Well, it's been three months since I first started teaching the Bad Cute Kids. Sadly, their progress is terribly below the level that it should be. Less sadly, they continue to be super cute and frequently hilarious. Their behavior has improved a lot, too, and I suspect it may have something to do with my recent implementation of a points system for them.
Everyday I go in and write their names on the board. Sometimes I pretend to forget who's next or I deliberately write (and read aloud) something silly like "Chicken." They like this and are good at correcting me.
Recently when I had written all five of their names on the board they all joked that I'd forgotten "Bear." Since they were so persistent with this joke, I went ahead and added Bear as the last member of the game, drawing a bear instead of writing it out, and whenever the whole class didn't know something I gave the points they should have earned to Bear.
Whenever anybody does anything right - and I mean anything - I give them points. You repeat after me? You get a point. You kind of sort of almost say a one-word answer intelligibly? You get a point. You say the wrong answer but I can see why you thought that so I figure at least you're paying attention and making an effort? You get a point. These kids have been so bad and so behind for so long that I'll praise them for anything.
But here's where it's effective: you speak Korean? I erase a point. You play with your chair? I erase another point! You answer when it's someone else's turn? I erase still more!
It's really worked a lot with them. They're starting to behave much better than before and they're actually making attempts to listen, to answer, to answer correctly, and to refrain from doing stupid stuff like pushing their friends or crawling under the table.
El Diablo has had the most success. I think perhaps he's the smartest in terms of recognizing the consequences for his actions - it only took a day or two for him to stop speaking Korean during classtime. The other kids have finally figured it out, but not without a lot of point bankruptcy first.
The Princess, who used to zone out like a zombie and have no idea how to answer anything I asked her, actually makes an effort during games now because she knows she can get stickers (which they collect for presents) if she racks up points and doesn't lose them.
Ms. Mischief always gets a lot of points for repeating after me but loses them just as quickly because she always sits backwards in her chair. I erase a point while making eye contact with her, and she grins with that "I know it's bad but I'm going to keep on doing it" smile that has become her trademark, and then proceeds to stand on her chair, which is even worse. She brings her lack of points upon herself.
The Howler answers really well except for his unintelligible mumblings, but he, too, loses points faster than he can recover them for speaking in Korean. El Diablo loves to say, "Teacher! (The Howler) Korean!" to alert me, as if I didn't know that grumply mumply noise was the Howler attempting to converse. The Howler sees me erase the point, then, outraged, immediately turns on El Diablo and starts saying mean things to him in Korean, thus depleting most of his remaining points.
The Barbarian has improved a lot and is getting better at not speaking Korean, but sometimes she forgets and just suddenly blurts something out, usually involving her sticker count, and usually to Ms. Mischief.
Occasionally I'll be busy having class and forget that Bear is there, but the Barbarian reminds me. She says, always suddenly and urgently, "Teacher! Bear!" So then I'll ask Bear something, and I'll make some gruff answer, and I'll ask them if it's right or not. Sometimes he's right and sometimes he's not.
Last week I started to draw Bear but they unanimously insisted, "Chicken! Teacher, chicken!" So I gave Bear wings and a rooster tail and chicken feet and said, "Okay, it's Bear Chicken!" They loved that. Unfortunately, Bear Chicken speaks much less Korean than they do, which means that sometimes Bear Chicken has more points than certain students (*cough* the Howler *cough*). I always point this out to them - "Whaaat? Bear Chicken has five points? You have only two points? Because Bear Chicken didn't speak Korean, but you spoke Korean...hmm..."
At the end of the week they were ready for something new. I started drawing Bear Chicken when they urged me, "Teacher, no! Monkey Bear!" So I drew Monkey Bear. But once again Monkey Bear had several points and certain students' point banks had dwindled down to two or three (or zero!) because they spoke too much Korean. The Barbarian, shrewd little hamster face that she is, watched in horror as I erased one more point from under her name and then quickly, almost desperately, informed me, "Teacher! Monkey Bear Korean!"
I said, "What? Monkey Bear spoke Korean? Really?" Monkey Bear had points to spare so I scolded Monkey Bear for speaking Korean and erased one point.
But the next time I erased one of the Barbarian's points, guess what happened?
"Teacher! Monkey Bear Korean!"
I see what you did there! So I said, "What? Monkey Bear spoke Korean again? Really?"
And El Diablo, perhaps one of the more honest ones, insisted, "Teacher, no! Monkey Bear no Korean!" Good to know you'll stand up for what's right, kid.
So now I won't erase points for Monkey Bear's alleged Korean anymore. But I keep my eye on the Barbarian, who's smart enough to try to get Monkey Bear's points erased so she can win.
Let the Monkey Bear Olympics begin!
