Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mistermasan]

i snapped today. teaching two VIP kids at lunchtime. one of them takes the vocabulary card from my hand and throws it out the window. she is 14 years old. i ended the class for the day.

the throwewr was not pleased and countered with the statement that their mothers will not be happy with me for doing such.

sorry. something deep down inside me "went off" when a student took the learning material from the teacher's and and threw it directly out the 3rd floor window ( i have counselled her not to throw things out the window before and even earlier this very day).

maybe i am too old school, how does such come across to you?

[Xuanzang]

Reasonable. Considering she did it before and you warned her not to. Little gongju used to getting her way and hiding behind mommy's money.

[Fishead soup]

Hogwan or Public school.

I believe in a Public school this kind of behavour would be taken very seriously.

[Xuanzang]

[Skippy]

If you had said a 4 year old had done it I would have told you to let it slide. 8 years old some mild to medium form of punishment. But a 14 year old girl give her both barrels. If the parents do complain - ask if the girl is
a) a toddler - because young kids throw things
b) a monkey - because you want to be prepared when she starts throwning feces around
c) mentally unstable - ok if she is crazy she an excuse

Because if she if then she is allowed to throw stuff around and out windows. Because if she was a smart girl she would apologize and go get the materials.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'd handle it in a rather politically incorrect matter that would ensure it didn't happen again. I've taught hundreds of 14-year-olds over four years and have never had that happen. If her mother gives you crap and your higher ups cave in to her it's time to quit.

[soviet_man]

In 5 years here I've seen an amazing array of things thrown out of hagwon windows by children: books, food, school bags, all forms of stationery, I could go on.

Speak to the child sternly and move on.

Save yourself the stress of dealing with the mommies and your director = totally not worth putting your own head on the chopping block over.

[Robot_Teacher]

Wow, Korea is throwing education out the window?

Let's all go play a ball game and then relax at the beach.

[baedaebok]

What politically-incorrect ways can you punish a 14-year-old female student these days? Not giving her a spanking. Not in 2009.

Back in 2004 in Daegu, I gave spankings to young boys in a hakwon who acted up. But that was then and this is now. I doubt teachers could touch kids nowadays.

[moosehead]

do her one better and tell her mom yourself.

what a brat - whoa - you have my sympathy

[Sleepy in Seoul]

I would have told the student to go and get the offending article and to not bother coming back until it was brought with her. And possibly taken a photo of the card lying on the ground outside to show to the parents if they complained.

[Juregen]

[oldfatfarang]

Like all kids - she was testing you. Letting it slide would just bring escalating behavior problems in the classroom. You didn't need to hit her - just let it be known that you're aware that in Asian cultures, books are seculalr objects - and are not thrown around.

Interestingly, I once saw a Korean co-teacher discipline a middle school boy at a summer camp. He'd thrown his book on the table after returning from doing a in-front-of-class role play. She read him the riot act - and told him that, 'he knew the rules about books.'

Good luck.

[KYC]

[Xuanzang]