Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Yes, a friend who teaches in a high school north of Seoul (GEPIK) had a high school student shine a laser pointer into her eyes during class. She said she brought it up with the Korean co-teacher who didn't make a "big deal" out of it. I recommended a meeting with the Principal over this and making it a BIG DEAL. What should she do?

[Otherside]

Jeez, what's the issue here? Does mommy need to wipe your friends nose too?

Said teacher should just confiscate the laser pointer and be done with it.

When I was at school we used to *beep* around with laser pointers all the time (they'd just become mainstream so quite the novelty), this wasn't meet the principal sort of stuff, once you've seen your friend's new toy being confiscated you learn very quickly that it isn't tolerated.

[Xuanzang]

Unless she develops night blindness - I wouldnt make such a big deal of it. Just take it away for the day or until the next class. Make an example of this kid, as a warning to the others who would be so foolish.

[wylies99]

[Straphanger]

[caniff]

I'd take it and throw it out the window. Problem solved.

[Xuanzang]

[Sleepy in Seoul]

[wylies99]

[wylies99]

[Otherside]

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

Confiscating the pointer isn't enough by far-- if he was shining it on the wall or playing with his friends, I would confiscate it and give it back. If he used it to disrupt my lesson, I wouldn't give it back. But shining it into my eyes would be more than enough to make me go into psycho teacher mode, and luckily my school condones mild acts of physical violence, so that's what would happen.

I'd grab the kid by the neck, drag him outside and shove his face into the wall. If he kept smiling and being a smartass, I would keep it up until he stopped. I wouldn't hit the kid or anything, but I would keep shoving etc. and wouldn't actually feel like I was finished until the kid started crying. Then I would back off, and let him cry.

It also works wonders if you let them think about what's going to happen before you do anything. Tell them you'll see them after class, let them wonder, and then really start into them.

Even if it is a kid, if he's interfering with my ability to do my job, then I'm going to make sure he knows that he can't get away with it. I consider those sorts of things personal attacks, and respond accordingly. Even if they say I'm not supposed to, no job in Korea is worth being the butt of some stupid kid's joke for the whole year... dealing with that kind of class is hell.

I guess some people here would just let it happen and think it was all just part of having a shitty job or their being kids, but there's no way in hell I would. There's a difference between being the butt of a will-intended, respectful joke and being a punching bag for a bunch of little bullies. Some people laugh along without realizing it just makes you look weaker.

And this kind of thing isn't about education, this is about self-respect... this kid was attacking her personally, and she thinks she should go to her co-teacher??? If some supply teacher came to a school in America and asked the other teachers to stick up for her, what kind of reaction would she get from them? If she can't stand up for herself against kids, then the Koreans were probably laughing because she's being such a baby.

Kids are NOT perfect little angels-- I don't think they all need discipline, but they at least need decent role models and guidance, and quite often they're not getting it at home, so discipline becomes necessary to correct the parents' mistakes. And you're not going to make an impact if you're confiscating pointers, or worse yet consulting KTs, while other teachers are cracking skulls.

Unless you're beautiful enough for a halo effect, so that disobedience would seem a great, horrible, wrong... every teacher should have the ability to be extremely cruel when they need to be.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Ilsanman]

It'd end up under my boot. End of story.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think people are missing the point. wylies99's schtick is bashing Koreans. You aren't playing fair when you turn responsibility back on the foreigner. Sheesh.