Bad boys

Sometimes people ask me whether I have problem at work dealing with the bad hats in school (usually boys), those who create trouble, make noise, are defiant to the school system etc. I don't - they just don't deserve that much of my time, and no one else should suffer for their misbehaviour except themselves.

It does waste my time trying to deal with those kids if they act up in class - I mean the really psychotic ones which are totally oblivious to the teacher's authoritative presence. If they don't respond to prompts, I will take them out of class. Or at least that is what I think I will do. Truth is, I never do that, because I think it's a plain waste of the time for the rest of the class if I have to send these jokers down to the office myself.

But nonetheless, that's how things go - teachers should go outsource the problem kids (not those who are merely talkative mind you, but those truly disruptive ones) to the pupil management and get on with it. No students should have their lesson time wasted because their teachers are busy dealing with a few recalcitrant kids.

I teach in a new neighbourhood school, and I have my fair share of kids to discipline. But do I worry about them? No. I look forward to teaching those who wants to learn, or even those who need constant reminders to be serious. Those who are not interested to learn at all, suffer the consequences themselves. Their parents usually have no right to blame the school for not giving them equal treatment as the rest, because most of the time the parents is culpable for the kids' faults. It's sad, but true.

Parents out there - if you want to bring a child into the world, make sure you give them all the attention they need (which is not the same as giving them all the attention all the time). How they turn out to be depends on you.