don’t listen, they don’t engage in class activities, they pull their phones out when I’m not looking. It’s really annoying. And I feel like I’m spending the whole class picking on them because they are always talking with each other. Like do you ever just see a teenage girl who has that smug look on her face and you just want to slap it off? LOL Like in a non-violent way, of course! That’s how I feel when I see the girl. The guy is just animated all the time.

Yesterday was worse than today though, so maybe they are on the right track to behaving? Yesterday I only had students from Spain. Today I had three new students, one from Italy and two from France. It forced a little bit more English into the classroom.

Each day I have asked the students to sit in a different place the next day. So tomorrow will be day 3, and hopefully they won’t be back in the corner where they were yesterday and today.

I’ve also started this “Canadian slang” thing. I’m going to try to put a new phrase on the board every day that is Canadian slang. Yesterday, they learned “yeah, no” “no, yeah,” and “yeah, no, for sure”. Today it was “whatever floats your boat” I also added “whatever paddles your canoe” cos samesies!

I told them they just couldn’t search for it on the internet or ask a teacher at the summer camp. They asked me to leave it up so I did, and tomorrow, if they can tell me what it means, then I’ll give them a candy. I bought a few bags of different types today so they can pick a little piece.

So if you have any sayings (they don’t have to be specifically Canadian! Anything in English is good, popular slang for young people is good too!) drop them into the comment section below so I can add them to my list!

22 thoughts on “Ugh”

    • Thanks G! I’m just hoping that it will get better. Tomorrow is a little light on material so I have plays and crossword making activities planned. But I’m already exhausted with them, if I could just get those two out it will be ok

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  2. That’s why I teach adults now and not kids or teens. Although quite a few are young adults so you do get a bit of that behaviour seeping into the classroom. My approach is you can only teach them so much and after that it’s on them (yah know, lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink approach). Their money, their time (their fail, lol).

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      • Can you not just move them in the middle of class? Or take their phones? (“That seems to be distracting you from the lesson, so I’ll just hold that for you until we finish here.”) I suppose it depends on how much of a battle you want to pitch.

        The teens around here use “basic”, “extra”, “trash”, and “lit” a lot.

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        • I have been moving them, for different speaking activities and the like. I just think those two have no interest in what’s going on, and because I focus so much negative attention on them they like it less. And I can’t take their phones all the time, they need them for activities and translations

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  4. ‘ There’s no cheese down that hole’- don’t bother, it won’t work out/fruitless endeavour

    What about units of measurement that are slang- not quantifiable and often used to exaggerate or downplay: skoatch, smidge, dab, dollop, pinch, (<these are great for cooking) skiff, boatload, pile, heap, mountain… good for snow, laundry…

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  5. To ‘hit it off’ being about getting along well…
    ‘Put a pin in it’ -end a conversation/project
    (You can use it as your catchphrase for when these kids are chatty)
    ‘Eat my shorts’

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  6. Last time my friend and I were drinking, she mixed the sayings, “Whatever floats your boat” and “Whatever flips your pancake” to “Whatever floats your pancake” which I guess is better than, “Whatever flips your boat.” I about peed myself laughing so hard. 😀

    2 slang terms I’ve heard recently are bop (referencing a good song) and stan used as a verb (to be a huge fan of i.e. I stan for Zac Efron.)

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  7. First and foremost I need you to remember you are absolutely awesome for being a teacher. Secondly I’d like to applaud you for even working with teens. It’s so many different mindsets and everybody isn’t raised with morals and respect.

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  8. Pingback: A Settled Routine | No Love for Fatties

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