Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Do you have any of these? At my school, which has both an academic and vocational programme, I only teach the first grade vocational students. This year's two second-grade classes were, last year in grade one, the two worst public school classes I've ever taught. I can't say I miss them a great deal but today at sports day had a chance to interact with some of them for the first time in a long while. They seemed so ... pleasant, and cheerful and friendly. These same students who just made me lose it in the classroom a couple of times were so much fun to hang around with. I was taking photos of one event and one girl came up with her friend striking a cutesy pose wanting me to take her photo - the same girl who made me stop in mid-track and drag her outside the classroom where she spent the rest of the lesson kneeling at the end of last year. And a few others came up wanting to try a few words of English or, last night at our school festival, beg me to sing an English song at the karejokie contest - the same ones who wished I'd just shut up and let them sleep last year.

I wonder if vocational / technical high schools would accomplish more if they just hired waegooks to be the PE and music teachers' assistants?

[mrsquirrel]

Loads of them.

Honestly outside of the school I don't think any of them are bad.

[Dome Vans]

[KYC]

nearly half of my students are like that. They are little terrors in the classroom & I have struggle with discipline since day 1 because of them. I absolutely hate teaching them. They don't listen to me and mock me when I'm yelling at them.

Outside of the classroom, they smile & greet me. They let me cut in the lunch line, always always give me candy, and some even want to hold my hands.

I thought they would hate my guts since I always yell at them. Sometimes before class can even start, I single them out and make them sit by themselves to avoid any disruptions.

[Easter Clark]

I was just talking with my colleagues today about how none of the students bow to me when they see me outside of class! It would be nice, after all...but I do get more "Hello!"s than I can handle.

They seem to really be on their best behavior when they're with their friends, in groups of three or more. I guess they want to show out or something. Amazing how some of these same students who shout "Hi teacher!" to me as I'm walking home are such little sh*ts in the classroom.

Do the kids bow to the FT at your school or just shout "Hello!" at you, expecting a smile and a wave?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Fishead soup]

This kind of situation is far more extreme in the United Arab Emirates.
In class they used to ask me if I went to Dubai to sleep with Russian prostitutes. Outside of class they were perfect angels

[yingwenlaoshi]

Because someone might be watching. That's why.

And they're happy to not be in class. Ooh look! The teacher! I'm a good, happy person!

[ardis]

I definitely have some students like that. One of my 1st grade middle schoolers is crazy in class--loud, distracting (AND distracted), over the top joking, etc. He is obviously doing it to be the class clown and amidst his little gang, he's the top. But his mom is making him take my extra class after school now...and he's a doll. I have him last period on Friday and then 30 minutes later, he comes back for my extra class. Suddenly, he is polite, quiet, and really, really humble (his English is the worst in my extra class). So he works hard on his assignments and smiles ruefully when he doesn't understand something, instead of acting insane. It's like having two different students.

And about your other question: almost all of my boy students bow and most of the female students wave. The ones that are really comfortable with English wave and go, "Hiiiii, how are you today??" and the quieter ones bow and giggle.