Korean Job Discussion Forums

[panthermodern]

Not trying to be negative or a wiseguy, but my advise is to start working on an exit strategy. Rather then dealing with this situation I would be negociating for an amicable release from your contract.

These 'battles' never bode well, I don't belive that Hakwon Directors are capable of handling and threat to their return on investment and potential profit. Basically, yes the Kids are lying and you did not do anythign wrong, the owner will always side with the client. You might as well leave well.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Thing is: I love the job. I love where I am, and I am generally happy all around.

It's just my older kids. I had a big meeting (oh my God from 9 PM to 1 AM) with my big bossman and all the students wrote on a piece of paper their complaints about me.

These included:

-Too strict
- Too much homework
- He hit me (after seeing this one, I could make his/her dream come true!)
- always angry
- favours girls over the boys
- eats in class

Basically from a kid's perspective, all of this could be seen as true (well except for the hitting part).

Too strict? Yes I guess I am if you compare me to the previous teacher who played games all the time and took them all to the playground and spent tons of money on pizza and candy to gain their favour.

Too much homework? Yes. The previous teacher gave ZERO homework. I give a LITTLE BIT. Students who do not bring their books to class end up getting even more because they end up not doing the day's work.

He hit me: Um...never have, never will. (in my dreams however, my naughty students become tiny little human soccer balls I kick around)

Always angry: Hmmm....students always forget their pencil, colour pencils, books, homework...etc. etc. Should I be HAPPY about this?

Favour girls over boys: How about "boys are more naughty than the girls, thus get punished more frequently, thus there is the illusion right there.

Eats in class: OK my bad. I did this on one occasion because my lunch was cut short and I was starving. Guess the kids have short memories about all the potato chips and tuna sandwiches they got over the first month I was here...

So anyway, my new plan of action is just be like the last teacher (which is: do not be a teacher).

For the next year, I am resigned to being window dressing. Just play games, don't care if kids have no book, etc. Didn't do your homework? Hmm..no problem. I will still put on a happy face....

[Wombat]

Hi GWOW ~

I feel what you're saying about the boss complaining that you're just not up to snuff. I had a similar experience on my first tour of duty here. At the time, I was pretty green, had no idea what to expect from the typical hagwon environment, didn't expect the Korean teachers to politicking like mad behind closed doors - and all the usual things that go on.

I remember the boss saying "Some of the parents are complaining that you ~

a) Are not making your classes interesting enough.

b) Are punishing the children too harshly.

c) Are going through the book too quickly/too slowly

d) You don't play enough games / you play too many games.

...etc. etc.

At the time, I was gutted. I felt really bad and even a little embarrassed that parents were complaining about me! It didn't take long to realise though that ~

a) Classes not interesting? It's code for "My child has a limited attention span. Dance a jig for him/whack on the TV/feed him pizza" - it actua;;y had nothing to do with the way my classes were conducted.

b) Punishing too harshly? When being told REPEATEDLY to "Puk You!" (usually by one or two boys, and almost always met with shocked looks from the rest of the class), I reckoned the best course of action was to snap loudly, "Hey! Stop saying that! It's really rude!". Failing that, calmly guiding the offending parties out of the classroom for the ol' hands-over-your-head routine usually did the trick. Harsh? No way; just imagine if they tried that on with their elementary school teachers!

c) The progess being to fast or slow? It usually means that the mothers have been chatting with their friends about the children's English study. have been comparing completely disparate books at completely different levels - then wondering why their little angel isn't going at the same rate as the Jones child. Best to ignore this one, or invite the parents to go through the book at whatever speed they want!

d) The ever-popular games argument. Look, sometimes, the kids are cranky. They're squirmy. It's stuffy and hot, or cold and gloomy. Sometimes, games are necessary. (I remember them from my school days). I was certainly not a strictly-games teacher, but I saw no harm in a game of Tic Tac Toe at the end of class. I think it shows the difference of opinion over what hagwons are for - some parents view them as legitimate, serious educational institutions, others view them as glorified child-minding. Best to find a balance between the two and have fun.

