3rd of March, 2023 is the last day of school here in SWN. It was indeed a tough year for me. I was assigned to be a homeroom teacher of Year 9A with 14 students (1st semester) and eventually became 13 (2nd semester) when Save took the entrance exam, he passed and migrated to Singapore in his new journey. My students are extremely active in class. 3 students out of 13 or 14 were the only ones who could speak calmly and behave or shall I say harmless verbally and physically 😅
Please note that the students' names mentioned here are not their real names.
Actually, I was also their homeroom teacher when they were in Year 6A. I think they're 26 in my class. But, some of them weren't; they're in Y6B (Junior, Phufa, Tonkhaw, Tin2, Mickey), and 2 new students transferred, when they were in Year 7. The two classes were merged because of those students who moved to another school (which usually happens in Y6 and Y9). Most students who left were very good (in academics and behavior). It was also a challenge then, it only got worse when they were in Y9A. They behaved then and somehow could follow classroom rules and respect their teachers. But because the previous homeroom teachers weren't organized in having rules, these students became wild and free. I couldn't blame them, it was also the strict and inconsistent school rules that made them that way. Couple with that, their family background. Some of them were not disciplined at home well enough (spoiled brats, favoritism, sibling rivalry, broken families, etc.). They speak nastily, curse other students in Thai and English, attention-seekers, disobedient, irresponsible, talkative, disrespectful, bullies, rowdy, and obnoxious.
Why can't they be disciplined at school?
Discipline starts at home. If they aren't disciplined at home how do we expect them to become angels and saints anywhere else? Discipline is a learned behavior. Students can see or sense people around them and model what they're doing. Respect is taught at home, too. If they're allowed to shout and talk back to their parents as a way of communication, then I don't think that it's right to blame solely the teachers. Their parents or elders at home are their first role models. These behaviors, the result of their parenting style (or the lack of it), that they adapt at home are the ones manifested by the students at school. These behavioral issues could somehow pick up by other students who aren't exposed to such, then copy them because they think "it's cool". Social Media is one of the culprits of students 'or teenagers' misbehaviors, in general.
It was the biggest challenge in 2022-2023 that I was able to somehow contain myself even though they were provocative and daring. I'll miss these three students, dearly (Focus, Junior, and Fah). The smart and soon-to-be Cartoonist, Focus; The Computer genius who's more intelligent than his Computer teacher, Junior (Focus and Junior are good friends and they also speak fluent English); and the most behaved student in class, Fah.
What do they have in common? They are introverted.
In fairness, Y9A class is a bunch of future athletes (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and chair ball) and artists. The boys joined soccer and basketball and won 1st prize. The girls won chair ball and volleyball, too. I was impressed with their cooperation in the Science, Maths, and Language activities. I admired them during the Christmas presentation and Sports day. Most of them, could draw and sketch like a pro (Maprang, Focus, Pooh, and Mickey). They also have artistic skills in handicrafts (Pinky, Maprang, Pooh, Mickey, and Phufa). Justrin and Sunday are the future Elon Musk with their knowledge and skills in Foreign Exchange. Junior is the future Bill Gates, he's so good at coding and programming. I remember that he installed Linux OS on my old laptop. Focus is the future cartoonist-artist, she sold her drawings and stickers for her savings. At her age, I could tell that she is thrifty, emotionally, and psychologically mature among all of the students in Y9A, although, she was raised by a single mother. She doesn't wanna waste time on gossip or nonsense.
Among 14 of them, only four students are academically gifted (Save, Focus, Junior, and Pinky. The latter is bright but she needs to change her arrogant behavior that she knows everything. Just because she knows something, doesn't give her the right to disrespect her teachers. She was supporting her friends although they were misbehaving in class, her friends were patronizing her in return. She's the top 1 in class (If there are no Thai subjects, it could've been Focus or Junior). Save is the Math genius in class, but he moved to Singapore at the end of the Midterm.
March 1-3, the Final examination days at our school. Students were so excited to have their vacation, and some students were waiting for the government school's entrance exam result, so they could move to Grade 11. Others are going to private and international schools. When we had a survey, it turned out that 5 students will stay in our school, and 3 students are still undecided about transferring. The school won't extend Year 10, this coming May 2023. Those 5 students who decided to stay in our school will be going to the Bilingual Department, thus they'll be in Grade 10 instead of Year 10 (Intensive English Program). To be very honest, it's good that the school won't open Year 10 because they know that these students are getting out of hand.
Should SWN continue to accept Year 10 students, next semester?
As far as I'm concerned, they should continue only IF the number of students increases by 15 (which is quite impossible) and they MUST do the screening procedure such as the reading, speaking, and writing fluency. Students who cannot or do not speak English must not be admitted. It's troublesome to communicate with students who can't speak English, especially when they can't even read and write proper and basic English at the age of 15. Likewise, the need to undergo a psychological and physical examination to check and evaluate, if students are not mentally challenged. It's not an institution for students with special needs. I know this is debatable. There are a few exceptions because I know students who have health issues and some with psychological problems who are behaved and still can be respectful to teachers, and follow class rules, and instructions correctly. Students at this age (Year 10) could write long essays already.
Finally, I wish Year 9A well on their next journey to Grade 10 or Year 10. I wish they knew that when it comes to learning, it's more important to have a good attitude because will take them a long way to reach their future goals in life. Furthermore, I hope they realize that their teachers at school are only concerned about their school's performance, and grades, and correcting their wrong attitudes toward learning, for their own good (not to harm them). Being rebellious, disrespectful, arrogant, and disobedient could not lead them anywhere. And just because, they came from a broken family, they have family problems, or their parents have no time for them doesn't mean that they're a failure, a loser, or complete mess. Furthermore, influencing or encouraging others to misbehave or disrespect teachers could be a reflection of how they're raised.I strongly believe in one of Aristotle's sayings "educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all". A humble heart is better than a proud mouth.
It was a tough year😅 Farewell, Year 9A.