Korean Job Discussion Forums

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

A teacher has run riot in the classroom after having enough of his rowdy students at a high school in the US.

Donald Wood threw around tables and even shattered a window with a chair after losing his temper with his 11th grade algebra class at McGavock High in Tennessee.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101012/toddly-teacher-explodes-in-classroom-cc3a409.html

Wonder how he'd cope teaching in Korea.

Hotwire · Joined: 29 Aug 2010 Location: Multiverse

I cant say a bad word about the guy tbh.

Adults have no authority in today's youth obsessed world and you would not catch me dead teaching at a middle or high school in my home country. Stories of teachers being baited inot breakdowns, beaten, even killed.

Infant's school I could probably handle, but not older than that.

In my Mum and Dad's day those kids would've 'got the slipper' and probably have been better off for it too.

sluggo832004 · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

I dont even know the teacher or the kids, but I can pretty much tell those kids were jerks. lol

Its tough teaching in the American public School. You have to be a bouncer, counselor, parent, psychologist, role model, and disciplinarian.

When I was 23 I got a job teaching in a inner city school. I must say I survived it, and it kind of made me a better person. because I know i could pretty much handle any school now. lol. You are dealing with 30 individuals who are trying to break your spirit every day. It will start to wear on you after awhile.

Hopefully, If i get a job in Korean a Highschool, I wont have to deal with that drama. lol

elliot79 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Location: England

it's like that many British state schools as well. i work as a cover supervisor and i go into different schools. you get zero respect from students and if you say anything to them they complain to thier parents, who in turn complain to the school.

millyfrend · Joined: 29 Apr 2010

Wow, teaching is stressful.

randall020105 · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:15 pm Post subject: wow!!

i wont go into details... but one waygoock told me once that a student back in their home country had to stay after school for doing something wrong and he did a No. 2 in the classroom.

i think you guys are better of here. psychologically and financially.

R.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Wow, things change. We were told by my dad that if a teacher smacked us and he found out that the teacher had good cause, we could expect another smack at home! Repect for adults and respect for teachers were taught from the get-go.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

I remember starting school on the tail end of the corporal punishment era. I started school in the mid-80's and CP was on it's way out, although it was still officially in the books until 2000 or so. I remember having vivid memories of 3 males teachers dragging a 2nd grade bully down to the vice-principal's office for the dreaded strap.

Apparently before they had the principal, other teachers and councilors talk to the parent of the kid to get their approval to go ahead with punishment.

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

For all you guys who think this can't happen in a Korean school.....

I once taught a Korean middle school summer camp. Every camp class we had an older male USA co-teacher, a young female Korean co-teacher and myself. That's 3 teachers in the room - all experienced.

The USA teacher was teaching the kids acting one day - and was down on the classroom floor - demonstrating something (can't remember what), when this large Korean boy came up to him - and booted him in the stomach. He wasn't playing - he really kicked him.

The USA teacher got up and went absolutely nuts - screaming and shouting - we couldn't get him to calm down. He had a complete meltdown - and he had to leave the room. He resigned next day - a broken man - and was soon on the plane back home.

It can happen in Korea.

Oh God, I've got Vocational 2/4 this am - maybe I'll be next?

pangaea · Joined: 20 Dec 2007

Sounds like that was a long time coming.

I feel for the guy. I would never want to teach high school. Sounds like none of the students got hurt. Maybe it will improve their behavior for the time being. If teachers randomly went berserk every now and then, maybe students would learn to sit down and shut up.

take a rest · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Location: self-banned

I totally know where this guy is coming from. It's even worse that he's a public figure with heaps of people watching all the time, cell phones in hand, waiting for the meltdown so that they can put it on youtube. And now it's on the news... awesome.

All those years of self-sacrifice flushed down the toilet because some horrible kids didn't have the decency to stop talking when the guy was having a bad day.

But yeah, you're not supposed to ever lose it in this job... that's kind of one of the rules. I don't know about anyone else, but for me not stressing out and always having the option to not be 'on' if need be is my top priority... because if you lose it, the kids know they have you.

That was my grade 8 teacher's philosophy... always be calm and never lose your temper/blow up... and even if things didn't always go 100%, he was always respected. Because if you're trying to push someone's buttons and they're getting angry, then you know it's working... but if you're trying to push someone's buttons and they're just saying 'uhhhh... no', then eventually you're going to give up.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

Healthy indifference is a better option.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

...backed up with a failing grade based on dicipline problems...

sluggo832004 · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YOkCvJTNW0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aZ6bj_EO_o&feature=player_embedded

wow....................................................

daveweave2 · Joined: 08 Dec 2008

[quote="Junior"][b]A teacher has run riot in the classroom after having enough of his rowdy students at a high school in the US.
[/b]
Donald Wood threw around tables and even shattered a window with a chair after losing his temper with his 11th grade algebra class at McGavock High in Tennessee.
[url]http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101012/toddly-teacher-explodes-in-classroom-cc3a409.html[/url]

Wonder how he'd cope teaching in Korea.[/quote]

The public schools in Korea I worked at were mostly supportive of discipline for students, but the middle school kids I taught were rural kids and well behaved. I worked in Daegu as a head teacher at a private school and had little support, but disciplined the students by throwing them out of class and not letting them come back, then they had to face their parents, the owner did not interfere because I was an effective teacher.
Out of the four schools I worked at in America only one supported discipline against students, the others were anything goes even interfering with discipline. Schools are afraid to stand up and do whats right because of frivolous lawsuits brought by parents or they just don't care. My daughter's school had a great principal and when this crazy kid threatened to rape and kill her and some other female students he expelled him right away. The parents who were rich of course brought in a lawyer. When the parents and the lawyer got to school the District Attorney and two Detectives were waiting all the girls had provided video depositions, and the parents were told to remove the child from school or he would be charged with numerous crimes and tried as an adult and the detectives would take him away right now, the parents lawyer told them they had to sign the agreement removing the boy from school forever. Of course the school board did not support this principal and he got a better job, and now they have a principal who is a wimp and the school is going downhill.