Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

I am not a rookie. I have taught in Korea before, as well as Taiwan and Japan.

I never once in all my experiences ever had my students

[Gord]

Violence is the answer. Sacrifice one, and the rest shall fall in line.

[posco's trumpet]

[chi-chi]

Whiner,
What city are you in?
I taught in a very small town before. My younger students loved me, but they were too young to receive the Anti-Foreigner mandatory indoctrination that they receive through the public schools.
The older students (5th grade, I guess, and any above 3rd) were well, sullen. One was talking about me in Korean, I went and asked a Korean teacher what she had said, and it turned out to be not-so-good. I later embarassed her in front of the entire class after that. (She grew to love me after that.)
Another time, (this was right after I left and knew some Korean), I understood what one fifth grader was saying about me. I shamed her and threw her out. I guess shaming works. Also explaining what was said to a Korean teacher and having them call the parents, works well.
If they know they can just talk about you in Korean, they lose respect for you.
And btw, yes this is a sign if you want to call it that. With your experience, why in the hell are you working in a small town hogwan. If you've taught in 3 countries, you could probably have a Seoul Uni job.

[humanuspneumos]

Age Group and Other Factors:

Which age group are they? I remember taking handa-pones away from my teenagers didn't win friends. The grade 6-11 were really hard for me and everyone who taught them. Anyway 2 systems began to loosen them up:

1. Reward- pencils, stickers, whatever for performance- the best reader, the fastest speller, the top grade for work-sheets.... And not just one competition per day. Several in one class to pass out several prizes. Hey, to save my sanity- I even spent my own money. No point in being cheap when millions of WON are at my future door.

2. Team 1/Team 2 stuff won some smiles. Class of 6? Split them into teams of 2 and ask questions from the story. The Boys Vs. the Girls was fun too. Give points on the board for every correct answer. Speed spelling: move the desks apart, form 2 lines of students, call out the word and have them run to the board to write.

Just some things that turned the tides for me. Otherwise the tides would have sunk my little boat and I would have become enemy # 1 at the school for losing students.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

My kids are between the ages of (western age) 3-15. Large variety.

I do the two teams thing and reward goodness and effort. The teams are usually seperated down gender lines (students' choice, not mine). nine times out of ten, the girls win.

The boys see this, and think I'm some white pervert aways giving favour to the girls (which is not the case). In one occasion which made my class openly revolt, there were 3 girls and 5 boys. The boys clearly had a huge advantage, yet still lost. One cried, ripped posters off walls and called me unmentionable names after biting my finger (this is a 14 year-old too!)

I called him a little cry baby, and this got me in doo-doo.

In a more notorious and recent example, I had a student sing the "OH PILSUNG KOREA" song with alternative, very naughty lyrics. I told him I knew the meaning of the lyrics, and the kids talked about me during the bus ride home saying "teacher said this word and that word".

So the bus driver complained to the bossman about how I use foul language in front of the students.

I called the student a liar and chastised him, and this got me in doo-doo.

For the first time teaching, I haven't won the Mr. Popular contest. Yes I am strict with my students. No food. No gum. No handphones.

So I guess starting today, I will follow the example of the teacher who was already here before me: pretend I don't know Korean, and ignore the racist and perverted slurs I get hurled at me. Ignore all the boys looking up dresses and ingore all the swears. Ignore the cheating, and ignore the trouble-making.

Will it work?

I don't know, but at this point I'm willing to try just about anything short of kicking these kids heads in...

[rapier]

Its getting to the same stage with me and one of my classes. The kids naturally hate any discipline.
If you were someone who didn't give a damn how the kids behaved and couldn't be bothered disciplining them or trying to actually teach them something, they'd probably love you.

[gang ah jee]

watch out. if your boss is anything like my last one they might threaten to sue(!) you.

keep your laser handy.

[The Lemon]

I see your problem. You took a job at a place where your director doesn't support you.

By the way - I think you know this - you have to be careful regarding bad words coming out of your mouth, and other things you say to students - they're not all sweet and innocent and may twist what you say out of context and use your words against you. And apparently they know they have a willing audience with their director.

It's a difficult situation. Just watch what you say.

[humanuspneumos]

a rubber tube and needle to fix this one. There's always that 1 class that ................................... makes me smoke 40 instead of 20. It's usually that age group for me. I've never seen anybody become hugely successful before all the desks were destroyed, a window, door, wall or two with a hole in it, and the need to see the Dr. for ear-drum problems.

I can't say that out of the 5,000,000 or so times I've said; "Quit!" "Quiet" "Sit!" that I didn't lose my cool. I did.

OK- if you have the power to separate friends who are making all the trouble- try to get them into separate classrooms. Oh, I'm getting a headache already- memories of the teens- please- stop them from coming- they're here- ahhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Skippy]

I think you also have another problem "Whiner"

I think it very rare when all students hate a teacher. I understand that one or two students can not like a certain teacher but a whole class room.

It sounds like your boss is doing the "students/parents complained about something so I want you too change". These kind of routines either are used to fire you or keep you scared about being fired. Or he may try in the future to cheat you.

Have you considered also using a tape recorder to catch the students. You can do it both ways on the sly or when they say it ask them to repeat it again.

As to swearing if the student says it you can not say it. If you catch your student swearing tell them not to. And just go on teaching.

Sometimes when Koreans now that you speak Korean they are of two minds. One they are impressed and will like you for it. Two - angry and guilty for getting caught talking and gossiping about something. Your children sound like they think with a foreigner they would get away with playing around.

My advice is talk to your boss about this behavior, also talk with the Bus Driver let him understand what is happening. I bet your bus driver can tell you some stories about the brats too. Above all do not ignore it. I understand letting some thinks slide but racist slurs to my face is just wrong.

If your boss gets to bitchy about he said, she said swearing just tell him you are quitting. Let him handle the problem of finding a new teacher. Expescially when you are in small city. Your boss has a two choices try and find a new teacher or try and placate the parents/kids aka Customers.

Since also you speak some Korean. Talk to the parents about there children.

Skippy the Evil Twin

[captain kirk]

damn,skippy, you've got something there. it IS very unusual for the whole class to hate the teacher. and it is a remarkable phenomenon when the director, in addition, isn't with the teacher. skippy, you reminded me of the one time i had ALL the students dislike me.
it was horrible. and i didn't realize until long after that it was rigged. the circumstance was this; towards the end of the second year. he didn't want to pay severance. a new korean teacher had come in. she, also, 'didn't like me'. the class that 'didn't like me' was a bunch of teen girls. same girls i'd had for two years,no problem. it felt horrible at the time, and in hindsight, until realizing it was staged.

[kimcheeking]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[denz]