Problem Children?
If there is one main problem with the Moldovan Educational System, it's that the system contains no restraints on behavior – there is absolutely no structure of discipline present. There are no detentions, no suspensions, (in theory) the lack of ability to kick kids out of class. And worst of all, there is no chance to punish kids in the way that matters the most and would be the most effective – through grades – because kids are always automatically promoted to the next grade, no matter what their skill level. If a kids fails, it is largely viewed as the fault of the teacher. As a result, social promotion is far more than the norm – it's the set-in-store rule – meaning that most volunteers (myself included) have many kids who have been studying English for seven, eight, nine years and still can't form one complete sentence. And needless to say, classroom management is one of the biggest problems of Peace Corps volunteers and among teachers in general, as my host mom comes home at least once a week with words about how difficult her kids were.
There are many reasons for the prominence of this discipline problem. I think the biggest reason comes from the lack of discipline in the structure of the schools themselves. Between classes, for example, kids are allowed to basically do anything to each other that they want; they are given free reign to slap, hit, beat, chase, and do any number of things to each-other. As a result, 1) This aggression is hard to just turn-off once the bell rings, and 2) It creates a lot of situations where kids feel they have to reciprocate for actions just done to them. Thus, just about of the previously mentioned actions that happen between lessons are known to happen with some regularity during the lessons themselves. My first reaction, naturally, is to blame the kids: then I have to remind myself that, while I was a fairly well-behaved kid, I can't imagine what I would have been like if I had had the free reign that these kids have.
I actually consider myself lucky from a classroom management standpoint in that my kids, for the most part, like me and as a result, self-discipline. Plus, my kids know that there will be consequences for their actions. Playing football is my new ace-card, as the kids know that if they want to play they have to do certain things in the classroom – even when we get out on the field, they have to treat each-other and me with respect. They also know that if I see them between classes in school – not in a classroom – then they get to take the day off from playing football, and if they get riled up enough and start complaining, then they can wait more and more. On Monday of this week, for example, I had a kid outside on the field complain about getting let into the game, so I finally relent and let him in. He had been on the field for 30 seconds when he decided to be funny and kick another kids, which just doesn't fly, so I kicked him out for the day.
He kept whining and whining so I at last told him that if he said another would wait two days to play. Thinking I was joking, he tried me again.
So guess who has to wait until after Easter break (two weeks) to play? Thats right, the kid who thought he was smarter than me.
Notes:
- A few of my friends from Peace Corps came here to my village last weekend, three TEFL guys from the group I came in with (Aaron from Maine, Peter from Cincinnati, and Chris from Roanoke, Virginia). Their trip led to the following highlights:
1)We all came to my village on Saturday evening on a mini-bus, and while conversations were going on when we entered, once we started speaking English everything stopped. In the midst of our talk two guys turned to each other and in Russian said:
“What language is that?”
“They're all speaking English.”
“Did you study English in school?”
“Yeah, eight years.”
“Do you understand any of this?”
“No, nothing.”
2)After we got off and were walking through the village we were talking about how we gave all the people on the bus a story they will tell for the rest of their lives when the kid from Kentucky said, “Yeah, they'll all go home and talk about how there were these Germans on the bus all speaking in German to each-other.”
3)There is a little (very little) stream that requires crossing sometimes, but the only 'bridge' is wood laid down that starts at 1 inch wide but extends to about 7 inches. My friend, not trusting the wood, decided to jump and ended up getting all wet when he didn't make it. We laughed until we cried about that one. We then proceeded to the local disco/mayor's office for a few minutes, and on the way out my friend became so frustrated with his wet socks that he decided to take them off and throw them into the forest (in front of everyone), which caused more questions in school on Monday than anything else.
4) At one point we looked at an animal and thought it was the biggest dog we had ever seen before we realized it was just a very small cow.
In short, it was a great time. We all plan on doing it again in one month's time and the home of my buddy from Virginia.
- On Tuesday of this week I was watching a football game on the dish – Utah vs. Tulsa in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl – and my host mom walked in. Her reactions were classic, a combination of shock and disgust. She couldn't believe that people play a sport that physical and violent and that, least of all, I would play such a sport.
