What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Ok - get it off your chest. Here's your chance to moan about your students' annoying habits.

I'll start you off with those who just can't keep up when you're checking homework. You and the rest of the class are on number 6 and then he \ she pipes up with "Hang on. What was number 2 again?" And why is he \ she behind in the first place? Because he \ she hadn't even done the homework in the first place and is writing in the answers as you're checking them!

You can't see the board for the steam coming out of my ears, I can tell you.

:rant:

So, what do your lot do?

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

I share yours, and would add the student who says Oh, there was something I wanted to ask you about in the homework ... now where was it? and then spends hours wasting the lesson time trying to find it before giving up - despite the fact that I've asked them to always put a cross in the margin if there's a problem, to review everything immediately before coming to the lesson so that they know exactly what they're doing etc etc and etc ...
Then there are the ones who will not turn off their mobile phones however much I beg and plead .... I don't mind in a one to one but six students with six phones gping off every five minutes ...

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

When I explain something and some kid is talking or not paying attention then I am pretty annoyed. Also kids not doing their homework or eating gum is annoying too

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

But then disrupts the class later when complaining that he doesn't understand or , better still, that 'we haven't done that yet'!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Not only does it ring, but they've even got the cheek to answer it! :(

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Haha i forgot about the phones. When it goes off in the class then I take the phone and give it later on when the class is finished. Didn't happen so much with my elementary kids as only some of them have phone but with my middle school it happens a lot! :mad:

And I didn't get a mobile phone until I was in college!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Also I forgot to say that it's annoying too when the adult students have mobile phones but it's hard to stop them especially when they are company managers.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

What annoys me with my elementary students is when they pretend not to know... example: We revise our lesson and it is each student's turn to say the body part I point.I point to my nose and the first student says ''nose!''. Then, it's the next student's turn, and I point to my nose again. '' I dont' know!'' they would say and laugh. If one does this, two or three more will do it too! :mad: I know they are just kids, but it annoys me;) . Sometimes I let it go, other times we just change games completely! haha...

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

1. The kids who always ask to play games... even though they don't know the language to be able to play it yet....
2. The kids who have a diet of sugar. Stop spinning! argghh!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

"Teacher! Game Day!", was the phrase I heard a lot in my first school. I would just walk into class and some kids would shout it at me. It was damn annoying but the kids got used to it after a while, especially when I said no game 'cas they shouted at me :)

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Oh yes! But aren't they also the ones who seem to have the ring volume set so that people in the neighbouring towns can hear it too?

If they're company managers etc I get them to answer it OUTSIDE or tell them to answer in English. With one guy this happened a lot. he'd happily chat away so we all had to stop what we were doing. I got fed up with this so while he was trying to talk I'd be shouting "In English, please. What's your name? Do you like fish? Where is the cat?" etc. He actually got the message in the end ;)

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

yeah, infuriating. I get a similar thing with the kids. Instead of saying they don't know, they'll deliberately say the wrong word . . .and then laugh. This then sets off the whole class. At that point what do you do? :help:

One girl kept replying that her name was Marco. The next activity where I split the class into boys and girls, guess where I put her. Yep! She didn't like that and funnily enough has stopped doing it! Give it a try.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Good idea! Well seriously, I didn't really know what to do.. it's my first time teaching and I haven't had any courses on it or anything yet... But all I did was ignore them, and congratulate de ones who DID say it right. I think they felt bad, so they started saying it right. Kids sure love to be congratulated...!!!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

You're absolutely right. I had a really difficult kid who spent his whole time trying to find my limits. Once he'd found them we then had a standoff for about a week where he passed many a lesson in 'punishment corner' - the little work he did he then got praised for. The response was immediate and now is one of the hardest working students in the class.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

:lol:

I can't stand the students that complain because they don't understand it even when I give them a translation into Korean. It is damn annoying.

Then they come back to class the next day and haven't bothered to review any material 'cos they wanted to kill their friends with the latest PC Game and expect English to magically transform into their pure little minds after attending the local Hagwon (Institute) for a few months.

My biggest pet hate though is lazy students who are unable to spell their English name.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Where in Korea are you working? Ya the hagwon system is really bad in Korea. Mothers are just throwing money down the drain all in the aid of education. It's amazing how much they are paying for their kids to go to these hagwons especially when they are in highschool or when English and math are involved.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Hi. Thanks for the question but I have created a thread 'cos I have some questions about my Hagwon. But more to the point, I have a somewhat understanding Korean wife who is a great woman I can bounce ideas or moan at about work. A very understanding woman who helps when I need it. So she helps me communicate to the directors of my Hagwon.

Have a look here at my thread about one problem I have with my Hagwon though:

http://www.eslhq.com/forums/showthre...=5327#post5327

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Hi everyone,

I teach in companies only (in Spain). What annoys me a lot is that I repeat and repeat and repeat the pronunciation of common words and the next minute, they get is wrong again. It drives me insane!!!!:frusty:

Apart from one very hard working class they don't give a sh... about doing their homework but on the other hand complain about not progressing. :doh:

Frustrating for me is that there is actually no progress at all. I have been teaching them for a year now and the upper-intermediates still speak as badly as a year ago, let alone remembers the grammar I thaught.

