Korean Job Discussion Forums

[IncognitoHFX]

I've been having a problem in all of my classes since the first day I taught in Korea. Basically, when students need help with anything (even easy stuff that I know they know the answer for), they all scream at the same time expecting me to be everywhere at once. Also, the boy students will yell "YA!!!" and do a crude signal with their hand, or they'll crap me/punch me if I'm in their radius at all to get my attention.

Yes, it's annoyed me since day one. Yes, I ignore them. I have a rule in my class, I only answer the kid who is sitting quietly with his/her hand raised. I follow this rule quite religiously and some kids do observe it.

However, it makes some kids ten times worse than before and no matter how consistent I am, I still get boys screaming "YA!!! YA!!!", throwing things at me and yelling "FU.CK TEACHAAA!!! HEEEERE!!!" When I don't acknowledge them as soon as humanly possible.

Only a couple months left at this hagwon and I'm hoping to go to a good one after this where there is a system that makes the kids behave. But until then, does anyone have any idea of how to get kids to just... shut up? Or wait their turn? Basically, every class I teach is a yelling match between me and three-or-four kids screaming at the top of their lungs in Korean or screaming for attention.

I know some of you will just say "ignore it and play hangman", but I can't even do that because they will do the exactly same thing then. Regardless of what's going on, even if they're writing a test that determines what level they'll be in next month, they'll still sit there and scream their lungs off from the beginning of the class until the end for about six straight hours. All forms of punishment do nothing to them, as they like getting kicked out of the class and they like it when I scream at them. And, of course, no one is ever going to call their parents about it no matter how much I beg. I just want to get through these next two months without another nervous breakdown in the classroom which they all think is hilarious (staff included).

Ideas?

[mrsquirrel]

They don't respect you.

Interesting one that.

From the other part of the forum it would appear that quite a few posters don't respect you either having met you.

Maybe it's something to do with you, not the kids.

I don't respect you at all since you claimed you were going to leave after all that girlfriend stuff came out on the thread about you. You stayed here anyway,

In other words grow some balls. It's your classroom you take charge of it.

[KYC]

It seems that you've made up your mind that nothing will work in the classroom. You also said you want the rest of the remaining months of your contract to go smoothly. Well then, why not just act calm & cool. When they yell YA, just turn your head and smile and say "just a minute please." Don't let it get under your skin if you're hell bent on having a good couple of remaining months.

[Insidejohnmalkovich]

Hold them after class. There is NOTHING rebels hate more than even a few minutes more of school. Make them miss their bus.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[crusher_of_heads]

[IncognitoHFX]

It's not really just me it's happening to, for the fellow who suggested I get a different job. Most of my kids have been kicked out of multiple hagwons before they end up at mine, precisely the reason being that our school never kicks kids out and disallows discipline because we're small and afraid of losing money.

Honestly, it's not just me. Sometimes my boss comes in the classroom and yells at them. He can be an intimidating guy, but they're still bad the second he leaves or they're bad the second he turns his back around to leave the classroom. They're bad for the Korean teachers as well and quite a few of my students have the whole day on their hands to misbehave as they've been taken out of public school by their family.

I'm planning on doing another hagwon after this but quite conditionally. I'm only going to work at a hagwon that has good discipline and a good curriculum. I love some of my students, they're well behaved and a pleasure to teach. Even some of my students that aren't a pleasure to teach are at least well behaved.

I want to cut misbehaved children out of the equation. If I have a well behaved class I'm actually not a bad teacher. Especially with Middle School kids (why do people complain about MS? I haven't had a bad MS kid yet!)

[cbclark4]

Give it back.

If they say the 'f' word use it back in the most intimidating way.

Give it a shot you only have two months left.

What are they gonna do? Send you to Korea.

[Mi Yum mi]

[Hanson]

Here's what I did, way back when, and it worked like a charm.

First: Put each student's name on the board without saying why you're doing it. They'll ask you why - don't tell them.

Second: Teach your class as you normally would.

Third: Whenever a student does something you don't like, or is rude, or yells "Teecha!" or "Ya!"...... put a line on the board next to that student's name (in that 1-2-3-4-5 counting way Koreans use...). Again, tell them nothing about why you're doing it.

Fourth: Repeat step 3 as necessary.

Fifth: By the end of class, you'll have a score of how often each student has been rude to you. Explain that next class, if a student gets X number of lines next to their name, "punishment" will happen, or, conversely, if students get NO lines next to their names, they get "reward".

My punishment was staying after class. My reward was no homework.

[mrsquirrel]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[IncognitoHFX]

[PGF]

if they are genuinely arses and not just noisy kids, give them the boot. I had a few like that at my last job and I'd calmly walk out of the classroom, get a dictionary, take their books and book bag to the hall and tell them to start copying the dictionary. I always laughed while doing this. Don't let them think you are mad....do not loose control of your temper.. Punish with a smile.

The last three weeks at that hagwon I would just walk into that one class, point at the two trouble makers and point at the hallway... they'd shuffle off and play in the hallway for an hour and the other kids actually had a chance to learn a little english-e... sometimes the receptionist ajumma would try to get them back into the classroom, but I'd just point to my watch and say 5 for minutes and they can come in.....

[Hanson]