Vulgar speech and gestures in the classroom

[phuketsub]

One of the problems I have been dealing with for years is the kids I teach using vulgar language (especially the 'F-word') and gestures (especially middle finger) in the English-language classroom...They are good kids and simply don't know what they are doing or saying. I know they just pick it up by watching movies, or possibly even from their folks, but after decades of putting up with it I feel I am no an inch closer to a solution. I sometimes also worry that their parents might think they learned it from me...

 

I have considered doing a 'time out' for kids who do it, but I think that might just raise more interest in, and usage of, the offending language and gestures.

 

So I am just curious to know if anyone else out there has tried other solutions and gotten a positive result...

[nikmar]

i had the same thing when i taught in a Government school in Bangkok. It got to the point where even the Thai assistant teacher would laugh when one f the little angels stood up, gave me the middle finger and said "Hollywood say f### you"

In the end, Imade a point of taking the offending child out of the class and explaining in Thai that if they should ever say that in an English speaking country then the consequences could be very bad. After explaining I gave them one chance. If they say it again then we go to talk to the head of departmrnt. Say it again then i go to the parents.  

I also mentioned to the form and assistant teachers that i wasnt happy with children giving me the finger. If the assistant thinks it's funny then what chance did the kids stand.

[Spidey]

My son is 6. His class is a mix of Thai and luk keung. The classes are normally conducted in Thai and my son speaks very little English.

 

A couple of months ago he came home and used the phrase "What the f***". I sat him down and explained to him that it was a very bad word and that I didn't want him to use it again. I am bringing him up to respect and look up to me rather than fear me so he is constantly trying to please me. As such, he realised that he had incurred my displeasure and hasn't used the word since.

 

 

[sanemax]

17 minutes ago, Spidey said:

My son is 6. His class is a mix of Thai and luk keung. The classes are normally conducted in Thai and my son speaks very little English.

 

A couple of months ago he came home and used the phrase "What the f***". I sat him down and explained to him that it was a very bad word and that I didn't want him to use it again. I am bringing him up to respect and look up to me rather than fear me so he is constantly trying to please me. As such, he realised that he had incurred my displeasure and hasn't used the word since.

 

 

Why havent you taught your son English though?

[nikmar]

26 minutes ago, Spidey said:

My son is 6. His class is a mix of Thai and luk keung. The classes are normally conducted in Thai and my son speaks very little English.

 

A couple of months ago he came home and used the phrase "What the f***". I sat him down and explained to him that it was a very bad word and that I didn't want him to use it again. I am bringing him up to respect and look up to me rather than fear me so he is constantly trying to please me. As such, he realised that he had incurred my displeasure and hasn't used the word since.

 

 

I do the same with my 11 yr old. This morning i told him how Everton got on last night to be met with a string of outlawed words. The thing is, i totally agreed, however, no i pad for a week for him now. ????

 

[Spidey]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Why havent you taught your son English though?

He's 6 and he's Thai. I want him to learn Thai first. Starting to teach him Lao/Issan now.

[Spidey]

14 minutes ago, nikmar said:

I do the same with my 11 yr old. This morning i told him how Everton got on last night to be met with a string of outlawed words. The thing is, i totally agreed, however, no i pad for a week for him now. ????

 

Yep. Ipad and Disney Channel are my main weapons.

[sanemax]

9 minutes ago, Spidey said:

He's 6 and he's Thai. I want him to learn Thai first. Starting to teach him Lao/Issan now.

Its much easier to teach young kids languages naturally .

My 3 year old speaks English as good as any Western 3 year old and also speaks Thai (better) and also local lingo ( a bit) .

  Many Thai/felang kids are bi-lingual and there's no excuse for not teaching them English and its also quite easy to do so .

   We were in a restaurant the other day and the waitress shouted out something in Thai to us , as we were leaving .

  My Boy said to me in English "You've left your sunglasses behind" 

[Spidey]

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Its much easier to teach young kids languages naturally .

My 3 year old speaks English as good as any Western 3 year old and also speaks Thai (better) and also local lingo ( a bit) .

  Many Thai/felang kids are bi-lingual and there's no excuse for not teaching them English and its also quite easy to do so .

   We were in a restaurant the other day and the waitress shouted out something in Thai to us , as we were leaving .

  My Boy said to me in English "You've left your sunglasses behind" 

Yea right OK. Are you sure he didn't say, " Hey, maggot, you've left your f***ing shades behind, you senile old git". Then I would have been impressed.

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, Spidey said:

Yea right OK. Are you sure he didn't say, " Hey, maggot, you've left your f***ing shades behind, you senile old git". Then I would have been impressed.

No, he doesnt swear , he knows the words , but I have told him not to use swear words and he doesnt .

  He is also well spoken and respectful and doesnt use low class English to communicate 

[Bluespunk]

Just talk to the kids and explain the language is unacceptable in school, or in your classroom at the least. 

 

You can't stop them learning the language, but you can help them understand when and where it's use is unacceptable.

[youreavinalaff]

I don't quite understand the constant use of the word "teach" when referring to one's children speaking.

