Korean Job Discussion Forums

Billy Danze · Joined: 25 Oct 2009

...that is, trying to poke you in the ass with their fingers? If you have been teaching here and this hasn't happened to you, I'm surprised, kids at my school do it all the time and it's strange to say the least. They say "dongchim" or something like that.

Care to share any insight into this?

IlIlNine · Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo

ChilgokBlackHole · Joined: 21 Nov 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kancho

http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%98%A5%EC%B9%A8

Tarma · Joined: 26 Dec 2007

My Kindy kids didn't really "poke" so much as "pat". I quickly explained to them that my bottom was MINE and not to be poked or patted. They mostly remember and they apologize if they forget.

Arms, hands, knees and thighs are still available if they need to make contact to get my attention.

Janny · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Location: all over the place

No one else agrees / understands me on this....but I think the whole dongchim thing is hilarious. Only with the young ones though. 8 years old and above is not funny.

Juveniles being juvenile. Innocence.

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

TK421 · Joined: 05 Aug 2009

Yeah it's called dong chim which translates to Poop Needle and I find it disgusting and I have absolutely zero tolerance for it. I have a good sense of humor, I'm the fun teacher, the kids all love me and think of me as the teacher they can goof around a bit with, but the second they do that to me I get pissed and I let them no that that is never acceptable. All of my classes know this. It just shows an utter lack of respect for me. They would never, ever do that to a Korean teacher and I am sick and tired of the foreign teachers being considered lesser beings. So if they do that to you, I recommend taking them out of the class and letting them know in ways they understand that is never ok. They can goof around a bit with me, but they can't disrespect me, ESPECIALLY physically.

little Korean boys show they like you by trying to stick a finger in your ass. Pretty homoerotic for a country that claims they have no gay people.

Radius · Joined: 20 Dec 2009

so funny i knew you were going to ask this question before i even opened the thread. one kid did that to me and i went off on him. i called him gay in front of everyone, and that was the last time anyone did that to anyone in my class

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

Forever · Joined: 12 Nov 2009

There is a user on here who has "dongchim" as his/her avatar

( http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=3300 )

Its actually an accepted behavior and there are even statues celebrating this -

http://ripcitytoseoul.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dc-statue1.jpg

http://c.ask.nate.com/imgs/qrsi.tsp/6148999/8231468/0/1/A/%EB%98%A5%EC%B9%A8.jpg

Dongchim or "Kancho" is very popular in Japan, Korea and China.

There is even a game - http://www.mikewang.org/dongchim.htm

Its part of Asian peoples fascination with bodily orifice's and bodily fluids and bodily smells.

I often see my students put their hands down their pants during class, then immediately the hand goes up to the nose for a sniff of their scent.

LikeFrostOnRoads · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

When I first arrived, I fought it like crazy. Now, though, I don't really bother. It's just too much trouble, because the more I yell, the more they want to do it (I teach 5-7 year olds Korean age). Oh well, at this point I'm pretty used to being poked and prodded by all of the kids...

v88 · Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Location: here

I had a student who got one right in the hole (maybe about 1 and a half knuckles deep), as I turned to smack him, I caught him sniffing his fingers in delight.

Dirty little bugger.

Senior · Joined: 31 Jan 2010

Disgusting. There would be an Al Qaeda style beheading if a student tried that on me. There is simply no imaginable universe where that is acceptable.

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

What bothers me is that my coteacher told me that the students used to do it to the last foreign teacher, and she complained that he got ANGRY like that made him a bad person or bad teacher or something. So she said I shouldnt get upset because the kids are just 'having fun'.... I hate that its ok for students to put their fingers up my ass, but not the Korean teachers - Id like to see her reaction if they ever did it to her...