Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tanklor1]

Yesterday a parent of a student complained about the way I disiplined her duaghter. She was talking too much so I tutrned my marker on her and marked her face. It's a standard tactic that I've pretty much always used. It also wasn't the first time that I used that tactic in that class.

Well, once I was confronted with the issuse I was asked to change my ways. I automaticly said "no" I didn't want to bow to an overeacting parent. Cuasing confusion and wonderment on how and why I can make a decision. I told my partner teacher that I use that tactic in everyone of my classes and I'm not going to change it for one class.

Well, today I got an e-mail from the lead English teacher intending to set me straight and put me in my place. I.e. My marker tactic has been banned and I was reminded just who was in charge of the classes that I teach: my co-teacher. Maybe I'm a complete asshole. Evryone I know will say that I have been one in the past. But I feel that when I step in a class I have the right to deal things my way. They gave me alternatives (Although I explained that if I sent a student out of made them stand up during class it would reduce the amount of time that the student would be able to work) and I'm sure that come Monday I'll get an lecture to further put me in my place. But I guess I'm leaning towards a Sith way of thinking when it comes to teaching.

Anyway. am I a complete knob for intially refusing to change my ways. Honestly is welcomed seeing how I have nothign else to do today besides respond to posts.

[Whirlwind]

Wipe them out...all of them.

[bobranger]

I would be offended if you marked my child. In my opinion, what you did is offensive and I too would complain. As to your point about it being your class and discipline is your discretion; it really isn�t. The school has guidelines which you must obey. Your class is under the rules of the school which must coincide with district and national school policies. I hope you can resolve this matter and continue to grow as an educator. Good Luck

[crusher_of_heads]

I'm hardly a softy, and I'm not going to say "Who will think of the children?" but there is a lot more punitive, vindictive and most importantly, effective ways to correct a student.


I ain't saying it's not a good way to go, but you can compromise by being a tighter ass than you already are.


And that's a good thing.


It's true, dead Joe Thanks, it's true.

[captain kirk]

How about writing lines? The girl can be given a blank piece of A4 paper during class and write on it, 'I will not ___________during class'. At the end of class she gives you the paper, bows, looks apologetic. One side of the paper or both sides. Plus you can keep it as a souvenir of capitulation, even frame it!

I used to poke 'em with the marker in the hagwon; the kids hate it. Scrunch up their face and look pissed. They don't have a mirror and can't see how bad it is. There's also the shame of it. Makes for lots of hositility. Such as could be brought home to Mom. There's the 'saving face' thing. Goes against that literally. Teacher dirties student.

Was 'writing out lines' one of the alternatives offered by the Kcoteacher?

[VirginIslander]

In my school the foreign teachers make the kids do push ups, write lines, motor bikes or stay after class. Some of the teachers can be pretty strict but we've had only one incident with upset parents. We received a complaint when one of us wrote on a child's face for misbehaving. Same thing.

After the child went home with the Hindu mark, the father called in from abroad to demand an apology and the mother, who was irate, marched into the school and argued with the Korean teacher, head front desk teacher and the boss for hours. Just once. Discipline from foreigners at our school has never been a problem, except for that time. Perhaps you should try something new. What did your teachers do?
[/b]

[blurgalurgalurga]

I never did it to punish the kids, but to tease them often I would pretend to write on their face. If a kid was goofing off, I'd sneak up behind them and 'write' on their forehead with the butt end of the marker, and then they'd freak out thinking they'd been drawn on. Their friends would quickly tell them that there was no ink on them and I was just fooling, but the initial look of shock was pure gold.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[bobranger]

I disagree with Young FRANKenstein. The fact of the matter is that the school has set guidelines as to what is acceptable classroom management. Just because a tactic you used is unacceptable does not mean you should abandon all you�re classroom responsibilities. I.e.� preparation, implementation and evaluation. I would even go further to say that when you lessen your input; the day becomes longer as well as a class less interesting and your self-worth is diminished.
�Same amount of pay, lots fewer duties. Sweet!� Really?
Time flies when you�re working hard.

[pkang0202]

[sunnyvale]

[blaseblasphemener]

Why is hitting a child better than writing on a child? Oh, that's right, foreigner teacher's can't play that card.

I agree with Youngfrankenstein. Let your Korean teacher do all the disciplining from now on. Sit back and watch her world fall apart.

[Davew125]

we do the marker on the face thing in my school as well. its the koreans that normally do it but they did phone all the parents of the kids in the class to make sure that it was OK first.

Maybe get your co teacher to phone up and check whats acceptable. I know in my last school one of the korean teachers phoned one of the parents to see if it was OK to hit his son with a stick.....apparently it was fine.

[OnTheOtherSide]

Marking a kid's face? This sounds like a pathetic and desperate tactic by a jerk teacher. That brings new meaning to the word unprofessional.

Can't you think of anything better for discipline? If a teacher did that to my kid I would be going in there demanding to know what's going on.

Geez. Some of the "discipline" techniques I hear about from you people are ridiculous. The best thing to do is act cool, earn their respect and then they will cooperate with you.

A lot of you are convinced that the students will never respect a foreign English teacher. But trust me, they will respect you a lot if you treat them with respect and get them to like you.

It seems like a lot of you go in to class acting like a$$es. And then when the kds act up you resort to humiliation and brute force tactics to discipline them. Very lame, very lame.

If I was a kid I woud misbehave even more after that.....

[moosehead]

my god where on earth did you go to university that you believe marking on a child's face is acceptable?

Korea?