spoiled child having music class !!! Spoiled Child Syndrome !!!

Spoiled child having music class really spoilt my mood for the day !!!

In 1989, Bruce McIntosh coined the term the "spoiled child syndrome".  The syndrome is characterized by "excessive, self-centred, and immature behavior".  It includes lack of consideration for other people, recurrent temper tantrums, and inability to handle the delay of gratification, demands for having one's own way, obstructiveness, and manipulation.

It is really upsetting and disturbed when you have a child came into the class and shown her long-moody face during the entire class, especially EARLY in the Saturday morning. 

In fact, most of my Saturday is like this and nowadays I told myself that I WILL NOT let this little young lady spoil my mood for the rest of the day.  Most of the time I feel I've become a baby sitter rather a music teacher.  There is time I really need to ask this student politely to play a simple tune.

From her playing I know immediately she didn't prepare her home work.  In another words - SHE NEVER PRACTICE AT HOME !!!!  It was really troubled and disturbing already when you know she did not prepare anything for the class.  Then right from the beginning of the class she gave you that buttock face.  Like I owe her a lot of money !!!

This particular young lady has scared off lot of her tutors.  I understand from her mother that even her Malay Language tutor cannot stand her bad attitude.  Her ex-piano teacher quitted teaching her basically because the piano teacher never seen this kind of spoilt kid in her life, and this little girl always refused to play the piano during the class and always gave lots of lame excuses to the piano teacher.

This is the main reason why some of the young teacher doesn't like to take young kids especially those spoilt kids.  Some of the young teacher will even ask the parent not to send their kids to music class if the kids are having attitude problem.  It is a waste of time and effort for Parents, kids and Teachers further more it is waste of money to send the kids to music class.  WHAT A SAD COMMENT !!!

control a group of "monkey"

I need help on classroom management !!!

Nowadays teaching group class is getting difficult than before.  I feel difficult it's not because of I have no teaching plan or lack of teaching materials.  The difficulty is how to manage a class room well and in control.  I do admit that I told some of my friends and colleagues that nowadays teaching a group of young kids is like doing a superman job.  Sometime I do feel like I am teaching a group of out of control "monkeys".

One of my colleague even disliked my comment on this topic and she even talked to me about teaching with LOVE !!!  I was overwhelmed with her ideas or philosophy but I don't totally agree with her.  Not agreed with her because she didn't understand the classes I am handling.  Please imagine I have nearly 40 pupils in a classroom and all of them need to play the notes BAG on the first class.  Every one of them play very loud and they play descant recorder.  40 recorders sounded at once !!!! with FORTISSIMO !!!

Now I am waiting for next teacher group discussion on classroom management.  I do hope to get some tips from this group discussion.

what now??? after quitting that music school

After quitted teaching at that music school, I still joke around with some of my friends and colleagues about this music school.  I asked them if the music school can simply transfer students to another teacher without the previous teacher's acknowledgement or agreement, then can we (the teacher) just simply ask the student to take classes privately with the teacher without informing the music school??

Last Tuesday, after talking with the principal of the music school, I've made up my mind to terminate my service music school at Wangsa Walk Mall.  Now I have to settle the classes with music school at Ampang Point Shopping Centre.  Both music school at Wangsa Walk Mall and Ampang Point Shopping Centre are under one company. 

On the same day,  I went to an interview and basically I am happy with this music school.  During the interview, the person in charged of the music school knew my incident happened at music school that I've quitted two weeks ago.  She shared some of her thoughts and tell me some of the differences between this school and the one I quitted.  One matter she pointed out which strike me the most is they are not -
"shopping-mall-based music school" means the music school is not located in a shopping.  I've learnt that this kind of music school put their heart into music education to sustain and/or survive their business.  "Shopping-mall-based music school" is blessed with WALK-IN-CUSTOMERS but I doubted this kind of students will stay long with this kind of music school.  This type of music school making business by selling music instruments more than providing good musical courses to students.  To me this is - after sales service - for those customers who purchased musical instrument from the shop.  Such music school doesn't put the best interest into the welfare of their music teachers.

Friends do ask me about how do I know that is good music school?  Good in what sense, I asked them.  I've come to a conclusion that if that music school locate in a shopping mall and selling instrument to survive their business, please don't go there to pick up instrument classes.  What do you think?

What a Memorable Thursday and What a Music School in KL (13 January, 2011)

Thursday evening (13 Jan, 2011), as usual, ready to teach in the music school very near to my house.  I only have two students there, since it is a beginning of the year so I want to start my work there with positive impact.  So I went there early that Thursday.  Things really went good with the first student who is a recorder student, as I almost finish teaching this student, I found that my following flute student did not knock the door to remind me is his turn for class.  So I took the initiative to look for the flute student then called the student.  Unfortunately the student was not at home when I called him.

