Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Badmojo]

[kalbi]

Ok Bad Mojo

Lets say that this was a composition and not a 'diary entry' as the original post states. Is it your position that it is ok for a teacher to publish online a composition that one of his/her students turned in, WITHOUT the permission of the student?

[Badmojo]

[redbird]

I've been around plenty of teachers who assign journals in the states, but I've always felt uneasy about them. A few days ago, I saw the article RR linked to and found myself agreeing with it. Kudos to the Koreans who articulated these privacy concerns.

If you assign journals, sooner or later, you're going to find out something you wish you didn't know. This time, it was how a student felt about a teacher. Next time, it could be some darker secret. Then, there's a huge ethical choice to make-- do you respect a student's privacy or do you alert the authorities?

One way to avoid some of these issues would be to assign fiction writing, I guess.

[canadian_in_korea]

I think perhaps some people are misunderstanding the "journal activity". You see they do this in schools in Canada also, my daughter had a journal in school that she passed into the teacher....the teacher read what she wrote ...made comments....asked questions to encourage her to elaborate on her previous writings. I could be wrong but this could possibly be the beginnings of learning how to write an essay...? The bottom line is this....my daughter was well aware that this was something done in school....to be handed into the teacher. Now if the teacher asked for the student to bring their diary from home...and snooped through it ...then yes....it is a violation of anyone's right to privacy. BUT.....I'm pretty sure that in this case the student was most likely aware that the journal entry would be passed into the teacher for evaluation. One of the things that I know appreciate more about Canadian society is that respect is earned....not given like it is here in korea....you respect me because i'm older than you, i grew up in a better hometown than you, i graduated from a better university than you. In Canada....if you haven't done anything that deserves respect....then i'm not going to give it to you...i couldn't care less where you went to school, how old you are or where you grew up...if you are a jerk that is all that matters. Someone once told me that in certain situations...you must demand respect...I think this applies with teaching english (at least in korea).....It is very easy to tell which korean teachers the students respect and which ones they don't....as foreigners I don't know if demanding anything will work here....we most likely wouldn't get it anyway.

[Badmojo]

[Ya-ta Boy]

My reading of the situation is a little different.

The kid wrote something he knew the teacher was going to read. There is no privacy issue here. The kid was trying to communicate directly to one teacher his anger at another teacher.

Kids and everyone else are entitled to get angry. The manner of expressing that anger is a matter of public concern. I would say that physically harming or threatening to harm others is over the line.

The teacher who received the entry should call the kid in for a private chat and talk to him about two things:

a) What did the teacher do to him that made him so angry? (It wasn't assigning homework. Something else happened.)

b) Then discuss acceptable ways to express anger. Many people express their anger and hurt feelings by saying things like 'I will kill you' and it means nothing.


I would also like to mention that Koreans have a very different set of values about privacy. I get the feeling that the posters who got caught up in the privacy issue in this situation are applying Western standards, not Korean standards.

[redbird]

[canadian_in_korea]

Badmojo you are right, there most definately a price to pay for keeping that attitude while here. One of the things my husband is looking forward to very much is being able to express his opinion freely when someone asks for it. It took a bit for my to explain the deal about respect though.....and that your boss/coworkers/friends don't meddle in your life, if they do you are well within your rights to tell them thanks but no thanks for the advice.


I see what you are saying redbird, myself I think that if a child writes something in a journal that might be disturbing whether it is something that is happening at home or something they intend to do, perhaps they are aware of exactly what they are doing and it is a way to ask for help..? As far as it goes for writing something "mean" or hurtful about the person that is going to be reading the diary, I daresay my daughter has more "tact"...common sense whatever you want to call it. But I think this is something that Korean people don't grasp, they are almost too honest, saying what they believe without a thought about the person's feelings. Another of my husband's complaints about Korean society is that people take it upon themselves to butt into your life and tell you what you should do. The problem appears to be that they butt in when it is something like who you are dating, how much money you make.....but if a woman is getting the crap beat out of her by her husband nobody wants to get involved.

[Ken8589]

[crazykiwi]

First things first. The privacy issue is a load of bollocks as far as im concerned. the definition of a "journal" in this place is far from western standards. yes, its a chance for the kids to do some writing, and as i am the partner teacher, i feel i have a right to read this journal. As for posting it on the net, its not exactly going to harm the kid, the teacher or me as it was done totally anonomously. If i posted something that was positive would the moral brigade be out in such force? i think not!

Anyway, after talking to soem friends about what i should do, we have come up with some solutions. We have figured out that maybe he thinks his english is better than hers therefore the respect has gone out the window. yes, his diary was almost word perfect, but he has to know when to draw the line. will post later when ive seen him.

thanks for all the useful, and sometimes useless advice

crazy

[kalbi]

I think that a student turning in any assignment has a reasonable expectation that the teacher will read it; and that (s)he may show it to another teacher. I do not think any student expects their work to be published ***'in its entirety' on-line.

As to whether a Korean or Western standard should be applied, do we use coporal punishment in class because the Korean teachers do? Should we as foreign teachers check in our standards at Incheon Airport?

I am not necessarily advocating one position or the other. Instead, my intent is simply to flag some issues that should, at the very least, be considered.

K.

[dogbert]

Isn't this the sort of thing that should be shown to the child's parent?

[Merlyn]

[matthewwoodford]