Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachingld2004]

This has been asked before by me and others I am sure.

I have a class of 12 students, 50 minutes, three times a week.

One student is really out of control. He will hit other kids, and throw things at them. He usually will not sit, but will stand on a desk and jump off or sit on the window ledge. (he is 10)

The school owner tells me to ignore him. (???) I try that and it gets worse. I got fed up one day and left class and asked the owner to come up. 15 minutes later she did and he ignored her. His mother came up and she told him to tell me (Sorry).

The owner will once in a blue moon talk to him after class and his head is down and he says he is sorry. I am loosing the respect of the other kids, who are so sweet and want to learn, but they see what he does They have complained to the owner. One of the parents called. The student was good for one day.

The other day the owner came up, looked in the door and just watched him acting up. (we have 2 floors).

I would not care if he did no work, I would not care if he ran around in the back of the room. But he will come to he front, laugh at me and take my things. Once I hit him, and that shocked the hell out of him and he was better the rest of the class. (the other kids clapped.)

If he is absent (rarely) we have a great day.

So, the real question is not how can I control him, because no one can, but how do I control me. How do I manage to get through with the class? I start getting sick before class. Wednesday I took picture of him standing on the desk. Not that it will do me any good, but who knows.

Okay, I finished my rant, but I can use some help here if anyone can.

thanks

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Just keep kicking him out of class until his mother pulls him out. That's about all you can do in that kind of situation.

[CentralCali]

You're at a hagweon; however, I would say this to someone in a public school also. Do not hit the children! Yes, the Korean teachers dispense corporal punishment like it's candy but that does not mean you should. Worst case scenario if you strike the child is that the child's parent sues you and you get fired. It's just not worth taking a chance on that.

[teachingld2004]

I have never hit a child. I did this after he took my glasses and would not give them back. I gave him one swift hit, and grabbed them back (it was hard to get them back too)

I can not throw him out, he says no, and he laughs. Or just acts worse. I have no clue why the other parents to don't take their kids out. They complain about him constantly. The owner tried to put him out, he ignored her.
She tells me he has to stay in class (?)
By the way, I love this job, I was here for 2 years 5 years ago and came back. I love the school location, apartment, I am happy.

At this point I only am trying to help me deal with this kid.

Yes it is not right to hit a kid, I just lost it. But it is not right to let him hit the other kids either.

By the way, there were 2 other teachers prior to me who had this kid, and his behavior was just as bad. He has been at this school for 2 years. Go figure.

[some waygug-in]

You can't kick him out? He just says no and laughs?

Ahhh my friend, that's what ears are for. Place index finger and thumb in a clamp like position over the offending student's ear (left or right, it doesn't matter). Proceed to pull on this appendage towards the door. If student resists, pull harder until compliance is acheived.

If a student won't sit down, there is a pressure point about midway between the shoulder and the neck (at least on normal humans), perhaps a bit closer to the neck. Try squeezing on this point, the student will soon get the message.

Warning: Never do the above in anger. Always keep a smile on your face and give the impression that it's no more bother to you than brushing a fly off your face.

I'm sure some will disagree, but that's my advice. Take it or leave it.

[Juregen]

Your boss is shooting himself in the foot by allowing such a spoiled brat into the class and disrupt it.

He will eventually either loose the class or loose the kid.

[some waygug-in]

[gazz]

http://www.adhdawareness.com/

Sounds like he has ADHD. I can emphasise with you on this one! I have quite a bit of experience of dealing with kids like this.

Getting the school/mother to admit that he has this could be rather difficult in Korea. You could suggest that she fills in an audit of the stuff he eats, avoiding ALL fizzy drinks ect with E numbers in.

I saw a kid drink a can of Dr pepper once, two minutes later it was like he was on smack!!!

Oh one last thing that i think you should try. When he kicks off in class
turn the emphasis onto him to behave.

Speak to the guy in charge and ask him if you can move classrooms for your next class.

When the kid kicks off, simply instruct all the other kids to stand up and move to the other classroom. Leave him in the classroom, give him a crossword or something to do.

