Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chronicpride]

I swear to god that some Koreans have a 'blind spot', when you point directly at them.

Do you ever get this? You are in class and you point at a kid and the 2 to either side of him, point to their heads and say 'me'? Meanwhile, the kid that you are pointing at, is turning his head and thinking that I'm pointing at the kid behind him.

This is not once and awhile for me. This happens so much, in class or out and about, that I've just gotten used to it, but sometimes I feel compelled to stand in front of my mirror and to see if I have any pointing defects.

[captain kirk]

Happens 'all the time', students with blind spots when I'm directing teacher attention at them. They deke like ducking a pitched ball, then I have to ask the guy or gal next to them. It's when I'm scribbling their names on a notepage at the start of class, so I can look down and read who's who and where for asking questions; 'yun-hee, read story section two', like. It's like they duck into the invisible jungle fronds, leaving their neighbours to speak for them.
Talked with a fourteen year old girl in special class, one on one, for four months two or three times a week. One day I asked why she was so happy and she said she had a good day at school. Happy to be back after the one month Summer vacation. She procrastinated on the homework assigned for the holiday, and missed her classmates. She said, laughing, that two thirds of the class paid attention up front while a third was up back passing notes and whispering, oblivious to the teacher. Who paid no attention to their obliviousness. Being back at school is a terrific time, then!
Wow. So that's the way it is! So that's where the blind spot comes from. With middle school it's well advanced, the ducking. Just routine. Take it personally and run them down and the one's that like you, your style, end up staying. Maybe they want to study as well. Is it that they get over the 'pushiness' of a style of teaching that involves reciprocity? Is it that different from Korean style of teaching. Teaching conversational English isn't a lecture style class. At first they try to hide. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run to. And I appreciate the ones that adapt and stay on!

[Thomas]

Traditonally it was also considered rude to point at anyone... so some students may avoid it becuae they don't wnat to be pointed at. Try it sometime with a whole hand instead of one or two fingers and see what happens. I found better results with that.

[chronicpride]

Kirk, the ducking element is not what I'm seeing. I see that, too, but this is different. I get this when I'm out and about. And using full hand or pointed finger. I'd like to see if Korean teachers get this, too. You think the eye contact would give it away, but then the outstretched arm 8 feet away from the center of their chest, really throws them off.

[Drakoi]

why don't you just call their name?

[chronicpride]

My post was not about how do I effectively teach the class better with these pointing issues, it was about discussing the oddity of my experience with those situations.