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Post by Otaku on Apr 16, 2008 7:36:10 GMT 8
I taught a little girl in ES that didn't speak. Despite the school putting her into the English class with the rest of the students, I was never told what the reason for her never speaking was. That's fine because I'm used to being kept in the dark as an ALT.
From what I gathered talking to various teachers at the school was that she spoke but only when she wasn't at school. She didn't have a vocal problem. So my guess was that she either was bullied or had a terrible/tradgic home life. However, it didn't matter because as the year went on, we came to an unspoken agreement that as long as she would mouth the words and I could understand her that would be okay.
Fast-forward a year and now she is a first year JHS student. The teachers decided to keep this student in regular classes. In elementary school her speaking was not a problem because the vocabulary or target sentences were pretty short, but in JHS my entire job seems to promote oral communication. I am quite clueless as to how to integrate a non-handicapped student that simply chooses not to speak into a class that is rather genki and I always tell them to shutup?
I'm the low person on the totem pole so I don't see me having an life altering changes in this student's life to get them to speak. My utmost concern is the longer this student is allowed simply not to speak, the harder it will be for her to EVER speak.
hhhmmm....
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yopparaisaru
Englipedia Fana
I drink copious amounts of fire and piss excellence
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Post by yopparaisaru on Apr 16, 2008 8:23:22 GMT 8
I've had a couple of students like that actually, I don't really understand it at all. Psychological reports indicate that kids who refuse to speak are usually victims of abuse, either physcial or sexual and as a result of the horrors they face usually at home they detach themselves from reality as a defense mechanism. But these children refuse speak period. If its as you gathered that the girl in question speaks outside of school but shuts up once inside, suggests that the problem lie not at home but in school. Since thats where the symptoms appear.
But as a kid who was bullied in school in the states, I can't imagine that the japanese kids could be worse than my tormentors of old. I realize its an overused stereotype to assume that everyplace is more dangerous/worse/more extreme than peaceful little Japan and their effeminate bullies and scare tactics than involve primarily ignoring their target as opposed to physical confrontation as well as ridicule, but I for one believe it. I've seen what passes as "ijime" here and from what i remember it pales in comparison to my experience. And if you've met me, you know that I just don't shut up...even as a kid no one could escape the torrent of verbal masturbation i unleashed upon anyone in my path...
Anyway, if bullying is the issue at school, and if the method of said bullying is exclusion from the all important group then the reason for her silence is fairly clear. Speaking of her troubles would naturally further distance herself from everyone else as in the process of saying I'm being bullied she's implicates someone in the class of bullying her, and thus creates 2 individuals who stand outside the norm. The bully and the bullied, Two nails to be hammered back into place. Since the issue of bullying is so serious in the eyes of the school body the teachers/homeroom teacher of said girl will immediately dive into the problem in order to get to the bottom of it. This from experience is always a bad thing, regardless of the intention of the teachers, for the minute they get involved the bully's know the bullied squealed which leads to even worse treatment. The girl would be a whistler blower in a big company where every employee is "one of the family." So while the the whistle blower may have good intentions in the end their only seen as a traitor. Therefore in order to prevent this the girl remains silent about any problems she may or may not have at school.
And her reason for not talking is simply the overwhelming fear that is she does talk no one will listen and her loneliness will be made apparent.
Of course I could just blowing gas and the girl just doesn't like school and therefore doesn't care. But that doesn't require a couple pages of analysis and the expenditure of 15 minutes of my classless day. (any excuse to busy myself is welcome and taken advantage of...) ;D
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Post by junkdna on Apr 17, 2008 7:49:53 GMT 8
Did research on this many years ago, because I was tired of not knowing what was going on. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Mutismê–Êãg–ÙÇ@i‚΂߂ñ‚©‚ñ‚à‚‚µ‚傤j ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A0%B4%E9%9D%A2%E7%B7%98%E9%BB%99%E7%97%87"In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders selective mutism is described as a rare psychological disorder in children. Children (and adults) with the disorder are fully capable of speech and understanding language, but fail to speak in certain social situations when it is expected of them. They function normally in other areas of behaviour and learning, though appear severely withdrawn and some are unable to participate in group activities due to their extreme anxiety. It is like an extreme form of shyness, but the intensity and duration distinguish it. As an example, a child may be completely silent at school, for years at a time, but speak quite freely or even excessively at home." It's annoying, but what can you do? I've heard many parents don't realize their children have this disorder, which makes you wonder if these parents participate in their child's education at all.
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Post by Otaku on Apr 17, 2008 11:36:38 GMT 8
That's an interesting find, JD! So, it all comes down to anxiety, huh? Hell, I didn't need to go to college and pay people to tell me this. A common person who observes this type of person can tell you the same thing.
I guess the solution to this would be to decrease the anxiety level within the student. However, logically, this anxiety would seem to harden as time goes on, and even has a chance to solidify itself to the student's character...kinda like that black slimey alien in the 3rd Spiderman movie.
I don't know if this problem makes me sad or mad. I'm sad that the student has this problem, which was created based upon some unbeknownst to me incident, BUT it makes me mad that people like us, who has no phsychology degree (or spelling degree) or teaching degrees, can identify this problem and yet nobody at school seems to do anything about it.
I just want to punch the people at school in the nose when they tell me to just ignore it. Ignoring things breeds ignorance, hence why the two words looks similar. Pretending something exists in the face of something that blatantly DOES EXIST is something I will never like about Japanese culture.
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Post by junkdna on Apr 18, 2008 7:34:32 GMT 8
Oh they are quite aware of the problem. They just can't do anything about it because MEXT insists all students be the same and thus in the same classes along with the Down's child, and the wheelchair bound child, and the polio afflicted child...
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yopparaisaru
Englipedia Fana
I drink copious amounts of fire and piss excellence
Posts: 312
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Post by yopparaisaru on Apr 18, 2008 8:23:05 GMT 8
The nail that stands up gets hammered down...
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Post by junkdna on Apr 18, 2008 10:29:23 GMT 8
The nail that stands up gets hammered down... yes it does, it also gets a lower quality education in the process. i have already smote you once today. are you just looking for trouble?
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yopparaisaru
Englipedia Fana
I drink copious amounts of fire and piss excellence
Posts: 312
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Post by yopparaisaru on Apr 18, 2008 11:50:25 GMT 8
I don't look for trouble Junk, I am the trouble...lol
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Post by junkdna on Apr 18, 2008 14:06:44 GMT 8
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