44.4 and 48.6 re:teaching

[twilightshadow]

I finally got a short term job teaching again. I am filling in for a teacher on leave for 3 mos. I have only been there 4 days but thought things were going well. However, the principal pulled me in yesterday and spoke to me about his concern that I be able to control the classes. I didn't think I was having too many issues but the class is at times noisy, and I do have a few students I am trying to get a handle on. They're not bad kids, just disruptive and sometimes argumentative.

I asked Yi first, How do I get the students to listen to me, to do what I need them to do? 44.4 to 57 I wasn't entirely clear on the answer so I asked again to try and clarify, What do I need to do now regarding my students? 48.6 to 57.

Interesting the resulting hex is the same. A couple of the other teachers have said I need to have more of "an iron fist", but the advice here seems to me to be the opposite. 44.4 recommends tolerating insignificant people, and 48.6 is an unlimited well, though I wasn't sure if there was a well for me to draw from or I'm supposed to be the well for the students.

Any thoughts. I really don't want to lose this position, but I've had this problem before. I just focus more on education than order, and I have consistently had higher learning gains and standardized test scores, yet twice I have been let go because they did not like my style of discipline.

 

[critique79]

hi!
I'm also a teacher. mind, you I'm new here, and not exactly an i ching scholar however I thought I'd share what I thing since we do the same job and because I've been helped with my reading when I needed assistance.
I think your teaching methods do bring results - as you've said, your students get high relatively scores. Perhaps the well is the depth of connection between you and students ( one that you've only begun to establish). since human connection, accepting people as they are, does bring about desirable results ( respect for others and higher self-esteem), erhaps what you'd better ignore is the advice of the others.
I know from experience that relatively few teachers pay less attention to discipline than to teaching itself but I believe it does work.
this is only my interpretation, of course, and I'm sure some experienced users will soon help.
what I had in mind were not just my pesonal views on teaching but above all what I gathered from your post is important to you as a teacher.
Of course I do empathise with your fear of possibly having problems with your proncipal. I've written this post mainly to empathise with a fellow teacher good luck!

 

[precision grace]

I finally got a short term job teaching again. I am filling in for a teacher on leave for 3 mos. I have only been there 4 days but thought things were going well. However, the principal pulled me in yesterday and spoke to me about his concern that I be able to control the classes. I didn't think I was having too many issues but the class is at times noisy, and I do have a few students I am trying to get a handle on. They're not bad kids, just disruptive and sometimes argumentative.

I asked Yi first, How do I get the students to listen to me, to do what I need them to do? 44.4 to 57 I wasn't entirely clear on the answer so I asked again to try and clarify, What do I need to do now regarding my students? 48.6 to 57.

Interesting the resulting hex is the same. A couple of the other teachers have said I need to have more of "an iron fist", but the advice here seems to me to be the opposite. 44.4 recommends tolerating insignificant people, and 48.6 is an unlimited well, though I wasn't sure if there was a well for me to draw from or I'm supposed to be the well for the students.

Any thoughts. I really don't want to lose this position, but I've had this problem before. I just focus more on education than order, and I have consistently had higher learning gains and standardized test scores, yet twice I have been let go because they did not like my style of discipline.

I don't know what your style of discipline is, but in order to get discipline you need to inwardly and then outwardly demand it. This is how discipline works. If you are also fair while being firm, your students won't hate you. It seems to me you need to think very hard about what the issues those disruptive students have and how you can approach those issues in order to get the students to behave properly. Can you talk to other teachers there to see if they've had the same problem with the same students and how they've handled it? If you have had this same problem in the past however, I would suggest the problem is within you, not with disruptive students (there are always few in every class, it's the law of Universe)

I am confused by your resulting hexagrams to be honest as I wouldn't expect either of them to be advice for achieving discipline, rather how to achieve a creative outcome. Maybe you just need to be creative with yourself in other to find out what in you can be used to achieve the order in the class as well as instruction.

 

[twilightshadow]

Appreciate the responses. Yes, I do put a higher value on teaching than on discipline. I was commiserating with one of my former students, now in college, and she even commented that she wishes administrators could understand that order does not necessarily equate learning. If only they would take recommendations from my students. She is one of several from my first year that have kept in touch and say they learned more from me, both about English and life, than any other teacher they had.

And I was also confused by Yi's responses, which was why I posted. I expected to get something in hex 7 or maybe hex 37. These were confusing when asking about discipline, but maybe that is the answer, that the solution does not lie in stronger discipline, at least not for me. I asked that former student what her suggestions were, and she said I would almost have to change my entire approach to teaching, and then I wouldn't be as effective a teacher. I had a better day on Friday. The principal came in unannounced to observe, and the kids did pretty well. Hopefully that will assuage his concerns. We will see.

 

[precision grace]

the kids did better because the principal was there they will start misbehaving as soon as there is just you around. I understand what you are saying about your effectiveness as a teacher, but if you don't change 'something' in your approach, you will be a jobless teacher by the sounds of things. If you love teaching, then maybe you have to find that creative solution that will bring in the classroom discipline required and still allow you to practice your own method.

I have only been a teacher for one day when I was 12 and we had a teacher practice day at school. Having to deal with misbehaving kids that day taught me that I never ever want to be a teacher. It is hard to get discipline especially when you are not allowed to beat the crap out of them . Good luck.

Edit. I've just looked at additional interpretation website that sometimes helps me see hexes from a different angle: http://www.pathfinder.3rdmilieux.com/i-ching-tao-of-power-art-of-war-hexagram-44-temptation.html

I don't know what your style is for trying to achieve discipline, but maybe 44.4 is counseling that you need to understand why those kids are misbehaving in order to know the best approach to get them to calm down?