Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hotwire]

I've had a couple of worse days but the last two have been real doozies.....

Yesterday a 12 yr old girl openly repeatedly talked over me in and mimicked my voice (disparigingly) in class (only 10 stdnts) and after having asked her to stop nicely, a little firmly and then finally even her friends asking her to stop it she started saying that I look like a fat, ugly 500 year old monster.

That I can kind of deal with but what was worse was the lack of support when I mentioned it to a coworker and she tried to blag me with the old 'oh if a stdnt says that to a teacher in Korea it is not rude, don't worry' bs.

Then today the same kid sat there openly and brazenly defied me and distrupted everyone and spent the last ten minutes shouting out in Korean '_________ teacher is an insect!'

Well she got a telling off, so we'll see what happens next time....

Then one little 9 yr old boy punched me in the gut and told me 'shiorroh' and then spent 5 minutes screaming so hard that I truly thought I might collapse from the pain in my head and ears....

All this after I buy them all lots of treats and break them in esaily with some fun and well planned games....

Good times, good times....

Oh I have worse, but I'm too damned tired.....

[mcviking]

Too many to count...Only 18 more days..

I think one of the really bad ones was when I thought I was having a really good day and then one kid decided to punch me square in the balls while I wasn't ready for it and was holding a text book. Well let's just say that the look on the Korean teacher's face when I carried him over my shoulder to the Wonjongnims office was pretty funny.

All that other stuff you said I wouldn't have put up with for two seconds. However having a meltdown mid-class is inadvisable, but Koreans won't help you either.

It's a no win situation, but putting up with that stuff now will just make everything worse for you later. Best to nip it in the bud. Most Koreans are afraid when someone flips out in a different language. Be firm and stand up for yourself. They don't know how to deal with a giant angry foreigner.

Also, by rewarding your students for being Btards with candy and games, well that's a big boo boo in classical conditioning.

[AsiaESLbound]

I noticed kids acting more unruly this week more than ever before. OP, they are eating you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I too feel a lack of support, but know it's more of a cultural difference in this situation than a lack of respect for you. I'd stop the candy rewards right now and hold off on anything special until around Christmas time, but use stickers or a stamper to show them recognition. I'm now hearing a lot of, "oh sheet," more often than OMG which goes to show stress levels are high as the new semester gets into full gear. It's the season of English contests, open classes, and many other last minute planned events surrounding academic achievement. The foul attitudes and disrespect towards teachers is obviously a lack of discipline and control is happening along with a change in the culture where some of them expect more good things to happen, but feel shorted. One sixth grade boy has been giving me the evil eye that he's thinking about doing something very bad, but I'm just ignoring him hoping he's not got a new hobby dealing with knives surrounding his bottled up anger. Those students with serious problems are ignored until they cause disruptions ruining the lesson.

The busy nature of all this excessive talking, negative attitudes, parroting, approaching outside of class to to speak Korean, and aggressive competition for recognition seem to give the Korean teachers a reason to excuse the kids from their bad behavior instead of correcting it. Korean teachers are letting things slide until they get angry enough to slap the stick loudly on their desk and then give students a lecture. If was the boss, I wouldn't let things like hats, phones, hoodies, and Playboy bunnies be worn in the classroom, but Korea ignores all these distractions. I do got the phone situation under control as I have support on that. Negative reinforcements like that only last a few minutes so I try to do positive reinforcements often which goes a long way in improving students performance, but I am getting more unexplained rude attitudes this past week. I think things will get better when they start counting down the days to Christmas, because that is when they will get treats and free time. Being the only real nice weather of the year is now, they want to get out and enjoy it. I bet things simmer down when Winter comes.

When I'm handing out papers, unlike Korean teachers ignoring what's going on, I don't let something slide like a bully snatching a paper from a neighbor that just received one. I ignore the demands for a bigger star or 2 stars when marking books where everyone participating gets one and never one after copying a classmates answers late. Really, the kids are demanding (competing) for more nurturing, free time, and opportunities to do things kids like to do. Things like make more use of the soccer field and be with their friends. We are in bad need of a playground between the buildings as it's not working out to have the halls, bathrooms, and my English room a play areas before 9:10, between classes, and during lunch. It's pretty bad when you are regularly telling girls they can't be in the boys room, but they go in there chasing boys who tease them like they would on a playground. We have a pretty garden in the perfect area to set up a play area, but kids aren't allowed on the special small trees and flowers.

