Korean Job Discussion Forums

pollyplummer · Joined: 07 Mar 2005 Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon

I teach over 500 different students/week. There's no way I'm buying candy for all of them. Buy it for just one and they all will demand it. I'm not here to feed them. I'm here to educate them. It's not a freakin hagwon. It's not customer service. They don't seem to hate me at all. In fact, I think they enjoy me. None of the other teachers give them candy either.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

pollyplummer · Joined: 07 Mar 2005 Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon

HAHAHHA!! Well I'm glad that works for you. But they tell me I'm pretty every day in every class without me having to bribe them. But I dont care whether they say that or not or even if they thought I was ugly. My classes are still fun without the candy motivation. If it's truly fun to learn english, then it is. If it's fun to learn english to get candy... well then, there ya go. Whatever works to supplement your teaching style. Very Happy

I'm not bashing anyone for giving out candy. You may do as you please.

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

Polly Plummer....completely understand. I only have a little over a hundred students, so I can afford the candy. But at my last hagwon, I had far fewer students, so they got treated to ice cream now and then during hot weather and ramyun during cold weather. There's no way I'd start that up here as it'd break my savings.

As for massages done by students, the other day, one of my fifth grade girls started in on my shoulders and I about melted onto the floor because the stress came out so fast that my bones turned to mush. Since I obviously enjoyed it, some of the other girls rushed over to join in. One girl, she nearly killed me--it was so painful that I actually screeched. She stopped in surprise and then started again. I screeched again. She doesn't try anymore. I feel rather bad for her because she was only trying to do something nice.

Getting a massage by my students does freak me out a bit....the older they are, the more it freaks me out. I'm used to kindy kids climbing all over me, so as long as it's my SHOULDERS or NECK getting a massage, I'm perfectly fine with it. However, when one little boy got the idea of massaging my butt Shocked

...well, that was stopped immediately and there was a discussion about how teacher's butt is never to be touched under any circumstances at all. Shocked

I will also massage my students' shoulders and necks if they look sick/tired/stressed out, etc. But only the ones who have not yet hit puberty. If they are at all near puberty, I won't do it. I don't think that anyone at my school would have a problem with it if I did (probably helps that I'm female) but *I* would have a problem with it. It just seems wrong.

squat toilet · Joined: 08 Mar 2005

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

Well...In a Korean spa recently a naked man I didn't know offered me a back scrub. I declined because I'm a repressed westerner.

After looking around for a while longer it became clear that it's the done thing to help each other out in the spa and give someone else a good, vigorous backscrub!! Whether you know them or not.

I think that's a very civilised thing to do. As is giving each other random massages. My kids do it for me now and then but it always just turns into, "pound the teacher's back" game!!!

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

desultude · Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 9:30 pm Post subject:

crazykiwi · Joined: 07 Jun 2003 Location: new zealand via daejeon

haha....this was one of my true great things about teaching the kindy kids. after a work out the day before, usually shoulders or back, what better way to get a free massage than to have 10 +kids lining up to help aleviate the pain? nothing! they have so much fun doing it it would be a crime to deny them! sure at home id be arrested but hey, im not AT home, so i made the most of it! as for the older kids, no thanks! the only thing the elementary boys helped me with was stretching my arms, very good when you have 2 boys on each arm, stretching the hell outa ya! all good.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

oh good lord, Derrek... Rolling Eyes

Well, as long as this thread's going down anyway, here goes nothing:

Would any of the female, sexually non-repressed, Western ESL teachers consider giving back rubs, neck massages, foot massages, full-body massages, etc. to their male high school students in return for scoring high marks on tests? Or if not giving, then how about receiving? 'Cos I know that would get me to study harder, yes ma'am!

Or how about a toe-sucking punishment system for boys that misbehaved? I mean instead of sending them to the principal's office?

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.....

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

Now you've got me second-guessing. I can't figure out if I'm just hopelessly naive and missed a truck-load of unrecognized sexual come-ons.

I taught adults. During breaktime it was a frequent occurance for someone to stand behind me and massage my shoulders. I just sighed and said, "Thanks". Was I being solicited? Yikes! And what about Mr. Shin? He's a weightlifter of the tight t-shirt type. After a couple of shots of soju he would pick me up and hug me.

I always thought it was happening because Koreans are much more casual about touching and were expressing affection.

guangho · Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 3:55 am Post subject:

One kid gave me a shoulder rub today and I was weirded out until the coteacher said it's a sign of respect here. Hey whatever floats yer boat.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

guangho · Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 4:06 am Post subject:

Is it just me or are kids here starved for affection? I was scolded at the hakwon for not touching the kids often enough, not playing with their hair, etc.... has anyone else noticed this?