The first time he might enjoy it (ignore him - dont even look at him). When you get into the next classroom lock the door, if there is a window black it out with paper.

Then even if he tries to get into the next class he carn't!


Good luck!!!!!!!

[Teachurrrr]

Yu_Bum_Suk gave good advice. I would :

1) Be mentally ready for that class before it begins, i.e. be in that classroom before the class begins, prepare your lesson on the board, and be ready for the perp! Have a plan of action to follow if and when the little angel starts his game.

2) Consequences:
It sounds like he is a repeat offender (or frequent flyer as I like to call them), thus he gets no warning. If he misbehaves, the consequence is to put him out of the room and continue with class. You said he will not go out voluntarily, so I suggest forget the director and handle it on your own. For example:

A) Take his bag or books, go to the door, and toss them out the door. When he goes to retrieve them, close the door and bar his way back in or lock it if you ahve a lock.

If this doesn't work,

B) Pick him up by the back of his shirt collar, elevate him, and physically remove him from the room. Do this firmly, but not in anger. It is only a consequence. Set the child outside and close the door.

If this is not effective,

C) When the class begins, give an ultimatum, you leave or I leave. When he refuses, leave the room. Go to the teacher's room and relax. When the owner, director, or their lackey comes to tell you return to the class, politely say you cannot. I would say something like, "I have failed to motivate the child and have lost the respect of the class. I can not teach with him in the room. If they then threaten you to return, tell them you feel uncomfortable now and are going home. Inform them you will return tomorrow.

Whichever you choose, be ready to follow thru with it, even if it means leaving the hagwon. You can get another job (see other threads) and do not have to suffer a student like this. They would prefer you did, but what kind of life is that.

More than likely, the hagwon owner will weigh the situation in terms of money: who is more important, you, the foreign teacher, or the brat that now has created a situation wher they may lose a tecaher and other parents are unhappy because the teacher is leaving the classroom?

Yet, you can suffer it repeatedly if you wish. The choice is yours. Good luck!

[Mr. Susan]

Exclude him from everything and turn the class on him at any opportunity. Hopeful you can give him that little push he needs.

[IncognitoHFX]

[Kimbop]

Whenever he acts up, gab his bag, pencils and books from on his desk. Throw these things out the classroom door. Watch him pick up his things and return. If he acts up again, do the same, but this time down the stairs, or down the hallway. Really make a mess! This threat is a good deterrent.

Bring a water pistol to class. Tell the students it's full of pee, and squirt the bad ones.

If a kid acts up, write on his face with a black marker. Korean kids HATE that.

[Draz]

I have one of those. He is getting better, and he was never as bad as this kid. (He doesn't touch ME, only the other students.) He was really sick yesterday so he was very very quiet. I was amazed at how much better behaved the other kids were without him stirring shit up.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[sligo]

I had a class with 2 boys in it and they were close to being this bad. The rest bof the class would find it kind of funny at times, but when i got angry they listened. The way i got around the behaviour was to punnish the entire class for the behaviour of these two. At first once the two of then started to act up, the whole class would act like little shits, so i told them all to put their text books away and get their reading books and notebooks, then i told them they had to write the whole book ten times into their notebooks in silence (it was also good writing practice), and every time one person talked the whole class would have to do it an extra time. When the class had to copy the book 13 times, they started disciploining them selves, and the class turned against the individuals. I told them they hads to finish it for homework. Most of them did, and when they showed me, i gave it no attenbtion and moved, on. Then when they did it again, i warned them the same thing would happen,. and the good students started to discipline the bad kids, but they weren't too effective, so i instigated the writing again, but this time, once we got to 11 times the good kids were fuming.

After that i just had to threaten the writing, and the class would soo take care of themselves, and want nothing to do with the bad kids behaviour. If i had to threaten it, the good kids would questions why they were being punnished and ask me to only punish the bad kids, and as such the class wqas split, and the bad kids had no audience, and they soon just kept quiet.