Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wayfarer]

I just couldn't hold it back this morning... we were going through an extended listen-and-repeat session, (not by my own choice but because my co-teachers asked that I cover some material with which we were behind schedule), and it came to the point where only the left third of the class was repeating, and they would start speaking too early... maybe you'd have to be there, but it had an extremely farcical effect. So, then, I don't know how to describe what happened other than that the sheer absurdity of the situation overwhelmed me and I started laughing uncontrollably. Only for about 10 seconds. Any thing similar ever happen to you?

[BS.Dos.]

I was smirking behind my hand just this morning after hearing Mr. Lee's confused Englishee class introduction. This Korean initiative of getting all K-teachers to speak in English in the classroom is throwing up ESL gold. I may stay another year just to hear some more.

[Perceptioncheck]

Actually, I often find myself bursting into uncontrollable laughter during class. It might be that my kids have very comical faces at times, it might be my co-teachers poor pronunciation or it might be the toxic fumes from the nearby pesticide factory. Who's to know?

[oldfatfarang]

Everyday.

Another game you might like to play is to stand behind the K teacher and make funny faces. The kids try so hard not to smile or laugh - but they always crack in the end. Really shakes up the co-teach.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

We were practicing past participles. I'd say the base form and get them to say the pp.

Go ... Gone!
Eat ... Eaten!
Meet ... Met!
Shut ... [a brief pause and then one called out] Shit!

[BS.Dos.]

If she actually said shit as opposed to shid, then I hope you commended her on her pronunciation.

[nobbyken]

Kids love it when teachers laugh in class.
The more relaxed the teacher is, the more upbeat the class is and liable for funny stuff to happen.

[BS.Dos.]

I was doing a lesson on dating last week with my HS 2nd Grade boys and the expression double date came up. I drew some matchstick men on the board before asking the students if they knew what the expression meant. After a few seconds of silence someone shouted out 'double sex?'.

Later in the same lesson, I was trying to illicit responses to the question of where you should take a girl on your first date.

First answer: 'Hotel!'

[lifeinkorea]

The first and second graders here are trying to say "insect" for an "i" word, but instead they are saying "incest".

[wayfarer]

It's all fine when a student says something funny and you laugh along with everyone else; it's when you break a somber mood during a slow moment, with laughter that no one else seems to understand, as happened to me this morning, that can be a trifle embarrassing... and then that very awkwardness makes you laugh even harder...

[curiousaboutkorea]

In my kindergarten class. We were doing the Itsy-Bitsy Spider. After doing it, I would do the different hand motions, asking the students what they were.

Me: "What's this?" (I do the crawling spider motion)
Students: "Spiduh!"
Me: "Good. It's the spider. What's this?" (I do the raining motion)
One of my students: "Pee!!!!"
Me: "Um what? No... What is it?" (I do the raining motion again)
Same student: "Teachuh, it is PEEEE!!!!"
Me: *trying to hold back my laughter at the sheer stupidity and immature humor of the moment*

[bogey666]

i crack up almost every single day.

my high school boys are so testosterone driven re sex and imagining about sex, it's an ongoing comedy.

we were doing a lesson on "what do you like".

some smart ass said "hotels".. and everyone laughs... I laughed too of course... while thinking - don't you WISH Junior (he probably dreams about it every second of the day, just like the rest of them)

I even laugh when one of them says "f.u" to another.. it's just funny.

maybe I'm "immature", but I like it that way

[Robot_Teacher]

Kids are funny anywhere you go. I can't help but laughing. It's strange, because few here understand what a Westerner finds funny until a smart co-teacher explains. This is the co-teacher who lived a year in Seattle, smart, and quite well rounded.

Everywhere in the world, kids have the same way of acting funny to draw attention to themselves, but the cultures often don't understand or acknowledge this, because it's not important to the big scheme of things. It's just a human instinct thing for some kids in every group to have this way of humorously showing off for attention.

Even if no one understands why you're blurting out laughing at them, it sends a positive attitude to everyone and you do better with them. Better to not be too serious and just feel free to laugh and joke around when you feel like it than to have to deal with negative behavior and attitudes which I put the boot to and am not scared to remove a misbehaved disrespectful student even though it's not my place to be in a foreign country trying to force locals what they should and shouldn't do. Korea is a little kid in itself.