Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Norith]

Umm....I broke down and spanked a kid yesterday and today. Not so hard that he cried; not so hard that he wouldn't still laugh if I did something silly...but I spanked him.

Do you guys do this when you feel that you're left with no other option? I teach kindergarten in a howgon (among other things), and I've got two children that I have no real control over.

What are my alternatives? I'd spank my own kids (if I had any), but I feel weird spanking a kid that isn't mine. Neither of the 'problem' children speak enough english for me to tell them that their antics are unacceptable....and I can't seem to control them.

Spanking seems to work, but I'd like to find a different solution.

[yingwenlaoshi]

I wouldn't do that, man. Why bother in the first place?

[kingplaya4]

Meh, ignore all the new age philosophers on here. Appropriate physical punishment can help a child learn discipline. My only concern is it sounds like you might have done it in anger, which I would consider innapropriate and potentially dangerous, as it could lead down the road to child abuse "I just can't take these kids anymore!"

If you're uncomfortable with it, best to just take that option off the table, you're not the kids parent, so you only need to worry about getting them in line enough for you to tolerate them, which can often be accomplished with other methods, provided the management backs you up. Good luck!

[yingwenlaoshi]

[yingwenlaoshi]

Meh Meh
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Meh
Meh Meh Meh

[smilesalot]

I watched a really little kid (like, under 2) get spanked in my school and it really upset me. While I haven't decided what I'll do when I have my own children, I don't think it's right to spank someone else's child. I know, even if I decided to spank my children, I don't want anyone else spanking them. My mom was really good at using it only when my sisters and I were truly misbehaving or putting ourselves into danger (like running into the street), and it worked. Using out of anger is not good for the kid or for you.

On a discipline in school note, I've found that writing the words 'I will not talk if you are talking' on the white board and making the consequences clear (no recess after lunch, extra workbook pages, etc.) works really well. I've seen my worst behaved student get all of his peers to be quiet just because he doesn't want to loose his recess. It seems really simple, but everything else I've tried never worked and this has worked so well. Don't worry, I still encourage 'free talk,' just not while we're trying to finish the stuff their moms need to see (all those lovely workbook pages).

[SuperHero]

[moosehead]

[Rteacher]

Generally, Korean parents, while still permitting Korean teachers to use corporal punishment on their kids, will not tolerate foreign teachers to do so.

And Korean kids usually report everything that foreign teachers do in class to their parents.

[Zaria32]

Hmmm, OP, are you tryin' to own the room?

Don't hit, ever. Some Korean teachers are pretty hard on kids, physically, but you have to be VERY careful not to hit...

[Norith]

I realize that spanking is not the solution....I'm just asking what solutions have worked for you people. Please read the original post...what do I do to discipline a child who does not speak enough english for me to tell them its unacceptable?

There are 5 classrooms in a very small hall, so putting them in the hall for a timeout isn't going to help. If they can't maintain composure with an adult around, they'll go crazy without one.

The class can't read english, doesn't get recess, the parents don't speak english, and my director is just in it for the money.

I'm not worried about the children ratting me out; I just don't want to spank another person's child...I'm looking for a different method of controlling them. I said this in my original post.

And NO, I don't need to 'own the room', but in a class of 5 students, I'd like to keep the one child from running around, constantly closing his book (I open it to the right page and he instantly closes it....every single time), screaming non stop for nearly an hour, climbing up on chairs and tables...etc. If this was every once in a while, it'd be easy enough to curb. But what's the starting point when the child does nothing else but act out? The other kids in the class have some vocab down, and understand basic commands...but the one I'm having problems with is very new and has no real understanding of english (He understands 'stop', "sit down", "no", but I can't exactly threaten to call his mother).

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

Spanking? That's pretty lazy and desperate.

[I-am-me]

Child abuser!!!!!

[Shimokitazawa]

Spanking is so 1970s.

[wylies99]

My hogwan contract states EXPLICITLY that I cannot physically discipline students. Does yours?