Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Demophobe]

pecan...lighten up a bit dude....I think he realizes his error, and thus posted for advice not a smack in the face. Learning is never easy and to show enough humility to post as the OP did shows good character.

I just think advice should be more gentle, not so much "tough love" with strangers. You will come off sounding like a goober.

[peppermint]

Pecan- don't knock games until you're familiar with the elementary school curriculum. It was explained to me that games should occupy around 50% of class time. As well, bingo is written in as a game reasonably often.

On the rare ocasions that I do play bingo I make damned sure that it reinforces the vocab at hand.

[pecan]

Demo,

It was not meant as a smack, but I was short on time and I am not much for dancing around an issue with pleasantries.

I was concerned when Mcnasty mentioned how the hairs on the back of Mc's neck where standing up with the thought of that class.

One definitely needs to start each day anew. Holding grudges against developing students is wasted energy and a bad practice to begin.

Also, I was trying to give a more constructive response to washout reads like adventureman's.

Nut

Peppermint,

I am not knocking games, but if you resort to playing "bingo" on your first day with a particular class, it shows some weakness on the part of the teacher.

Nut

[JongnoGuru]

Okay, I'll ask again: Are these classroom discipline problems getting better or worse over the years, in your opinion?

Or does no-one here have years of experience on which to form such an opinion? Or does no-on here believe this is a product of "the times" or of broader social trends in Korea?

Any & all opinions are appreciated (as long as their from teachers, not armchair social critics like myself)

The Guru

[adventureman]

..

[McNasty]

Pecan,

First of all the hair standing up on the back of my neck was meant to be a joke. I do not hold grudges against children. I expressed my day honestly and I wanted to end it on a lighter note.

Over the years teaching in Korea has taught me that you can't take things personally when it comes to kids.

Was I angry at the time? Hell yes!
Was I angry next class? Hell no!
They are just kids.

[Wisco Kid]

Dude, you got 45 students in the class?
IMO that's where the problem originates. The most I've ever had in one class was about 25, and that's bad enough. Class size is really important.

[Grotto]

most of my classes at the elementary school I am at are between 36-40+

I dont think I have a 45 but I do have a 41 class.

So far no problems at all. If a teacher leaves the class I just continue on like nothing happened. If a student thinks they can start up I just continue teaching, asking questions and walk up and put my hand on their head/shoulder they are pretty quiet after that

Works

[TJ]

[kermo]

[ladyandthetramp]

Don't know how this compares to your situation, but here's my advice for what it's worth:

Don't let them speak any Korean.

I teach at a middle school, classes of 36 students. I have 15 different classes and see each one once a week, and I have no problem controlling any of them.

If they can't speak Korean, it's difficult for them to screw around. As soon as I hear Korean, I write the student's name on the board and an X next to it. If they speak Korean again, they go into the hallway for 5 minutes (although I usually forget they're there ).

Of course, occasionally the students start speaking Korean during speaking exercises, and quieting the class down after such excercises can be difficult, but I just say "no Korean" and start looking for students speaking Korean and quickly write down their names. The students quickly start telling each other to be quiet.

[agraham]

[McNasty]

Agraham