Korean Job Discussion Forums

[IncognitoHFX]

Just a random question. It's one of the daily annoyances at the High School.

Either the students don't have pens/pencils (rare), or they don't have paper (common). When I was a kid, we'd be hung up for not bringing paper to class (most kids had those Five-Star notebooks). These kids think it's absolutely ludicrous that I'm even asking them to write something down that's not on a formatted worksheet.

"Does anyone have a notebook here today?"
*Everyone* "없어요!"

My co-teachers think it's weird that I think it's weird. They tell me that they don't use paper in their classes either, other than worksheets. The kids also don't seem to have backpacks...

...Is this a cultural thing?

[EuroFunk]

nah, stuff seems to always disappear over time.

[Korussian]

I don't know. It bothers me. My vocational classes show up without any writing utensils of any kind.

I'm putting a stop to that this week. No pen = leave the class.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Heck, most of my Ss not only have a bag but it's the pull along kind that airline stewards use. Everyone has an English notebook and they write in it almost every class.

[Easter Clark]

Before the bell rings we ask the kids if they have their notebooks and pens. If they don't, they can go to their homeroom class to get them. If they don't have them once we've started class, it's punishment time (which, depending on the co-teacher, will be anything from a beating of the love stick to having to write lines).

A couple of weeks ago, 4 out of 36 students brought their notebooks to class. They all thought it was funny when I started to act shocked. So I made them go get their notebooks. Then, I gave 32 students writing punishment for an hour and fifteen minutes ("My English classroom is a place for learning and nurturing" 50 times in English and 50 times in Korean) while the other four got to play with their iPods or sleep. The next class, every student had their notebook.

[sojourner1]

I too thought it was strange they don't usually have notebooks to write things. When they do, they are extremely small and thin.

It's so funny to see these pencil cases like a cute fluffy pink pig or small bag of Starbucks coffee sitting on their desk, but with no pencils.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

If you're teaching in your own classroom it's one of those things you have to be Draconian about.

[crusher_of_heads]

[jadarite]

You have to use the toilet paper logic, or lack of, to better understand why they don't bring paper to class.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Tobias]

Been there, experienced this problem all too often.

I force my students to return to their dorm rooms to get whatever they forget, or I rent pencils and books to anyone with a short memory. 1,000 won per pencil per hour and 2,000 won per hour per book covers it quite nicely. It's a good way to make some side dough for the department. I get the money from my no-brainers and drop it in the cash box. It's amazing how much mullah one can accumulate in a semester.

Blank paper is free, but handouts must be purchased. 500 won per sheet covers that.

I'm thinking of starting a penalty system for being tardy. 5 minutes late: 500 won. 15 minutes late: 2000 won. Double these rates for smokers. That should work.

[Adventurer]

Could you get a punch of pens and assign a trustworthy kid to make sure they are all picked up? You could have a sign up sheet where they put their names if they took a pen or what have you.

[IncognitoHFX]

[Easter Clark]

[buymybook]