Working with children is not an easy task.
You have to love working with children, you need to be patient and creative.

The other day, I met up with a friend of mine. She’s a teacher too. She felt so down because one of her students was dissipated during his English class with her.
She didn’t manage to get the child fully focused on the lesson. The father who supervised lesson that day seemed a bit disappointed after the class.
My friend is worried. May be the father thinks she’s a bad teacher.

Well, I understand my friend’s frustration. I’ve been there.
Teaching young children can be frustrating when you have to deal with their moods. What we have to do in a similar situation is to remain calm, to be patient and to recognize that kids do have their good and bad days too!
It doesn’t mean that we are bad teachers! Surely the parents do understand that.

Next time it happens again and it will; I would suggest playing a little bit with the student before starting the lesson. Make him feel comfortable. You notice he’s a bit reluctant to engage the conversation with you; compliment him on something you notice on him (clothes, toys, hair…) or talk about his surroundings to break the ice. Ease the conversation. Ease the tense atmosphere. Synchronize with the child. Become a child of his age! Yes, if you have to! I call that ‘be at the same wavelength than your student’. You’ll see he will open up straight away.

If you are nervous, the child in front of you can feel and see with your body language that you are nervous. Then you make him nervous. Your mood is contagious. Whatever mood you’re in in your classes, you communicate it to your students. This is a fact. I’m sure we’ve all noticed that at least once in our lives. The only difference between us adults and the children is we adults we can control our moods. Children cannot as they are children. Because we are adults we are in charge. As adults in charge it is our duty to synchronize with our young students and not the other way round.

Remember, remain calm, be patient, ease the tense atmosphere and synchronize with your student. 

When you feel he’s ready for the activity or lesson then start not before. Be serious and fun to study with! You can be the teacher and the friend too! That’s how you gain the children’s trusts.

Aurelia.L