How can I reach these kids?

[Tricen]

Tell them to write an auto-biography of their lives, and then call child services and have them put in foster care because their parents are awful. This means you wont have to teach them and you crush the souls of small children.









Why am I not a teacher?

[Mizango]

Tricen, you love the kids. I know this without a doubt dawg. I mean, we've known each other how long? You'd do well around baby chuckas.

[Cadsuane]

I remember when I was a couple years older than the kids you're talking about, I was given a detention for something and one of the other kids who was staying was doing a reading assignment that he'd skimped on the night before. Teacher noticed he was staring off into space and ignoring his book, so she bitched at him a bit and got him to read aloud, at which point it became clear that the kid was virtually illiterate. So this teacher starts reading along with him, helping him over words that he can't figure out (which was nearly every word), and I guess she had this vaguely astounded look on her face that a kid could make it to grade 4 without knowing how to read that the kid noticed because next thing he's bursting into tears. Meanwhile I'm the only other person in the room trying not to be noticed in the back corner thinking what a hopeless case this poor sod is.

I think you're going to learn something that most people who work in education know but pretend not to; some kids are talented and bad education can waste their potential. Educational reform these days is basically all about fixing that. Most of the time though, kids come out of the education system in a completely ignorant state because that's about as much as you can expect from them.

[Zetanio]

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2...incipalqz3.jpg

I thought of this.

I think the sentiment that everyone has posted above is true. Most of the kids are probably scared, ashamed and sad because they can't read/write and are showing that as rebellion or acting out. Do what you can to help them but what sucks is it's like sticking your finger in the dike.

[Ksandra]

This kind of situation makes me so mad at No Child Left Behind. Now of course there were kids like that back in the day (like Cad's example), but now there's no incentive for teachers to help these kids. (Not saying they don't but many give up). Teachers have to pass a certain percentage of their students or they can get fired. Hence "dumbing down America". On top of that, if a parent wants their kid to move on to the 4rd grade even though he can't read/write, then the school has to let them.

Who knows if the parent even knows their kids have problems or cares at this point.

Budget cuts don't help either with making free after school programs to tutor them either.

[Kerberoz]

Here's what you do: give an assignment, and everyone who doesn't complete the assignment satisfactorily gets a big, fat, red "F". Repeat. Ignore whining. Don't make them feel special. Fail 'em. Although, I'm not sure if the school board will allow you to give "F"s since it seems that the concept has been abolished in fear of upsetting the special snowflakes.

i'd hold off on having them present to the class. nothing kills a kid's creativity more than knowing they'll have to read whatever they write to everyone else.

This. Either read the best ones aloud yourself, or don't have them shared at all. Kids hate reading their own work aloud.

[aduidarnenye]

Treats like candy or stickers always worked a charm when I taught kids that age. Stickers are often safer cause of allergies and cause you don't want kids whacked out on sugar in your class.

Someone mentioned above to ignore the ones who refuse to write and I have to agree. Sometimes there is just no point.

[BerenTebogo]

Tell them that until they all sit quietly and write like they've been told to you'll blast Zooey Deschanel on repeat at agonizing volumes.

Within 30 seconds you'll have the most well-behaved class in America, no lie.

[Drex]

like sticking your finger in the dike.

http://www.hecklerspray.com/wp-conte...1/rosie051.jpg

[Antithesis]

I would like to take the time to point out Creative Writing majors are a bunch of hacks.

If they were so creative they could have thought of something better to major in

 

[Counterfeit]

I really don't see the point of rewarding students for something they should be doing in the first place. If they do more than what was asked from them, sure, no problem. You should have them write a ten sentence paragraph about whatever. For every extra two sentences they write can be rewarded with a piece of candy.

Making games out of work is a good idea. You can fill a brown paper bag with adjectives and another bag full of nouns. Go around the room and have them pick a few from each and have them write a paragraph from the combinations they can make.

[Ashmada]

OP: sounds like you have quite a problem on your hands. Have you tried fire?

Tell them to write lyrics.

