Korean Job Discussion Forums

nathanrutledge · Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh

My school is a technical high school, my kids don't care about anything. Played a round of Jeopardy with one class that was ahead of everyone, got very little participation. Asked the kids what prize we should have, one group raised their hand and said "Ramen!"

This group, the troublemakers, DOMINATED the game. Of course, most of my students come from poor families so I think I may have bought them dinner with that...

But yeah, I don't give out stuff except for our monthly game, and they know that. Otherwise I use a point system coupled with rage and anger.

southernman · Joined: 15 Jan 2010 Location: On the mainland again

At my new school I had this 4th grader contimualy pestering me for money Before school, whenever he saw me. It really annoyed me to have him begging like that. I try not to think what the previous teacher was doing, but hopefully not giving out cash or coins

When I finally sorted out what class he was in (1600 students Smile

). I had to give the I'm not your friend I'm your teacher talk with my co-teacher translating. He actually wrote me a letter of apology which was nice.

I give out my signature for any extra work or good work. Anyone misbehaves then I cross out a signature or 2. at the end of Semester the child with the most signatures gets a small bar of Chocolate. It's still early days at my current school but it worked well at my last ones

22tea77 · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Location: United States

+1 for the OP

At my last school, there was always an excellent interaction between teacher (me) and the students in class. No candy!

When I started at my current school, I found students would not answer or even shout out an answer to a question...just dead silence! I was soon told by my co teacher that the last teacher used to throw candy to any student who answered a question. Apparently, my predecessor was a venerable candy machine, so their main motivation for participating in class had now been removed!

The OP is correct - think about your replacement when turning your teaching position into that of candy dispenser.

balzor · Joined: 14 Feb 2009

Candy is a reward during the random odd game, but that's it. mostly stamps and verbal praise. I will be giving out buttloads of it next week tho

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

Anyone tried chewing tobacco? I reckon that would be a real winner.

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:39 pm Post subject:

i gave candy my first year, but really what did you expect? you stick a person, almost completely fresh out of school, into a classroom with 40-45 kids who don't speak the same language as you, give them no co-teacher support (sometimes, no co-teacher), and no training. really? come on. if giving out some candy helps you through your first year/semester under these conditions, then why not?

for those teachers that get students whining about candy, if you set up some sort of effective reward system for class you'll gradually hear less and less about the candy.

now, i give out english money if they win a game/activity/help me in class. then 2 times a semester, i'll have a market day where they can buy things from me in english only. it works really well; the kids enjoy collecting money and being able to buy bigger things like chips and juice. it works well for me too; sometimes the kids will lose their money before market day Wink

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

Kaypea · Joined: 09 Oct 2008

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

Maybe I could use this thread as my own personal 'gripe about the students' thread.

See, I have this class... it's a third year middle school class. And I HATE them. Admittedly, my lessons for them haven't been the best, but the other third year classes have managed to get through them without being complete #$^%s about it all... and it's not like they're all that hard. But then again, some of my students have a hard time spelling words like 'October', not using random mixes of caps and small letters, and even being able to write u's and a's.

These kids just suck the life out of me. I go in, they grumble about having to see me. I ask questions, they either sit in silence or the same two or three hands go up. I ask for other students to answer-- nothing. I actually choose students to answer the questions, they're either sleeping or they just don't care. When the class is over, they go 'A-sa' so that I can hear that they don't enjoy my class. And they complain about not getting candy.

I don't really care if they're not enjoying it... what bugs me is that they feel like they should be enjoying it, or like I'm supposed to be entertaining them.... as if that's something they've come to expect from their English teachers. I think if they were elementary kids, first years, or even second years, I would say 'yeah, okay, we should be playing more games and the language/activities should be at a Canadian/American 7 year olds level, so you don't even have to think about them and the whole class is basically just about having fun with easy things you already know'... but these are 16 year old kids!!!!!!

I know that at this point candy would probably do something... but when they're being such jerks about everything, the thought of giving them anything more than I have been, or of wasting any time on something that might go over just as poorly.... well, it just really irritates and annoys me. They just don't deserve any extra time, thought, preparation or energy!!!! I guess there are people out there who would try to put more energy into making it a better class... but they're almost gone anyway and honestly, the fact that they're so rude and spoiled is like this psychological barrier where if I sit down to try to come up with something good, all I can do is picture their awful little faces looking bored and horrible, and blaming me for it all... and I just say 'NO... these kids are getting out of me exactly what they're giving me in class', which probably isn't even 15%.

And then they complain that I never give them candy! They should be glad that I'm not giving them lines to write out...

nfld_chingu · Joined: 29 Jun 2009

I only give candy a few special times during the year, such as Halloween or Christmas. Once I tried giving candy as a reward during class for answering questions, but one parent called the school and complained because I didn't call on her son every single time he raised his hand, and he was displeased with the amount of candy he received compared to others. Everyone in the class got at least one piece, those who participated a lot had more ... I tried to be fair and call on the students equally. And still got complaints. And then I was mad. I gave you candy and you're complaining?? Never again.

le-paul · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Location: dans la chambre

kids get more of a buzz out of a 'perfect'/'very good' written in in big red letters across the pagee their books - cos they can show their parents.

stickers/stamps work the same - my kids always ask for stickers - never for candy?

candy is for winning games - i give one to each winner in the team, the losers get one between the team and have to cut it up and share it

yoja · Joined: 30 May 2008

take a rest wrote:

Weigookin74 · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

I give candy out like gangbusters, but it's not why kids like me. I usually have some that I throw to kids in the hallway and on break. I just do it to be nice. But, I never use it in class. Students listen and speak. Sometimes they speak up as smart aleks, but I just turn the tables on them and come right back at them with it. I never get mad, though sometimes I'll stare intensly at ones who are talking and then the whole class focuses on them and tells them to "shut up!" Sometimes, I'll get talking students to come up front and answer a question. But our rating system in public school has a lot to do with how well our students like us. So, just be friendly. You're in a different culture and western style doesn't work here. I've seen so many come here idealistic and wanting to do things the proper "western way". Well, it doesn't work that way. Just get the kids to learn by being fun to be around. If your students never come and talk to you or try to talk to you, it means you haven't clicked with them. Loosen up you bunch of fogeys! If I show up with a halloween mask, use a nerf football, show some funny pictures to stimulate conversation, then I can walk away feeling accomplishment. Otherwise, they get bored and won't be stimulated to talk to you. Good luck.

PS To state the obvious, you are different from the other teachers. If I had to act like a boring stuck up stiff then the job would suck and I wouldn't be here. I would have left long ago. One of my reasons for staying is because I'm getting paid to have fun and it shows through in my teaching and students attitudes.

AsiaESLbound · Joined: 07 Jan 2010 Location: Truck Stop Missouri

Showering kids with candy is bribing them to like you and coercing them to do what you want them to do. I think it would work well for short term results after each round, but if you have 574 students, you won't be doing much candy if you rationally look at the extra unnecessary cost. I can do it for after-school classes since it is only 3 classes with less than 5 students each. My co-teachers somehow manage to serve sandwiches to their after-school classes many days so their classes are on an easy gravy train.

harshlands101 · Joined: 19 Oct 2010

not a fan of giving candy, maybe last lesson of the semester for a quiz.

When i was a kid i don't think i was ever given candy by a teacher, i don't think i would have ever expected it either.

Were people on this forum given candy by their teachers for performing well in class? is it now a done thing in school in our respective home countries?