Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachingld2004]

I know this topic is not a new one, it just bothers me.

I KNOW these hogwon kids are so busy. I know they have so many schools to go to. BUT.......

Why can't they come prepared to work? Yes, I understand some times they forget to bring somethig, but the same kids all the time "forget" a pencil, eraser, and/or book. COme on now. Don't they need pencils and erasers in all schools? After class starts, they say "teacher, no pencil, no book". ANd usually its the same kids over and over again.

Durring class all I hear is "eraser please". Or they may grab another students eraser with out asking.

I have stopped letting them use "sharps". When lead runs out I hand them a pencil. Too bad.....they arent going to spend forever playing with them. The say "No pencil teacher, I sharp" Of corse then some kids laugh and say "You are a sharp"? But I am fed up with them asking me to repeat what I say or looking and bothering other kids to write down what they missed.

ALso what gets me going (now that im' thinking about it), is when I have them erase what I can't read. I tell them they do not have to have a perfect hand writing, but if I can't tell the difference between an "a" or a "u", or if I cant make out a word, I just clamly go over and erase what they write, and all hell breaks loose.

Yep, they are kids, and I certainly am not a dictator, but don't let me mark a spelling word wrong cause they write "dug" instead of "dog".
I am easy to get along with, but lots of kids seem not to care about rules. Of corse then there is the perfect child who gets so "bent out of shape" when anything thing "bad" is said.

Now I make them go out of the room and get a pencil, or paper or a copy from the supervisor or the owner. It is always given, and then kid usually comes back intop the room and laughs. But they don't laugh when I have to make out there (stupid( report cards and give then a "d" in "homework", because I think bringing in what you need for class is homework.

What do YOU do about this?

Now people, please don't tell me my spelling or typing is bad, I know that. This is the reason I bring a dictionary to class, and use it.

I'm just in a bad mood now. 10 more working days till y new job, and i'm on edge. (by the way, this is a nice school, just ranting)

[JacktheCat]

Lending them your own pencils and books just encourages the behavior.

And sending them out to wonjongnim is pretty useless. All she'll do is pat them on the back and believe their stories about the bad, evil waegukin teacher.

What I've found works best is force them to borrow their classmates pencils and share books with a student they don't like. Peer pressure will have them coming to class prepared fairly quick.

[tzechuk]

I helped out at a friend's hagwon for a few months and this was always the same problem. I have no solution for it except that when I left, I gave each one a pencil and an eraser for present. I told each one of them that they would have no more excuses for not having a pencil or an eraser.

To be honest though, the reason why they don't care is because they really do NOT want to be in a hagwon. I think some kids are just not fit to be in the hagwon environment and would do much better not going.. but you know.. parents force them to go to hagwon and they have no choice..

[teachingld2004]

Oh, I have given them pencils and erasers. I even had lent them at times, and would not always get them back. I had them borrow but they talk all thru the class, Some kids are sick of lending, one kid had said, "I every day lend you pencil, what, you have no money?" Dosen't matter. Sharing books is useless cause they usually have to write in them, and they dont share well. ANd I feel bad for the student that has to do the sharing.
Less then 2 weeks to go, and my nerves are shot.

It is sad leaving cause the kids really love me (and most of them are great).

Yes, they dont want to be here. A few do, but others don't.

When I give grades they arent very accurate because it does not matter, and they say ?My mother hits me if I don't get all "A's". ANd I say "you bring no pencils no bookds". "teacher sorry, I will next time", So I give good grades and they still don't do the right thing. But they have to learn that we make our own beds.....

Sorry, just in a disgusted mood.

[Grotto]

aaahhh the old "mother beats me if I dont do well" scam

The funny thing is that grades dont mean sweet tweet here in Korea. Especially in the English sector. If an actually accurate grading system was set up 90% of all students would be getting C's and D's.

There are way too many grades being given out with the rationalisation of the confucionism mantra. Loss of face.

If the student gets a bad grade they lose face....ohhh wait it gets better....so does their family.....not finished yet....so does the school(not doing a good enough job)......still going strong...so does the government(not emphasizing education enough).......WHICH....causes the country to lose face by having students not getting straight A's......SSSSSSSSSSSoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..... you give all students A's and B's which doesnt do anything about the real problems.

[teachingld2004]

Report cards were written end of Jan, they will be given out today and tomorrow. I know they are a farce, but we still have to do them. I am the only teacher who is honest. Not that it matters, cause the parents cant read them anyway. Of corse we are told "the parents understand english". They cant speak English, but they can understand it. (of corse they can, and my name is Abraham Lincoln).
So one of the Korean teachers says "why did you give so and so this grade, in my class the student..... And I say, "well, in my class the student does not say one word in English, talks to the others i Korean when I am speaking, blah blah blah.
Whole point of this is there is no point in doing these report cards. Just comes with the job. Oh well, still is an easy job, and I am leaving at the end of Feb. (this job, not Korea)

[peemil]

I've just got a stock of pencils and the like that other kids leave behind. It's never empty. I just re-distribute them.

[sistersarah]

i used to have a cup of pencils on my desk that the kids would borrow from and 98% of them returned them faithfullly. there were one or two who never did and they would slowly deplete my supply. so when the pencils ran out and the students asked me to lend them one, i'd say "go and ask david; he has all my pencils." everyone would have a good laugh, except for david. he was actually pretty embarrassed about it because he found out that i was taking note of his behaviour.

this actually improved things a lot. i didn't mind the kids borrowing and putting back from my pencil cup. some of them i could tell had just ran from an early or late dinner, or another hogwan without dinner, so i couldn't scold them for not having pencils.