Korean Job Discussion Forums

[air76]

Fortunately this was not in my class....but one of the students at the university has been bringing her baby to class this last week because of child care issues or something. A proper baby, maybe 6 months old or something like that...I was in my office yesterday and heard the baby crying and screaming and I couldn't help but laugh and be happy that I wasn't trying to teach a university course over the top of a screaming food disposal unit.

[Kaypea]

aww, babies are cute! I wanna teach with a baby in the class, but since I teach Middle School, probably isn't going to happen... although I did get to meet a student's baby brother (awwwwww!)

[Senior]

Seriously. This is weird for Korea.

It happens all the time in NZ.

[BoholDiver]

I had one in my class in a hagwon, a Korean class.

She got special permission and she was polite enough to ask if it was okay when I joined the class. She was there before me, so regardless of my feelings, I felt she had the right.

In a public institution, sorry. No.

[Dragoon]

[Steelrails]

To the OP- You've never been to a classroom in America have you?

[thegadfly]

Teaching in a US high school, I had a 9th grade student breastfeeding her child during class -- and she was offended when I suggested she leave the front row of class to do so...I wasn't even kicking her out, just asking her to sit in the back of the row until she was done -- she was hard to see around, and was a distraction.

In US university classes, my evening class usually had one or two babies -- babysitters are not always reliable. If they cried or fussed too much, I asked the mother to take the child out....

No, not "only in Korea," not by a long shot....

[kinerry]

[AsiaESLbound]

My co-teacher has her 1st grader hang out from 2:30 to 5 each day. Even on the day she doesn't teach, her son still shows up. The problem with this is he's a distraction as cute as he is. He gets bored, makes noise, runs in circles, and if I'm sitting, he's too interested in what I'm doing with my computer where he climbs on my back.

I think it's unprofessional due to the distractions to baby sit at work or during a college class, especially if you aren't present or are too occupied to actually baby sit the child. It's unfair to your classmates and co-workers just as your ringing cell phone is. Baby sitting doesn't just involve supervision, it also requires entertaining or engaging the kid in activities to keep them on good terms. I'd say it's inappropriate in most any country to lug a baby or young child into a college class or to your job. Sure in 3rd world countries mothers do work and everything with the babies in tow, but that's different.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Aelric]

Yep, I can name at least three classes in college where folks brought their ids in due to babysitters canceling last minute and not being able to afford daycare. Heck, in a photography class I had, an older lady brought her 8 and 10 year olds to class and they just chilled out in the back while we did our critiques. Don't begrudge Korea or the people who do that, they wouldn't if they could help it. If it were me, I'd bring my kids in if I had too, no questions asked. I'm not leaving them alone and I'm not gonna fail a class because I missed a lecture or assignment deadline. Better to temporarily annoy a few other people than potentially cripple your future.

[air76]

[OneWayTraffic]

[Steelrails]

[PatrickGHBusan]