There really is a lack of supervision to correct bad behavior, because the Korean teachers are busy, always tired, and there are so many kids in the situation. Unfortunately, elementary schools aren't like colleges were all you do is teach and everything else takes care of itself. The young kids have to be nurtured into being taught what behavior is expected of them or they just go crazy and cause all kinds of disruptions.

[Radius]

Koreans kids have to be some of the worst on the planet to foreigner teachers. Many are spolied, rotten and disrespectful. But as soon as you get the korean teacher, they are all back in their seats and look like little angels. F-ing pricks i swear. Ive had my share at my last hagwon, and thank GOD i got out of there, quit, and found a better place. It pisses me the hell off when the korean teachers wont do anything because they are too afraid to call the parents.
The kids ARE angels compared to Korean kids back home. I dont evn think they would be that way if a Korean teacher came to teach them Korean. These kids just have something about them that sends shivers down my spine.

[tanklor1]

To the OP: I remember being quite the scallywag during my cool days and I remember being sent to the principle's office more then once. In fact my record for being sent out of the class was day one in Eighth grade.

So if I were you. I'd take said student and drop them off at your co-teachers desk...everyday until the problem is fixed. The problem is it sounds like that you're working at a hogwan which means that the customers are more often than they should be, right.

Best of luck to you. I've been in your position before. I once had to deal with an explanation on how a student saying "F*ck you" in class to me was my fault. I feel for you man. I feel.

[Radius]

[tanklor1]

[Globutron]

Today was my worst. For reasons discussed in a previous post in the off topic.

[machoman]

is this a hagwon thing? i've never experienced ANYTHING like that at all. the kids in the public school are nice and for the most part, well behaved.

the worse day only involves dealing with the co teachers/principal.

[micechasekittens]

I've had a pretty rough day namely cause my 4th class of the day. There are 5 students who sit in the back that refuse to do any work, talk to each other, make fun of me whenever they get the chance, and just cause me great misery. They are preteens, the age when adults are considered a joke.

The class starts with them sighing in frustration that I had entered the room. They told me that I should just go away. They disrupt the class and mock me constantly. I have already talked to the Korean teacher about them, but she told me they were perfectly fine in her class. She talked to them a couple times, but she now basically inferred that I better handle it cause her talking to them isn't doing anything.

I wanted to just start crying after the class. My teacher training didn't include classroom managment. I worked namely with Korean college students and adult immigrants. They loved the lessons I created and were eager to learn. I don't know how to get people who don't want to learn to learn or at least to not ruin it for everyone else.

I have gotten 200+ hours tesol training and experience using it but I don't get to create full lesson plans here. I'm expected to follow the book page to page, go through all the worksheets in that day. So in class I don't really get to teach grammar points, just go through the book which makes me not feel like a teacher. The only work most my kids do is the assignments given by their Korean teacher and they do that in my class.

I feel more like a daycare working than teacher. I actually think I might prefer working with younger ages or most definately college age. Preteens are too much headache and ego cases.

My first class can be tiring too. The day starts with them slamming the door just as I am entering the room. They also ignore my directions many times and view me as a joke.

A girl told me that I sounded like a boy which hurts my feelings cause I have a slightly deeper voice than most girls. I got teased for this growing up (chromosal thing).

I really like my 3rd and 5th classes though, lots of energy but not rude and they follow along.

[Wishmaster]

You are burning out, Hotwire. Time to move on.

[Radius]

[mcviking]

The best Teacher by far that I get all of my inspiration from when dealing with Korean students. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjXzXUuyAgI&feature=related

[Louis VI]

I let them go.

That's why I can't recall them. It's a survival mechanism that has helped me thrive at this job. I don't take my work home with me and I avoid all thoughts of work on the weekends. But I am 100% in the moment when in the classroom. The feeling can be devastating on the worst of days but once the last class is finished, it's off I go, leaving all consciousness of the classes behind. If there's a problem child or difficult class, then I'll think about it when I arrive the next day, during my hour or so of prep time.

The anger, the frustration, a very bad day, you gotta let it go. Otherwise you won't make it in this gig imo. Unless you're one of those grumps who trod along content in their grudges.

[tanklor1]