I sometimes doubt my teaching skills... I have just passed my first teaching year, but still, I don't think I'm that bad :ohwell:

Oh, and what happens all the time: "Please, we want to speak more" (which baically means they only want to have conversation classes) but they are hardly able to form a sentence - no matter what level.

Frauke

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Another thing that drives me mad is... : THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN!!! oh my I had such a hard time! maybe it is because they went to bed late, over-excited by so much sugar... or something like that, but I wasn't able to get the control over them! Screaming, running, jumping on their chairs... I was going crazy not knowing what to do anymore...So I brought them outside for the last half hour of the course! I made them run and play games (in english!). I think it calmed them down at the end... (Finally!)

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

It's not just me then!?
The ones that don't do their homework and don't participate in communication activities are usually the ones who complain the most and are the first to say "We didn't learn anything because the teacher was rubbish"

With business \ company courses I ALWAYS state at the start of the course that 1) They are adults 2) There is homework to do 3) Every hour in class needs at least another hour at home of self-study 4) They must speak only English in class 5) They won't do numbers 2-4.

The reaction is always the same ie mildly offended but the result is always the same too - I'm right. Obviously there are one or two exceptions in every group.

I like to remind them of the 'little chat' we had at the start from time to time to get them back on track but unfortunately most of them won't be told what to do by someone (usually) younger than them, especially in front of 'subordinates'.

Oh well.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

I was trying a simple drill but had to give up for the same reasons. Couldn't take them outside but gave them a 'free drawing' to do. Nightmare!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Right, sorry to bring up this old subject again but I've just remembered another one (or should I say a new student is doing something I had forgotten about).

'Turn to page 26, please'

The student opens the book at page 6. Fine.
She then turns every single page looking at the number each time. Now, page 7 follows page 6. And page 8 follows page 7.
Guess what follows page 8? Answers on a postcard please.

This continues until page 26. I realise the English language is different to others, what with all that word order, auxilliary verb and pronunciation nonsense but page numbers are pretty universal, aren't they?

Or do I need a holiday?

What about you guys? Post your replies here on page 2 of this thread ( the one after page 1)

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Sometimes, when I tell a student to stop talking on their cellphone, they nod and then simply lower their head (without ending the conversation). Many of the students seem genuinely surprised (dare I say indignant?) that I insist on them not using such devices during class time. Most of their teachers must let it go.

Anyhow...

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Yes, that too. Italy has actually introduced a law banning them in high school, much to the annoyance of the students but above all the parents! How can you fight this if the parents see nothing wrong with calling their child during a lesson?

As for my school, I ask them to turn off their phones. If they are on call then they are to put it on silent alert and leave the room to use it if it rings. Does that seem so unreasonable?

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Yes, cellphones are a particular annoyance of every teacher, I think. Sleeping in class drives me up the wall, which in Japan is perfectly all right to do (sleep, that is). What's worse, though, the sleeping students expect to pass because they came to class!

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

You what????!!!!
Please tell me you're exaggerating. I've never had anyone actually fall asleep, although a few have been close. I've never actually been riled by it as they are usually shift workers of some kind or new parents (can sympathise with that one!)

But actually sleeping. Wow - never realised that happened. What do you do in that situation? I'd really like to know.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

In Japan's public education system, it's enough to come to class to pass. This includes university. In fact, a student can stop coming to junior high school, and he/she will still receive a diploma (but won't be able to continue on to high school).

It's happened a few times in my uni classes. The first time it happens in a class, I wake the student up. If he/she persists in sleeping, at the end of the class I tell him he/she was absent. This usually results in an indignant, "But I was here!" After that, students rarely fall asleep in class.

In classes with business professionals, or in conversation schools, sleeping has never been a problem.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Here's something else: When students think they know more about the language or teaching than I do! It's not that I don't make mistakes, or am never wrong... that's not the problem. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know, am not sure, or was incorrect about a language point. But when a student remains adamant that he knows the language better (or how to teach better), even when faced with expert opinions such as textbooks, grammar books, dictionaries, etc., it gets under my skin.:mad:

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Yes, they weren't happy when I told them to stop using 'whom' because they sounded ridiculous. Apparently their previous teacher would not agree.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

I had that with 'How do you do?'. I told them that 'Nice to meet you' was fine, indeed in most cases more appropriate, but they wouldn't have it.

Re: What do your classes do that drives you mad?
 

Hi Frauke,

don´t dout your teaching I teach English in the Czech Republic and I guess the children are all the same all over the world.

I´ve been explaining the rule for forming -ing forms come+ing= coming over four years and there are still some pupils who write comeing :doh: and they are always surprised they have made a mistake. that really drives me mad.