 

You don't "teach" your kids to speak English, as much as you don't teach them to speak Thai or and other dialect.

 

You speak to them and they just pick it up. It's not teaching at all.

 

I have never felt that I have ever taught my daughter English. Same as her mother has never taught her Thai and the same as her peers have never taught her Khmer.

[sanemax]

11 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

I don't quite understand the constant use of the word "teach" when referring to one's children speaking.

 

You don't "teach" your kids to speak English, as much as you don't teach them to speak Thai or and other dialect.

 

You speak to them and they just pick it up. It's not teaching at all.

 

I have never felt that I have ever taught my daughter English. Same as her mother has never taught her Thai and the same as her peers have never taught her Khmer.

 Well , kids pick up the local language naturally , hearing the same simply words over and over again and practicing with other kids who know a few words as their hear the words on a daily basis .

   Its different when you teach a kid a non local language , that he would never hear locally .

   I began teaching the different colours , numbers , animals , fruits etc , one word at a time . Once he knew all those , I began combining the words, "One black cat" , Two yellow bananas etc .

   And rather than just talking , you have to empathize what you are talking about .

"We go to the shop"

"We" point to me and him 

"Go" point to the shop , and go there .

Say "Shop" , when we get to 7/11 , so he understands what the different words mean and how they all fit together.

   Although you do speak to them , you dont JUST speak to them , you have to teach them individual words and how they all fit together and then expand their vocabulary 

 

[youreavinalaff]

23 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 Well , kids pick up the local language naturally , hearing the same simply words over and over again and practicing with other kids who know a few words as their hear the words on a daily basis .

   Its different when you teach a kid a non local language , that he would never hear locally .

   I began teaching the different colours , numbers , animals , fruits etc , one word at a time . Once he knew all those , I began combining the words, "One black cat" , Two yellow bananas etc .

   And rather than just talking , you have to empathize what you are talking about .

"We go to the shop"

"We" point to me and him 

"Go" point to the shop , and go there .

Say "Shop" , when we get to 7/11 , so he understands what the different words mean and how they all fit together.

   Although you do speak to them , you dont JUST speak to them , you have to teach them individual words and how they all fit together and then expand their vocabulary 

 

Well I didn't. I spoke to my daughter as if it was her first language from the day she was born just as my wife did when speaking Thai to her.. Kids can easily pick up several languages at the same time. Why should they need to learn to speak in different ways? 

[billd766]

My son is 14 and the neighbours daughters are 9 and 13.

 

I had to make an effort not to swear or use bad language. If I do, I say it under my breath.

 

What I do use are things like "You stupid boy, Pike from Dad's Army"

 

or "You plonker, Rodney" from only Fools and Horses.

[sanemax]

19 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Well I didn't. I spoke to my daughter as if it was her first language from the day she was born just as my wife did when speaking Thai to her.. Kids can easily pick up several languages at the same time. Why should they need to learn to speak in different ways? 

Before my Boy turned three , he could string long sentences together in English "I dont want to go to the supermarket , I want to go swimming" , I did have to teach him English quick , as my Thai isnt good , English is our only form of communication 

[anterian]

I have 4 cats in my home, they are mostly bilingual although they respond to English more readily than Thai. 

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, anterian said:

I have 4 cats in my home, they are mostly bilingual although they respond to English more readily than Thai. 

yes! to say from Thai, asking "let(Me-ow)t" would have really have been a trans(litter)ation

 

 

Chairman Meeow only needs 7 different ways to say (demand) whatever he wants!

 

the first sentence should comes out as "good mee-ate buddy pal, where's my'eow food?"

[rasg]

I bet they respond to a kick up the bum better than Thai or English.????

[rasg]

On 2/7/2019 at 7:35 AM, Spidey said:

He's 6 and he's Thai. I want him to learn Thai first. Starting to teach him Lao/Issan now.

Not the best way of doing it. Kids around 2 or 3 are like sponges and can pick up two of three languages at that age. They will end up speaking like natives. Depending on who they have been learning from of course.????

 

If you leave teaching anybody English much beyond 6 or 7 they will never learn all of the verb forms and tenses. As Thai verbs have no tenses it will become a barrier to learning them properly in English.

[Spidey]

6 minutes ago, rasg said:

Not the best way of doing it. Kids around 2 or 3 are like sponges and can pick up two of three languages at that age. They will end up speaking like natives. Depending on who they have been learning from of course.????

 

If you leave teaching anybody English much beyond 6 or 7 they will never learn all of the verb forms and tenses. As Thai verbs have no tenses it will become a barrier to learning them properly in English.

Firstly, that's untrue. Secondly, why would I be desperate for him to learn English? Thirdly, he has an English lesson at school every day and naturally picks English up from me.

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Firstly, that's untrue. Secondly, why would I be desperate for him to learn English?

We speak English in the house, the kids speak Thai at school.

Both kids are fully bilingual, my son is 7, my step daughter is 20.

The boy also speaks an Issan village dialect with his grandmother.