Korean Job Discussion Forums

d503 · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Location: Daecheong, Seoul

my name is more common in korea than in the us. hurrah for me, half my students just call me by my korean styled name (last name first) the other half just call me by my first name, or by teacher. In the same vein, it depends on the students weather they go by a korean name or an English name in my class. Some kids really like their English name--I have a boy who thinks Andy is the coolest name in the world and refuses to answer to his Korean name. It's all preference. I also had a kid who decided he wanted to be called octopus and so he was. All my students who can right though have to learn to spell their name--so some opt for a nice short english name like Mike, as opposed to learning to romanize their korean name.

As for my name....I think I teach 2 or three kids who have the same exact name (first and last) and then a couple with the first and we have never been asked to change ours. Shit koreans have the same names as other koreans, why can't foreigners.

PolyChronic Time Girl · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Location: Korea Exited

I too let my students choose their names (high school boys) even if it was ridiculous....it was all in good fun. So I had Terminator, Smeagal, Sebastian (a famous K. comedian) Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Ono, Socrates, Jonathan Swift, Legolas, and my favorite, Shakespeare.
I drew the line when a couple of boys wanted to be called Jesus Christ and Fat B*stard.

Badmojo · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 5:59 am Post subject:

Strange names from my students... Batman, Bond, Beckham, Blondie, Celery, Yo Yo, Green, Shaq, and a few more I can't remember now.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

The Bobster · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

"Bob" is far too close to the Korean word for fool, babo, not to elicit laughter from kids, and even a smile from adult students.

I explain with a totally straight face that they are making a pronunciation error, and that it's really better to use the Korean word for rice bap - you know, kim bap, or bokum bap, or dul sut bi bim bap -and I go on to explain, again very seriously, that it's a very esteemed and important name because, of course, everyone loves rice.

Personally, I think having a name that sounds like "admonish" is far preferable to one that sounds like "fool." Humor is a good classroom tool that serves to lower the affective barriers and facilitate language input, so go with it, I say.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

My first and last names are fairly uncommon, and I've never seen them taken by a Korean. When pronounced by Koreans, my first name sounds a lot like a word used often by teachers, and for the longest time I thought the Korean teachers were always talking about me. My last name sounds like a piece of clothing in Korean, but only certain middle-school boys have picked up on that.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

My theory about names goes like this--

Names are a part of language. It's difficult to remember all the names and know which ones are boys' names and which are girls'. If I taught kids, I'd make up a long list of names and let the kids choose one and do an activity or two so everyone learns the names. A couple of months later I'd do it again, requiring everyone to take a new name. I'd make it clear it was just another language lesson. It would also be an opportunity to teach 'used to': I used to be Jane, but now I'm Sue.

For Koreans who have a name with a negative English meaning and who are going abroad to study, I tell them what their name means and suggest they might want to alter it, so spare themselves hassles.

I don't think foreign teachers need to change their name unless it has a negative meaning in Korean. Then they might want to make an adaptation. Would a 'Bob' really be changing his name if he went by 'Robert' in class?

Konundrum · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Boston

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

In 2 schools that I have worked for, thier seemed to be confusion that I have my family name last and my first name first. So they assumed my family name was my personal name and told all the teachers that was my name. In another school I was requested to change it as another better liked teacher had my name and they didn't want two teachers with the same name.

It has really never bothered me as my family name is as worthy of respect as my first name. So I am comfortable with using it. It took about 6 months before some students realised that it wasn't my personal name and started calling me by my first name. It is too confusing for some of them, so I just don't answer to it and it keeps everyone on the same page.

I was highly shocked though that my first school didn't realise foreigners don't have their family names printed first. I had thought with dealing with foreigners that they would lnow that. Wink

margaret · Joined: 14 Oct 2003

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

My last name has the letter "z" in it, which Koreans have quite a bit of trouble pronouncing, while my first name is the most common in the English language. So I usually just go by my first name at school.

Doesn't really bother me that much that I am called "[first name] teacher", while the Koreans are called "[family name] teacher." I'm a waegukin and will never get the respect from the students that the Koreans get anyway.

Demonicat · Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: Suwon

hehe, I laways start the first day of class (in any country) with, "good morning, my name is Mr._, you may call me 'teacher' or Mr _". I don;t give them the option of using my forst name. Gotta enforce my authority, you know.