- Russian State TV loves to take TV shows from America – there are countless examples. There is even a Russian Wheel of Fortune that is quite possible the worst show in the history of television. The words they guess are no longer than 8 letters, they only guess one word at a time as opposed to the phrases in America, and they spend countless amounts of time just talking, with all of the contestants giving gifts to the host and talking with him. It's terrible.
I mention all this because my host grandpa (who was with us for 2 weeks but has since moved out) absolutely loved the show and when it wasn't on TV last Friday at the normal time, he was really really bothered. I told him why it wasn't on (because of the satellite dish), he didn't believe me and we had to wait until my host mom came in to explain it. Not that he was any happier though.
- I'm heading out for Kiev on Monday night, the day after Easter, going with two girls from my group who are health volunteers. Should be an amazing time, despite the massive amounts of protests going on there due to the battle between the president and the prime minister.
And speaking of Easter, it should be really to see how it's conducted here, as Easter is a far more important holiday in the Eastern church than it is in the Western. Today and Friday we have a fast where-by we aren't able to meat or any sort of dairy product – basically a vegan diet.
- In closing, I'll write a few words about how I'm spending my spare time now – learning about soccer.
We have a lot of channels devoted totally to the sport (like the Real Madrid channel), and we have a Ukrainian sports channel that shows a lot of games as well as two channels devoted totally to the German League and a few that show games from the Spanish 'La Liga.” And to top it off, all of our news channels are international, so soccer is usually the first sport highlighted. I can say with pride that I already have favorite teams in England (Liverpool, Blackburn, Tottenham Hotspur) as well as Spain (Vallencia).
I've also decided that when I get back to America the first thing I'm going to do when I get a job with money is to start a collection of jerseys from soccer teams in Europe.
Can't wait to get started – only 17 more months.
There are many reasons for the prominence of this discipline problem. I think the biggest reason comes from the lack of discipline in the structure of the schools themselves. Between classes, for example, kids are allowed to basically do anything to each other that they want; they are given free reign to slap, hit, beat, chase, and do any number of things to each-other. As a result, 1) This aggression is hard to just turn-off once the bell rings, and 2) It creates a lot of situations where kids feel they have to reciprocate for actions just done to them. Thus, just about of the previously mentioned actions that happen between lessons are known to happen with some regularity during the lessons themselves. My first reaction, naturally, is to blame the kids: then I have to remind myself that, while I was a fairly well-behaved kid, I can't imagine what I would have been like if I had had the free reign that these kids have.
I actually consider myself lucky from a classroom management standpoint in that my kids, for the most part, like me and as a result, self-discipline. Plus, my kids know that there will be consequences for their actions. Playing football is my new ace-card, as the kids know that if they want to play they have to do certain things in the classroom – even when we get out on the field, they have to treat each-other and me with respect. They also know that if I see them between classes in school – not in a classroom – then they get to take the day off from playing football, and if they get riled up enough and start complaining, then they can wait more and more. On Monday of this week, for example, I had a kid outside on the field complain about getting let into the game, so I finally relent and let him in. He had been on the field for 30 seconds when he decided to be funny and kick another kids, which just doesn't fly, so I kicked him out for the day.
He kept whining and whining so I at last told him that if he said another would wait two days to play. Thinking I was joking, he tried me again.
So guess who has to wait until after Easter break (two weeks) to play? Thats right, the kid who thought he was smarter than me.
Notes:
- A few of my friends from Peace Corps came here to my village last weekend, three TEFL guys from the group I came in with (Aaron from Maine, Peter from Cincinnati, and Chris from Roanoke, Virginia). Their trip led to the following highlights:
1)We all came to my village on Saturday evening on a mini-bus, and while conversations were going on when we entered, once we started speaking English everything stopped. In the midst of our talk two guys turned to each other and in Russian said:
“What language is that?”
“They're all speaking English.”
“Did you study English in school?”
“Yeah, eight years.”
“Do you understand any of this?”
“No, nothing.”
2)After we got off and were walking through the village we were talking about how we gave all the people on the bus a story they will tell for the rest of their lives when the kid from Kentucky said, “Yeah, they'll all go home and talk about how there were these Germans on the bus all speaking in German to each-other.”
