Chris and I follow failblog.org daily. If you haven't been there...please check it out. It's a hilarious site that posts funny pictures and videos of things that fail. Whether it be poorly thought out advertisements, unsuccessful inventions, or a simple picture that captures a moment in time when somebody decided to shut their brain down, this website never ceases to make us laugh. It may be at the expense of other people's mistakes but I like to think that if they saw themselves on failblog, they too would crack a smile.
This is why when I went to the library the other day to make some copies, I had to immediately turn around and run to my husband's classroom informing him about the following sign I saw posted at the entrance of our school.
Our principal, whom we love dearly, had posted a sign calling out all of the children who failed their dictation tests. She came up to talk with Chris and I as we were gawking at the fact that this sign could even be posted. She started laughing and said that when the students see the sign they will hopefully feel shame and study for their next exam. We just thought it was so funny and opposite of how we do things in the US. Our way of encouraging students is less about bringing the kids down but more about lifting them up. It seems like today in the US, we walk on eggshells as to not harm a child's emotional confidence. We don't want anyone to be embarrassed or shamed. I remember times in college when I couldn't even figure out my own score because there were so many secret codes and passwords to remember. Everyone is so careful not to invade anyone's privacy. In Korea, it is the opposite. The principal is constantly publicly announcing student's scores no matter what end of the scale they are on. Often times I see children grab their tests and run back to stuff them in their backpacks before anyone can see the embarrassing answers they had thought were correct. Christopher even had one kindergartner who burst into tears after other students laughed at his spelling score. I have children who beg me not to announce the scores in class and then other children who seem like they will have a heart attack if they don't know who scored the highest.
Chris and I have been trying to find a happy medium between these two ways of thought. We want to encourage the students to do their best, not by harshly harming their confidence and shaming them in front of their peers, but also not without instilling some friendly competitive nature. This is one of the struggles we face teaching in general, and in teaching in a completely different environment than what we are used to.
1 comment:
That is sad to hear. Yes, we certainly have moved far away from shame as a motivating tool, but I agree, a little healthy competition is good.
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