Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Underwaterbob]

I teach middle school and occasionally get a child who obviously has some kind of learning disability or is flat out mentally challenged, or whatever the PC term is these days. For the most part I can let them do their own thing and occasionally get some brief time with them one on one. They're mostly pleasant.

Now I have a new one who is every learning disability rolled into one and challenged to boot. I seriously have no point of reference to judge this child from. He's first year middle school, and despite having the attention span of a gnat, he is quite capable of being very persistent when it comes to trying to garner attention. Today alone, I've told him my name three times, which he got, then forgot, told him very sternly to not ddong chim me, ever, which he got, then forgot and generally spent all of my time in the staff room because he follows me relentlessly in the halls.

I don't know what to make of him because one minute he seems very bright, then the next he's forgotten anything you've told him. He seems quite polite and curious, then he tries to spit on your shoes. He seems the most devious being in the universe, then he's a mentally challenged 12 year old.

I can only guess this child is a product of some of the most atrocious parenting known to man.

I'm just hoping the novelty of having a foreign teacher wears off for him quickly. What would you do?

[yingwenlaoshi]

Pray for them to go to sleep.

[prideofidaho]

Talk to the Korean teachers. Ask them how they deal with it. It may just be a matter of having them tell him to leave you alone. Of course, he'll come right back when he's forgotten about that.

This will be an excercise in patience. See if he has some interests. Some special children have very specific interests, and if you can sort out what those are (cars, fish, non-dong shim related activities) maybe you can distract him.

Try to be patient and understanding. Like I said, ask the Koreans then you'll know if he's doing it on purpose or not.

Chances are, he'll be giving you the same routine for as long as he's at that school. He's just been programmed that way. I doubt his parents are to blame if he's 'special' in the euphemistic sense of the word.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Is there a special needs teacher and / or classroom at your school? If so, you may want to talk about having the kid spend your lesson in there or with the special needs teacher if he becmes too much of a problem during in class.

[Faunaki]

I'm with YBS. If that doesn't work, make the special kid sit in a designated area and give him fun things to do or books to read. If he dong chims you again, ask your co-teacher to discipline him right away. If you co-t won't do anything, then at the beginning of each class ask your co-t to sit with the student and help him do his work.

It's totally rude for the school to allow mentally handicapped children to do whatever they want to teachers. It's so unprofessional.

Also it's not fair to blame the parents for the fact their child is handicap. It can happen to anyone.

[sobriquet]

Stick things to their back that are just heavy enough for them to feel and watch them twist and turn trying to remove them

Great fun

[Underwaterbob]

Good suggestions, though I've never heard of a Korean public school with a special needs classroom or teacher, certainly not in the podunk school I teach at.

This is only my second day with this kid. If things persist next week (I only teach here Thurs and Fri) I'll take him to the Korean teachers, though I'd much rather learn to deal with him myself. Around here the policy with children like him is more or less shove them in the back of the room and let them do what they want. When they act out, punish them.

I forgot to mention he chased my car a good 100m up the drive today, and was right there breathing on the driver's window when I parked.

Guess I'm bringing in some cars and fish next week.

[Underwaterbob]

[prideofidaho]

I've got a special needs dept at my school complete with some guy who watches over the 'specialest' student who can't sit still. I live in Seoul though, so it's not surprising. If they haven't got the money, the not sure

I was told that the government has mandated that special children remain in normal classes a certain number of hours a week...so it might not be feasible for him to be sent off to another class. He probably just needs someone to keep him focused on not berating you.

I do think there's a bit of a different attitude concerning special children here. I mean, one boy just comes to my class and drools, and his team mates wipe his face, and make sure he's got his book bag packed when it's time to leave. I tried to see if he had retained some simple info, but no dice. He's obviously there because it's the law.

[espoir]

I have a few special needs students in one of my classes. They all sit at the same table and quite frankly I just ignore them. I give them the hand out, but as for asking them to repeat words or practice english conversation I dont bother.

[refikaM]

There have been special ed kids in every school I've taught (1 MS, 3 elem). Pretty sure there has to be a special ed teacher and classroom if the school has any... So far, all these kids have been somewhat endearing especially the 5th grader at my present school.. He's a sweetheart and TRIES SO HARD to keep up with the other kids and participate in the English classes. He can be a little demanding though when he gets behind in the activities and wants me to help him.. I give him some extra attention, but when it gets to be too much I ask the other kids to help him and they usually do. He gets some teasing, but for the most part the other kids are good to him... Your situation would be a challenge for sure, so I think it'd be best to talk to the special ed teacher about him.. Perhaps he/she could come to the class with him. In one school the special ed teacher (or volunteer?) sat with the one special kid during my class cuz he was a bit of a handful and would throw a wee tantrum now and then. As long as I treated him like the other kids, he seemed OK.. When explaining an activity, I would just simplify his (and show his teacher what we're doing) and he seemed happy for the most part doing anything! I think the special kids take about 3 hrs of reg classes a week here... Not easy for us untrained in that area.. Good luck!

[Underwaterbob]

Neither of my schools has a special ed teacher or class. This school out in the country has a fair portion of special needs kids and they are thrown in with everyone else to do the best they can. I don't have any problems with any of them but this one, and have made progress with a few of them. I wish more of my students were as interested and as driven as many of my special needs kids.

Like I said, it's only been two days. I'll give him a couple weeks to learn that the attention he wants is the attention he gets for positive behavior, and me a couple weeks to find out what he's interested in to encourage him to not act out before I take it up with the Korean teachers. Hopefully all the new gadgets we just got working today in the English lab will enthrall him for a while.

Electronic white boards rock! Except I now have to adapt three years worth of lesson plans to use it.

[yingwenlaoshi]

"You just go to sleep now. Nighty night."

[Rusty Shackleford]

My school has three, obviously mentally challenged kids. One has a helper every hour of the day. The other two alternate between wandering the halls and sitting in empty classrooms. Oh yea and attending my english class. Not that I mind, they act alot less spastic than the average 2nd grade middle schooler.

[Perceptioncheck]

Both of my VERY rural schools have special ed teachers and classrooms. In fact, one of my school has so many special needs students they've hired not one but two teachers to look after them. On one terrible occasion, they were all outside looking at flowers and saw me leaving school. A great cry went up as they all decided they wanted to simultaneously hug me and say hello in English. Can you imagine a dozen special needs kids charging at you at full steam? Ye Gods, I've never seen anything so scary. Thankfully, I made it into my co-workers car shaken but intact.

Although not so severe, I had similar problems to the OP at the beginning of my contract. This one kid would constantly follow me around, yell at me in the hallways, try to hold my hand (which, given the state of his hands, is tantamount to assault) and just be a loud, difficult pain in the neck during English class. Now he still comes up to me and gives me a hug in the mornings but generally he's calmed down and I've actually grown very fond of him. Especially fond when I figured out his outbursts in English class were ridiculing my nasty co-teacher. Man, I'd love to say some of the same stuff to her but sadly I don't have a handicap as an excuse. OP, it sounds like you're doing all you can. I found the positive attention thing very useful in calming my special needs kid down but boy, it took a lot of patience so good luck! (It sounds like you're going to need it!)