There was one fifth-grade class that always gave me a headache.
They loved talking with their friends. They were loud, playful, and sometimes threw things around the classroom. Even when I was explaining an activity, there were moments when so many students were talking that it was difficult to move forward.
Sometimes, just knowing I had this class next made me feel anxious.
I had another class that was much quieter. Students knew when they needed to listen, the classroom was easier to manage, and lessons usually went more smoothly.
Naturally, I had a better impression of that class.
Then I gave both classes the same poster project.
A Simple Project About Taiwan
At that time, we were learning about landmarks around the world. I asked students to design an A4 poster inviting my foreign friends to visit Taiwan.
They needed to choose four things they wanted to introduce about Taiwan. I gave them some examples, but they could choose food, places, festivals, animals, or anything else they thought represented Taiwan.
I wanted them to think about one question:
If someone from another country asked you about Taiwan, what would you want to share?
The quieter class completed the project without much trouble.
Many students chose similar topics. A lot of them introduced bubble tea, stinky tofu, or Taipei 101. Some posters looked almost the same as my example, and a few students told me they could not think of anything else.
Looking back, I also wondered whether my examples influenced their choices more than I expected. I provided examples because we only had one class period to explain the project and begin working, and I wanted students to understand the task and have somewhere to start.
Maybe more time for brainstorming would have helped.
Then Came the “Difficult” Class
I expected this class to be harder.
Instead, once they started working on their posters, the classroom felt different.
Students were focused on what they wanted to create. The usual chatting and distractions became less noticeable because they actually wanted to finish their work. They asked me whether certain ideas were okay and wanted to share what they were planning.
Their posters also showed much more of their individual interests.
One student introduced Taiwanese endemic animals. I had briefly mentioned them before, and I was happy to see that he connected Taiwan with something he personally cared about.
Another student introduced Taiwan’s hot air balloon festival. A student who loved baseball chose to introduce Taiwanese baseball.
Some ideas were different from what I originally expected, but I enjoyed seeing their personalities appear in their work.
What made me even happier was that they genuinely wanted me to show their posters to my foreign friends.
These were some of the same students I usually had trouble getting to stop talking long enough to hear my instructions.
That stayed with me.
Rethinking What Makes a Class “Difficult”
Before this project, I think I connected classroom behavior with engagement more than I realized.
The quieter class was easier for me to teach, so I naturally had a better impression of them. But being quiet did not always mean students were interested or actively participating.
The louder class was still difficult to teach. One successful poster project did not suddenly solve all the problems.
However, it changed the way I looked at the class.
I was teaching the same content to five classes, so using similar activities was natural. It saved time and usually made sense. But when one class continued to struggle, I started asking myself what I could adjust as well.
After that, I did try adding more drawing and creating activities to some lessons. They helped in certain situations, but they were not a perfect solution. Group work, for example, could make classroom management even more challenging with this class.
I also do not think the answer is simply making every activity more interesting. Students still have responsibilities in the classroom. I can adjust my teaching, but students also need to listen, follow instructions, and try even when an activity is not their favorite.
That balance is still something I am learning.
If I taught this class again, I would spend more time thinking about what could truly hold their attention while still allowing me to teach the lesson.
The poster project did not change this class completely.
It changed the question I was asking.
Instead of only wondering why they could not focus, I started wondering what I could do differently too.
They could focus.
I had seen it happen.