Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TJ]

Approximately half my students address me as "teacher" or "Mr..............." A few say "song sang nim". That's good.

Unfortunately there is a sizeable percentage who simply use only my family name. I've tried many times to get them to use what I consider to be the correct form of address ( as above ) but, after a few days, they forget.

Their tone and manner is not disrespectful but, if they addressed a teacher or an adult like that in most western countries, it would be considered rude.

After 3 1/2 years here I've given up trying to educate Korean students, young and old, about this.

Does anyone else have this problem?

[visviva]

Yeah... Kind of annoying, isn't it? I reckon it's up to the individual teacher to decide how much of an issue to make it. Lots of teachers here just go by their first names and leave it at that.

I think the reason that a lot of students forget (really forget) to use proper address forms is because they only tend to retain information that is immediately needed for communication. If they get the same response by calling you "Schwinkelstein" as they do with "Mr. Schwinkelstein," they will use the one that's easier to remember. Can't blame them for that. So if you really want to make your students learn to use one and not the other, you have to make them perceive the distinction as communicatively important. The simplest approach is to simply ignore students who don't use the proper form. If they have something they want to tell you, they'll figure it out pretty quickly.

Another approach would be to respond in whatever way your strictest high-school teacher would have done if you addressed her by her last name only. Of course, you may find cattle prods difficult to come by in Korea...

[hellofaniceguy]

Don't sweat the small stuff. What is the big deal if it's Mr. so and so vs just the first name or last name?
I remember students calling their professors by just the last name when I was in college and the professors didn't mind.
Respect? Can't force someone to respect you. Respect is earned. You can respect the title but not the person as well. As long as students know what is considered manners, etc. is important. But we all know that koreans lack in manners as manners are known in the west.

[schwa]

I'm totally okay with kids of all ages being on a 1st-name basis with me, in fact I encourage it. I know that flies in the face of convention most everywhere, especially here, but it suits me & I've never detected it leading to disrespect. Respect is earned in other, more important, ways.

The other day a couple middleschool girls came into my office & one of them greeted me with "annyong." Her friend was horrified & nudged her to quickly add "haseyo." But I liked the original intent -- a nice girl comfortable enough to address me as a friend (though I'm old enough to be her grandfather).

No fixations on title or age here. Just call me Schwa.

[Gwennie]

At least they use your first name...I get "Banana Teacher", even from students I don't teach. Word flies around the school fast...sigh.

[trevorcollins]

[Mashimaro]

[crazylemongirl]

My boys address me by family name... sometimes there's a Ms attached to it. Sometimes i'm teacher or seonsaengnim. I'm not sweating in it if they are talking to me in english.

I have little time for students who do it and then talk in ban mal to me though.

[peemil]

I get called Bi bim bab.

Why? Because I was playing one day with the kids in the classroom. Just calling them all different foods. Anyhow, got to this one kid who's really good. I said... "Righto... You're gim bab." He says.... "Righto... Your bi bim bab." Had to laugh...

Now everytime I say... "Hi Gim bab..."

"Hi Bi bim bab."

[Derrek]

My family name is too difficult to pronounce.

When I taught kids, they couldn't pronounce my first name well, either. Then one day, this little girl is sitting in class and starts trying to say my name to herself out loud. The other kids in the class just sat and listened to her, "Deerriick... um... Darrick, Dreck.... SHREK!!!!"

So to the entire school, I was "Shrek" from that point on.

[Gwennie]

[Yangkho]

I feel for you. I'm currently being addressed by my middle name. My boss told that the kids that was my family name. I've tried to tell the guy ten times, to no avail.

It doesn't matter.

[Ihavenolips]

Students call me by my given name. That is fine by me. It is short and easy to pronounce. In more playful moods the rascals call me "can", "killer", or "crazy". As along as they speak English I don't care what they call me.

I have tried to convince them to call me "king", "strong handsome man", or "the God of Thunder" - but, these nicknames didn't seem to take.

[lookingtoteach]

I got called "Chenapa teacher" a lot by my baby kindys because they couldn't say "Jennifer". That's really the only annoying thing that I got. All of the teachers, foreign and Korean, were called by their first name with a teacher at the end. "Jennifer Teacher".

[Universalis]