Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lukas]

My co-teacher has been more and more absent from helping me co-teach. I'm sure this is nothing new to public schools or otherwise in Korea. The kids are mostly unruly.

So I'm wondering what the rest of Dave's Cafe would do if in this situation. So far I've already brought this to my teacher's attention, but I'm getting the feeling that she doesn't care, since she continually removes herself from the class. For the classes she does attend while the students act this way, she politely smiles and waits for them to settle down. I think this approach is utter crap, since it wastes over half the class and nothing gets done. If this is how she wants to handle her class, I'm fine with that, but for the classes where I'm teaching alone, I propose to try something different instead of staring at them like an asshat. Because you know, I try not to act like an asshat if I can help it.

These are the options I have thought of so far

-Kick the disrespectful kids out of the classroom?
-Threaten them with calls to their mommies?
-Forget about the normal lesson and play games?
-Tell them to leave me alone while I vent on Dave's ESL cafe?

Interested in hearing input. Thanks

[bliss]

Each time she is missing you should go and find her.
While you are looking for her, explain to other school staff why you are not teaching.

[Fishead soup]

You should be breaking the class in half and sharing the load so you should be teaching between fifteen to twenty students per class. The 40- 45 students per class and co-teaching is currently be phased out. You're school is just behind in the process.

[reactionary]

[Michelle]

[Fishead soup]

[lukas]

[JJJ]

Happens to me all the time and I'm also at a very low school.

Tried kicking the bad ones out, got the punishment teacher to come to class and yell at them to be quiet, tried to play games, waited for them to quiet down, tried teaching a lesson...all to no avail.

Now, I just say, "Ok, someone put the computer on and watch a TV/movie on Gom" (I think that's how it's spelt). It makes them happy and makes them like me better at school...so that's great with me.

[gay in korea]

it may also not be a matter of what you can possibly do, but more a matter of what you are allowed to do.

I was at a very low level/performing school with huge discipline problems (13 students expelled in one term). I tried to discipline them, but was told I wasn't allowed to. Wasn't allowed to make them miss lunch. Wasn't allowed to make them run laps. Wasn;t allowed to make them sit on their knees the whole class with their arms in the air. I also tried a few other 'stress positions', but my argument that "if the American army does it, why can't I?" didn't seem to win me any points.

People are talking about smaller classes sizes and multi-media rooms, and many cases low schools simply wont have those as options.

You could always get one of the plastic sticks and beat one kid mercilessly....

[lukas]

[tokkibunni8]

In my Gepik contract, if my class sizes are over 30, I have the option of splitting the class into two, where I take the more "advanced" students and my coteacher takes the rest

[gillod]

I had like 10 kids bumrush my desk today and break the doorknob off a door while the co-teacher watched. She was taking pictures of herself on her cell phone. Ugh. When days are like that, I just keep teaching. The good kids pay attention, the bad kids just talk to each other. If they won't listen to me and she's not going to bring the hammer down, there's not much I can do

[Easter Clark]

Wait a minute...I thought we were supposed to be the assistants! If there are discipline problems then your CT should deal with them while you assist.

[Pinished]

[PaperTiger]

Just remember, it's all your fault and you're always wrong (that's what they will invariably say). Memorize those two things and you have an answer to almost every question regarding work here in Korea.