Korean Job Discussion Forums

[matthews_world]

Korean kids are great!

They are studious and fun to be around. They hug me, well the younger girls do, and they wanna fight and play. The middle school students are intelligent and cool.

Sure, they are rambunctious and squirrley to the extent of giving you ulcers, but they are some of the smartest and cutest kids in the world.

I've been in education for 3 years and they are the best kids I've taught so far.

[some waygug-in]

Where do you teach? (public school or hagwan?)

This factor can make a huge difference in the attitudes and behavior of the students you teach. Kids generally don't take hagwan classes seriously (of course there are exceptions) and they have a far greater tendancy to fool around and not do anything in a hagwan situation.

I'm glad you love your students. I loved teaching some of mine too, but the ones who gave me the finger constantly and told me to "Puck you" were certainly difficult to try and establish any kind of a workable relationship with.

I don't blame the students. God knows that I was far worse than them when I was their age.
Merry Christmas

[rapier]

Matthews w: Nice you have a good time with the kids- enjoying what you do is the absolute key to having a good year, and the time flies faster if you do as well. i love my students too. the kinder kids are great, they never fail to put me in a good mood every day... Being involved and interested in your students is the best way to keep their respect and attention.
somewaygugin:As you say, never take personally the kids misbehavior...they're just being kids. What they want from us is adequate care, support, teaching, and discipline. Some schools provide a better system for this than others.

[rapier]

in addition to that- I find it rewarding that the kids are all growing up with familiarity and respect towards a foreigner teacher. Bodes well for their future attitudes.
However sometimes the situation where the waegook becomes little more than an ignored, performing clown at the mercy of the kids- without any disciplinary support from management- I wonder how the kids will grow up to view foreigners then...?

[crazylemongirl]

about 80% of my kids are fine. I like coming to work to see them and miss the ones that I've lost when my work situation changed.

what I find amazing is that I took some pics of them early in the year and they've got so big
clg

[schwa]

No kidding they grow fast. I have to do a double-take when I see some of my earliest students nowadays -- they were just little tykes when I knew them when & some are near as tall as me now!

One nice thing I've discovered -- no matter how troublesome some of these kids were back in hagwon, they greet me now with genuine smiles & respect.

One kid I first met when he was a goofy middleschooler called me up today, we're going out tonight for some beers. Cool young adult now.

[ratslash]

ok then.....

[matthews_world]

Korea has a much better classroom environment that the United States by far. I'd rather be here teaching than back home, no doubt.

We had a really cool Christmas party Tues and today. Sang some songs, gave some gifts, had some cake with chopsticks, made Christmas cards. Even got some gifts from the kids.

[buddy bradley]