It was VERY shocking to me when I found out that the flute student shifted his class to Saturday from the piano teacher who taught his brother.  It was convenient for me to ask the piano teacher since we are teaching next door to each other.  By then I only realized both the brothers are no longer having music classes on every Thursday. I was so confused about the whole situation, so I asked the school administration staffs about any changes of schedule for my student, since I am NOT working there on Saturday.  So many questions came into my mind at that moment.  One of it, why the piano teacher was informed about the changes of lesson so-last-minute, in fact she got the news only prior to the class about to start. What about my student?? No one from the music school inform me about ANYTHING.   Both the piano teacher and me know about the changes on that particular Thursday and right before our students' class about to start, and I know this from the piano teacher not from the music school.  Oh NO, I only found out about the reschedule when the class is about to finish!!! Nearly 20 minutes is gone then only I know about the reschedule.  The piano teacher was really helpful and  kind enough to ask me to refer this matter to the school admin staffs.

Another thing I have to point out here is the way the admin staffs handle me when I started asking questions about my student.  You should see the faces and body language they talked to me that Thursday evening.  One of them acting very busy moving here and there and another one just sitting there doing A LOT of PAPER WORKS.  Well, I think they are busy settle some other things for other parents and just sitting there doing some document or paper works.  They even joke around when I asked what happen to my student, and why he didn't turn up for class that day, and why I know the student's brother will come on Saturday and what about my student? Is my student will come on Saturday too?? Together with his brother?? At that moment, I can SMELL something is about to go really WRONG.

Only at that moment when I threw all those questions to the admin staffs, they act like USUAL and answer me with no respect at all.  Reply all my questions like I am a STUPID young fresh teacher who just started working WITH some 'BA LIA' music school.  The new school admin manager didn't even bother to take the effort or time to ask me to sit down and tell me right in front of me about the changes.  She just simply reply that she has changed my student to Saturday AND to other teacher then moved away from the counter. Some more, the other Senior admin manager even said like I am the one who should be blamed of this simply because I am not teaching in their music school on Saturday.  I think this is not the issue.  From this incident, mind I say, this two admin staffs is HEARTLESS and BRAINLESS.  Heartless because they don't take effort to understand the whole issue here and they don't know how to settle this type of cases. Brainless because they don't know how to negotiate with the teacher (in this case is me) or encourage the teacher to teach on Saturday then they can help up the teacher to allocate more class on Saturday in the future.

Let me ask you all this question, if you are the new admin manager what should you do when the student request to change time and how should you reply or answer to the student??  Will you just simply change the time WITHOUT discussing with the teacher??  If you are a SENIOR manager, will do the same thing like the new manager did??  This music school has senior manager that work there for more than 15 years, if she let the new young manager to do things like this it shows how well trained and experienced she can be.

All I just want to know is why the student changing time and WHY no one from the school inform me in ADVANCE.  Only when I ask the school admin staffs, I realized my student’s new time table has been confirmed and finalized by the school stuffs WITHOUT my acknowledgement.  TO ME THIS IS VERY RUDE OF THE SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION STAFFS.  Without acknowledging the teacher in charged and simply change the schedule, this is awfully rude and no respect to the teacher.  The thing that made me even MORE SAD is changing time AND changing to another flute teacher.  I have nothing against the other flute teacher BUT the school admin staffs never take the trouble or initiative to understand the sweat and tear (efforts) of a teacher ‘grooming up’ a student since the first class. I think, to the admin staffs think this matter is really a TROUBLE process for them to inform and discuss with the teacher.  To them just make the changes save lots of TROUBLE.  To me,  THIS IS NOT PROFESSIONAL AT ALL and NOT ETHICAL.  Does it ever come across in their mind, the teacher has a plan for that particular student??  I planned my teaching materials in advance for each of my student for 6-month-classes to come and I even personalized my teaching approaches for each and every one of my students.  It takes time to understand a particular student and ways to talk to the student. I even take the trouble to purchase music books that very hard to get in Malaysia for all my students.  This incident is REALLY discouraging to me and other music teacher.

Well, they can even explain to the principal of the school that they have called me and wanted to inform me about the reschedule, and say I am the one who didn't pick up the phone.  Then, now I keep asking myself why the piano teacher also got the news on that particular Thursday and right before the class about to start with the brother's of my student????

If the school admin staffs talk and consult to me in advance about the reschedule, I won’t take the trouble to write the 'quitting' email to the principal of the music school,  BUT from this incident is too much for me to take, it shows that how ‘professional’ and how capable the school admin staffs of this music school can be. The principal of the school put her NAME and reputation as a music education provider at risk here, if this kind of management team they have in this school.  This year (2011) marks my 18th year of music education, I can say that never in my music teaching life I’ve been disrespectfully treated like this and it is VERY humiliating to me.  Quitting from this music school has made my other students a victim.  I think it is good for my other student to look for other teacher in the same school or other music school if they want to continue their classes.

I feel I want to share with you all about this incident.  I learnt and keep learning from my past experience.  With this then I can grow to become a better human being.