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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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philipjames
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 1:29 pm Post subject: Bats! |
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One thing that I will never do again is work for a hogwan owner whose kiids attend my classes. At my last School, GnB English (worst school in Korea) the owner's son was the rudest, most obnoxious 12 year-old I had ever met. Words can't describe this child. He would defy me all class, every class, in a hundred different ways. When I would scold him, he would begin with "My mother says...", or "You're not the boss. My mother is the boss. I don't have to listen to you." When I complained to the mother/owner, she would smile as if her child was adorable. "He's only child", she would say. So was Damian!
The brat would grin at me, satisfied. At other times when I scolded him he would feign tears and go to his mother. The mother would come into class in an accusatory attitude and ask me what happened, as the child had told some lie to her. I would tell her the situation, then she would turn to the students and ask them what happened...in a direct assault on my truthfulness and status as teacher in the classroom. She would ask in Korean, which would alienate me further.
All day the mother would glare at me and mumble on about me in aggressive Korean. All I'm doing is trying to maintain order in the class. The fact that the most disruly obnoxious child is the son of the owner doesn't matter.
Teachers have the right to maintain order in the classroom. Parents have an obligation to ensure that their children well-behaved. |
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Crazy Oz
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Ilsan, Korea
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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PJ,
Early on in my stint in Korea I had a similar situation. Both the bosses kids attended the school, one in kinder, the other in the higher grades. It will suffice to say that the behaviour of these two kids was at times terrible, and I approached my boss about it. I got a similar response ie "they are only children". So I bit my tongue and let it ride, bad behaviour and all.
A couple of weeks later some students dropped out of the classes that the bosses kids were in, then a bit later a few more. Next thing I know was that the bosses kids were gone from class. I enquired with one of the Korean teachers and the response I got was that "the mothers had complained that......and.......were bad". Guess what? The boss had moved his kids to another school because the other kids had gone home and complained to the mothers about the bosses kids behaviour. Some moms promptly pulled their kids out without explanation, some came to the school and made protests. This was enough for the boss to make a quick decision, as the withdrawal of the other students and subsequent loss of won, backed up my previous observations and concerns.
These places are not really here for education, but are usually only here as a business. Money talks and the bosses kids walked.
Since then I have had far less problems in class with poor behaviour, but it still exists, but hardly to a degree where anything major evolves.
If the boss loses a few paying kids at the expense of his/her kids the tide may turn very quickly.
Still crazy, still here. |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 6:27 pm Post subject: yea... |
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Every hogwon I taught at had kids from the boss' family. Nephews, sons, or neices.
Brats, all of them. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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This has never happened to me, but it sounds scary. Not sure how I'd react if I were asked to teach the boss's kids in the same room with other students.
The situation phillipjames described at the top is something that might send me on the MNR - might, but might not. I've probably already endured worse. Mainly, it would just encourage me to do a half-assed job, since the boss is demonstrating cluelessness about how to assist me in making the classroom a good place, and that's even more sad than packing the bags would be. |
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William Beckerson Guest
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2003 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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The only time that happened to me, the girl was in Kinder and she was a perfect student.
Her mom, on the other hand, stared the school because she was bored and her husband decided to give her a big birthday gift that year. So, her skill at being a boss was at the opposite end of the scale from her kid's skill of being decent. |
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