Friendship or teaching?

Question

I am 17 and teach religion classes at my church. I co-teach with my friend (who is also 17) and she can be very difficult to work with. She likes to entertain the kids, and can be disruptive to the class. She does make some good points, and can be a great teacher if she sets her mind to it. But sometimes she'll mock me, have outside conversations with the kids while class is going on, and do other things that disrupt the class worse than any of the kids do. I've tried talking to her, but it doesn't really get better. What should I do?

Answer 1

Ask your friend to use entertainment as a teaching tool. Although religion is an important subject for many people, it can be boring or uninteresting to some. Your friend could use drama, songs, skits, and memorization tools such as acronyms (those words where the first letters each mean a word or concept).

Humor and entertainment are excellent teaching tools, when used appropriately. Maybe you could join her, and lighten up a bit yourself!

As for the mocking and outside conversations, you may consider teaching together the whole time and make sure you're both always actively contributing... find a way to teach at the same time as eachother (synchronistically) and not back and forth between the two of you. You are both teaching the same material and can teach it as friends.

And remember, the Lord is also an experienced teacher (he is Master)... ask him for help when you need it.

Answer 2

It sounds like you take your job very seriously but your friend may not. It also may be that your friend is jealous of how well you do the job and feels the need to upstage you. Since you have already tried talking to her, your best bet would probably be to do as one person suggested and take turns teaching. Maybe you could split the group into two parts and have your friend do something with one group in another area, while you teach the lesson and then switch part-way through.

I don't think telling anyone about this will do anything but cause problems between you two. You will have to decide if the conflict between you two is worth telling someone or trying to solve it on your own.

Answer 3

Tell her that it bothers you when she's disrupting the class, and it's making it hard for the kids to concentrate... I know you said you've already tried talking to her, but maybe you need to let her know that you're really serious this time. If she doesn't stop, then ask her to stop teaching with you unless she does. If you don't want to do that, talk to whoever is in charge of all of you teachers, and have that person step in and talk to her.... it doesn't have to come from you -- you can tell your supervisor that other people have mentioned it.

Answer 4

You need to talk to whoever is in charge, explain what your co-teacher does that you feel is inappropriate (mocking you is mean, as well as undermining your authority and being a distraction).

That person can then sit down for a chat with your friend, explaining the purpose of teaching, and why her behavior interferes.

As you see, it's tricky to work with friends, but the way to approach this case is professionally. Talking directly to her didn't work, so you need to bring in your boss (as it were).

You aren't "telling on" her to "get her in trouble" but are trying to make it possible to do your job effectively.

If she gets mad at you, just explain that you consider her your friend, but you both have an obligation as teachers to teach and you both owe that to your students.

Answer 5

Ask her if she would like to teach the class for the 1st ahlf and you will take over on the 2nd half or vice-versa.

Answer 6

Since you have already confronted her to no avail. Get her a T-shirt that says Satin rules.