Damn, that's even gayer than the leaf thing. Hollywood cliché much?
(but yeah, I thought about that, too. Hating myself for it)

Tell them to write an auto-biography of their lives, and then call child services and have them put in foster care because their parents are awful. This means you wont have to teach them and you crush the souls of small children.

Now THAT's genius. Try that if fire fails.

[Maguspk]

Creativity is actually negatively reinforced especially by monetary rewards or rewards which have value. You need to find a way to generate an intrinsic motivation in them, how you do that? Shit I don't know. All I know is that rewards like treats and shit are not going to increase creativity only maybe participation. Sure if they are participating more they might produce more results but they won't necessarily be more creative or involved in the way you want them to be involved. The hurdle will be getting them to all accept it as a class, you need to override the peer pressure among the students and replace it with a positive energy that encourages coming up with really creative ideas. I remember in 6th grade I had a teacher who would throw peanuts to students who asked really good/creative questions and I remember even the trouble makers would try to ask good questions to get the peanut. It was just one fucking peanut so it wasn't anything special but just adding that little element to the class encouraged participation at the very least. Maybe once participation is settled you can move onto the more difficult problem of making them be creative.

Don't grade them on grammer/punctuation/etc. just grade them on the effort they put in and let them know this, that way they don't feel the academic pressure they have felt in most other writing classes. This is creative writing so the focus should be on just getting them to think about the story or whatever not the process of writing it for an audience, right?

[Jefe]

Reminds me about that one time my friend was given the opportunity to work for the LAUSD in Compton. At first he had a Jaime Escalante thing going on and how he was going to make a difference and all this shit. A week later he was describing his students as a pack of wild animals, and that the parents were worse lol...

Now, about the kids give 'em an incentive... I bet if they had something to gain (as candy/goodies), they'd write that shit np.

[Weiing]

Some solid advice already given. I agree with Maguspk's comment, too, about reward and support.

What you describe as the weird reaction isn't really too weird. It does sound like something mentioned before about being embarrassed about something--perhaps not being able to write or read well.

One question: Did they sign up for this creative class voluntarily? Or did their parents make them, for instance?

As I don't know exactly your teaching style, I have to base this off what you say: that most students you taught before respond well to you. If these children really are "problem" kids (even that label is questionable), perhaps it's something to do with them... Perhaps they need individual attention and encouragement. I'm not a teacher so I can't give you teaching advice. But coming from a social work perspective (but not being psychoanalytic or anything), I'm curious to see what's at the core of their behavior. I do agree that being patient with them, complementing them on the content of whatever they write, and just mentioning their grammar/spelling errors without reprimanding them may be most helpful. For those who blatantly refuse, just keep trying and stand your ground, I'd say--but obviously not get overly punitive or overtly frustrated with them. Perhaps they're just testing you to see if you'll just treat them like how everyone else in their lives might be treating them (assumption, obviously I don't know their lives).

In the end, I know it may be difficult for a teacher as you're dealing with multiple children at once... But start where each student is at, and work with them from there.

[Osiris]

Uh... Most ADULTS I know don't know proper grammar, punctuation, how to use plurals or the proper usage of "you" "you're" your" etc.
I wouldn't worry about elementary school kids.

I had a college reading level in 4th grade, I don't understand why some people are so stupid.

[Silenka]

I wouldn't worry about elementary school kids.

I don't understand why some people are so stupid.

/facepalm

[Plow]

Obviously the correct answer is to teach them where to find and buy their papers online.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Honestly it sounds like the kids need counseling. There's something going on upstairs that is preventing them from doing what they are supposed to. In my experience with kids, they want order, but they can't comprehend it is there are psychologically issues that need attending to.

[Silenka]

If by upstairs you mean upstairs in their parents' bedroom where daddy is beating mommy then yes. Most 'problem kids' would turn out a hell of a lot better if they had parents who gave a shit about them. I'm not sure how an elementary school kid would react to psychological help of the standard kind, since all they really need in most cases is just normal parental guidance in a normal home, which is not something that a shrink can give them.