Korean Job Discussion Forums

[manlyboy]

The sixth grade is a Korean kid's first taste of what it's like to be at the top of a food chain. So I was very interested in seeing how long it would take for my angel 5th graders to morph into little sh*t demons this term. Apparently, the transformation takes place overnight. They've gone from keen-eyed, obedient, fun-loving pupils to everything-is-boring-and-all-adults-suck-the-big-one teens instantaneously! I was expecting at least a little bit of a transition period, but no. As of day 1, they are all now officially too cool for school.
I can pinpoint the exact nanosecond I realised this. As I was implementing my patented over-the-top chain drill name game race, which causes 5th graders to completely lose their sh*t in a cacophony of I-heart-the-English-teacher delirium, the 6th graders start in on me with a bunch of moaning and groaning clearly intended to convey the message of what a frikin' tool they think I am. Why? Because this activity necessitated that they actually get up out of their seats. The gods of teen-dom forbid they should behave in such a lowly, 5th-gradish manner! This kind of stuff was knockin' their collective socks off not more than a few months ago. Personally, I blame Confucius.

[Daechidong Waygookin]

[crazylemongirl]

Take heart. This time next year their life is going to suck big time. 6th grade is the last year to be a kid before they go off to university.

[manlyboy]

[crazylemongirl]

[trevorcollins]

[rapier]

Middle schoolers are the most pointless specimens in existence..
There is no good reason for them to even be in school...they should sent to try and survive on a desert island, or doing voluntary work in the third world.
Its the age where they demand the same treatment as adults, yet behave like 10 year olds: they appear to have all wisdom and knowledge, yet no experience of the world: they still enjoy the spoiled attention and shelter of parents, yet rebel at the same time...with a hefty cocktail of hormones thrown in..
And due to school schedules, their painful classes are always the last, most numbing and tiresome, at the end of a long day...

Definition of futility...

[pollyplummer]

My high school students act like what I would expect from grade six students, especially the boys. They giggle like little girls when I speak to them. When I ask one of them to stand up and read a sentence aloud and he uses a whisper voice, I say, "What is this mouse voice? Where is your man voice?" They respond, "We are mice." Hmm... What does this say about Korean men? My male korean co-workers act like what I would expect from freshmen in high school. Maybe my expectations are askew. Afterall, I'm not at home. I'm in Korea. I hope to systematically destroy this mouse mentality in my students wherever I see it. Perhaps this is too optimistic- I've only been teaching one week now.

[crazylemongirl]

[Kimchieluver]

Yuppers, they won't come out of their shells for at least another week. By that time they will have friends and remember how much fun they had bugging the last foriegner.

[pollyplummer]

I don't care if they've known me for one hour or for three years, timidity is never acceptable. I'm not talking about a little shyness. It's a complete lack of any kind of self-confidence. Certainly, teenagers will have that to some degree. But if they have voices loud enough to giggle like girls, then they have voices loud enough to read their sentence aloud without whispering. I'm not going to baby them. That's just my opinion. I know others are probably more patient with high school boys. I'm really trying, though

[Plume D'ella Plumeria]

My sixth graders haven't been too bad. Yet. I do expect their behaviour to degenerate at some point but I was thinking it would probably happen after the summer vacation. I could be wrong...

We had an "ordinal numbers race" the other day, which went swimmingly, I thought. They scrambled right out of their seats, eager to run the course.

Whatever shall I do if they get all cynical and jaded on me??

[Demonicat]

hey polly, to get them to speak be REALLY loud yourself! Oh and channel Hulk Hogan with the whole, "I can't hear you!" hand to the ear thing. Funny thing about Korean kids...they're kids- make them wet themselves laughing at your hysterics and they'll start talking. Now girls on the other hand...hell, if I can make them talk...

[crazylemongirl]

[jajdude]

I have never noticed that being in grade 6 turns them into a pain. But I can believe it.

Some kids at the workplace now, more boys than girls, are getting to me sometimes. I haven't worked at any place before where they were this difficult to deal with. Some classes are just painful to get through. Lousy or inappropiate material, and just rotten attitudes. Seems like they need a few months just to adjust to regular exposure to a foreigner. Their rudeness (or culture?) can be annoying. They often make comments about you, many not kind ones. It's bizarre how small their worlds seem to me, though mine was the same way when I was a youngster. And I'm sure anyone looking quite foreign or speaking a foreign language then would have seemed weird to me. Sometimes it's like they want to blame you for them having to endure their English classes. It's your fault in particular. They must study English because you exist. If only the outside world would vanish somehow, all would be well with Korea.