Korean Job Discussion Forums

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

What would you do if you met up with some friends at your local and then suddenly noticed that four (well, three out of four I could identify) of your high school students were at the table across from you and at least a couple of them had successfully ordered pints of beer? Would you inform their homeroom teachers or just wink and nod the next time you passed them. In this case I'm talking about grade 3 vocational students (age 17-18 in western years) I no longer teach, several of whom have been punished every which way over their years at school, to no apparent benefit whatsoever. They've always been nice to me, and never gave me any of the problems they have some of the Korean teachers, even though they had zero interest whatsoever in learning English. What really got me was just how brazen they were about it. They finished up their beers and left shortly after I arrived, but made no sort of attempt to hide what they were doing at all in a bar with about 25 other people, there being a very good chance that someone would recognise them. I went and spoke to the ajuma after they left and she said they had said they were first year uni students; a couple of them had funked up their hairstyles enough to make it look very plausible. She also said that several of them had been smoking before I arrived.

pocariboy73 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003

I would have done nothing but smiled. Were they hurting you? Just let them be.

sconner · Joined: 26 Jan 2006 Location: South Carolina

That ones hard. I ran inot a few of my elementary school students on the street smoking. They were twelve, so it really freaked me out. They looked very embarrassed and tried to hide it, but it was too late. I just told them that smoking is a bad habit, bad for their health. But when I was their age, I know wouldn't have listened to me.

oneofthesarahs · Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Location: Sacheon City

At that age, I'd let it be. I think everyone pushes the boundaries a little at that age. Especially if they were just sitting there, knocking back a few and not doing anything particularly out of control.

bosintang · Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 9:38 pm Post subject:

One of three things:

1) I'd leave before they saw me and I haven't already ordered
2) I'd pretend I didn't know them
or
3) I'd tell them to take a hike or I'd be telling their homeroom teacher on Monday.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

JMO · Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Location: Daegu

No big deal. Just ignore them and pretend you don't see them or if you can't do that, tell them to find their own bar as this one is yours.

mehamrick · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Location: South Korea

I would think back to when you were 15-18 and what you did as a kid. I mean I couldnt make it into a bar it was just not that easy in the States. But I knwo we had our fair share of drinking and other things going on. So unless they were making complete arses of themselves I would let it slide. Wish them a good time or something.

50 Won · Joined: 14 Jan 2007

You were actually thinking of ratting out your own students??

Damn, dude!

I would've bought them a round on me.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

I saw my teachers in bars when I was underage. They just said, "Hello. How are you blah, blah, blah".

Rolling Eyes

When I lived in Quebec there were 15 and 16-year olds drinking beer in bars.

Big deal.

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

jay-shi · Joined: 09 May 2004 Location: On tour

superacidjax · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Location: Seoul

Wow. I can't belive some of you would consider "telling" on your students. Who cares what they do? Why would I bother? It's not my job to be the student's mothers. If they were smoking at school.. that would be a different story, because the student's parents rely upon the teachers to look out for their kids during school hours.

But outside of school? Not my concern. My job is to look after their educational needs not be their surrogate parent. Besides, the OP was in a bar too, so obviously it seems kind of hypocritical to be railing on the students for following their teacher's example. Regarding their age.. they're going to be leaving for the Army in just a few years, why not let them just do their thing?

I always thought the idea of a drinking age was ridiculous. In the US, you can join the Army at 17, but you can't drink until you're 21. Screw that.

poet13 · Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 1:41 am Post subject:

Let 'em be. They're close enough to legal, they weren't hurting you, and it doesn't sound like they were being clowns. 12 year olds smoking isn't cool though. If they were my students, I'd take the cigarettes.

kimchi_pizza · Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 2:11 am Post subject:

"C'mon over here! Know any good drinking games? How about the beer dance? No? Oh, you wanna play 007? Cool."

Anyways, an American is allowed to join the military, carry a rifle and possibly kill someone at 18 and not allowed to drink? Hmmm...ah, off topic!

I drank with a number of my newly graduated students and didn't feel the least bit ackward. I demonstrated how to drink responsibly and still have a good time and when finished made sure they got home at a reasonable hour and safely with me being the teacher/hyeong(older brother).