3)There is a little (very little) stream that requires crossing sometimes, but the only 'bridge' is wood laid down that starts at 1 inch wide but extends to about 7 inches. My friend, not trusting the wood, decided to jump and ended up getting all wet when he didn't make it. We laughed until we cried about that one. We then proceeded to the local disco/mayor's office for a few minutes, and on the way out my friend became so frustrated with his wet socks that he decided to take them off and throw them into the forest (in front of everyone), which caused more questions in school on Monday than anything else.
4) At one point we looked at an animal and thought it was the biggest dog we had ever seen before we realized it was just a very small cow.
In short, it was a great time. We all plan on doing it again in one month's time and the home of my buddy from Virginia.
- On Tuesday of this week I was watching a football game on the dish – Utah vs. Tulsa in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl – and my host mom walked in. Her reactions were classic, a combination of shock and disgust. She couldn't believe that people play a sport that physical and violent and that, least of all, I would play such a sport.
- Russian State TV loves to take TV shows from America – there are countless examples. There is even a Russian Wheel of Fortune that is quite possible the worst show in the history of television. The words they guess are no longer than 8 letters, they only guess one word at a time as opposed to the phrases in America, and they spend countless amounts of time just talking, with all of the contestants giving gifts to the host and talking with him. It's terrible.
I mention all this because my host grandpa (who was with us for 2 weeks but has since moved out) absolutely loved the show and when it wasn't on TV last Friday at the normal time, he was really really bothered. I told him why it wasn't on (because of the satellite dish), he didn't believe me and we had to wait until my host mom came in to explain it. Not that he was any happier though.
- I'm heading out for Kiev on Monday night, the day after Easter, going with two girls from my group who are health volunteers. Should be an amazing time, despite the massive amounts of protests going on there due to the battle between the president and the prime minister.
And speaking of Easter, it should be really to see how it's conducted here, as Easter is a far more important holiday in the Eastern church than it is in the Western. Today and Friday we have a fast where-by we aren't able to meat or any sort of dairy product – basically a vegan diet.
- In closing, I'll write a few words about how I'm spending my spare time now – learning about soccer.
We have a lot of channels devoted totally to the sport (like the Real Madrid channel), and we have a Ukrainian sports channel that shows a lot of games as well as two channels devoted totally to the German League and a few that show games from the Spanish 'La Liga.” And to top it off, all of our news channels are international, so soccer is usually the first sport highlighted. I can say with pride that I already have favorite teams in England (Liverpool, Blackburn, Tottenham Hotspur) as well as Spain (Vallencia).
I've also decided that when I get back to America the first thing I'm going to do when I get a job with money is to start a collection of jerseys from soccer teams in Europe.
Can't wait to get started – only 17 more months.
posted by Andy Buchanan at 1:19 PM
2 Comments:
Perfect passes coming from the Buckster? I don't think so... I'm blaming the dropped passes on the qb. Have you pulled out any trick plays such as the hook and ladder or the good ole fumblerooski? Gagnon's getting married this summer. Should be a very interesting time.
Andy,
Soon your players will come to understand the meaning of the word "Coach" and the awesome power carried by that position of authority ! And since you don't have restrictions on practice time Moldova is certainly more like Texas and Florida then Minnesota, and we expect you to supply a few players to the States by this time next year.
Thinking of your exuberant youths I recall my Dad only went to school until the 8th grade, after WWII he attended night classes to get what we now call a GED. Back in his time everyone had to work to keep things going. In the U.S.A. today's common practice of Jr. & Sr. high schools is a relatively new idea that I believe had its intellectual roots with John Dewey and other social planners. It's basic idea of extended public education has now spread in one version or another across the globe, the question remains whether it has validity everywhere. Certainly in many countries it has been found that the classroom provides a good place for indoctrination. And maybe there is some clues here as to why dropout rates are still very high among some socio-economic groups. At any rate I found it hard to stay in my seat when Spring arrived, and while my school had many windows many of the newer ones lack these, maybe to keep the distractions down ?
Funny thing about the Ukraine, I haven't seen one word about the politics there. If the "Orange" revolution is faltering it's news to me. Should be yet another interesting experience !
Dad
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