**
Having said all that - the complaints were most likely staged, as I never got my severance pay. I'm much wiser now, and armed with experience, am really enjoying this time in Korea. Massive grains of salt are needed for all parties, I reckon.

Wombat

PS - Hope this post is coherent.

[Wombat]

..having said all that, I don't want to give the impression that all parental complaints are rubbish. I'm certainly not the best teacher out there (PLEASE read the "I GOT NO GAME!" thread). I just find that some complaints are more legitimate than others.

Wombat

[blackbird]

Please do not start playing games in your classes every day. The kids will like it for about 2 weeks until you run out of new games and then they will fall into their normal hate the teacher routine.

What you need is a healthy dose of " I don't give a shit what you think."

I am serious. Tell the little monsters that Everyland is for games and English class is for English. Tell them if they are not here to learn English then they should go somewhere else.

The teachers that my wife and I replaced almost exactly one year ago tried to entertain by games. They ended up spending all of their time trying to escape being "dong gimmed."

It is not about entertainment. It is about respect. Koreans do not think that respect is earned. It is demanded! Demand respect from your kids.
Eliminate Korean in the classroom.

The worst thing about this is you may end up fighting the owners over the new tough policy. They have only one strategy, give in without a fight to the parents. If you can win the battle with the owner the stress level will go down and the enrollment will go up.


When someone does something stupid in my classes I chant:
"If you have a weak mind!"
The students shout:
"You need a strong body!"
And the offender does squats or pushups.
What a life!

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

After last night, things will probably get a bit better. Everyone aired their opinions. It really is only one class that is making the brunt of complaints. I tried to explain to them that their mothers pay a lot of money to learn English not play games.

In the past, I could be accused of trying too hard to make the kids too happy. But this time round I want to follow my Wonjangnim's wishes and make education a priority.

I'll post more after today to see if things change. I don't forsee any major difficulties....

[rapier]

Interesting whiner.. lets hope things improve...in my experience the parents have impossibly high expectations of you, the miracle worker, and pull their kids out anyway...good, let them.When the class is down to a nice size, the kids'll start learning and being happy again.
Theres always just that one class that causes problems- normally aged around 12-14. The onset of adolescence sure turns them into monsters.

[William Beckerson]

Whiner:
1) These are older kids? Jr High? Grade 6? They have a lot on their plates right now, and English isnt one of their interests. They're there and not at a math hagwon right now because mom is still making them.

I think the "Beh, whatever." attitude might be the best path for you to take right now.

2) Get your resume ready, save your cash. If the boss needs to save some money for some reason, your butt will be the first on the chopping block due to "parental complaints"

[jajdude]

Isn't it incredible how often kids call us stupid and other worse things in Korean, especially if they figure you don't understand it? Some of the younger ones do it a lot even though they realize you understand it. But they also call each other stupid a lot too. It's a strange thing.

[rapier]

All problems here stem from the fact that the kids don't like you, thus, they'll make up any BS to get you into trouble. If people like you, everything will go smoothly.
So, surrender to the situation. Try to win the kids over, make your lessons fun, try to enjoy yourself a bit more, don't worry too much about strict discipline or noise levels. Leave your anger behind.. stop reacting to provocation- and it'll cease. Try to make lessons more interesting; turn everything into a competitive game, try to care about the kids in some way- I know its mind over matter, but it'll help turn the situation around. Humanise yourself. Try to see the kids as friends.. Its hard going at first but soon it starts to pay off, and the kids 'll pick up English as a by- product.
Remember, you can't force people to learn, you can't win..as such. resign yourself to that, step out of the conflict me against them situation, and relax. Play some cards, make some jokes, laugh a little...

[crazylemongirl]

GWOW,
I had a situation where a teacher at my school was fired. The boss said he was too strict, but in reality she was annoyed about other stuff.

As for the too strict/game teacher I try to strike a balance. If I get a new class I spend the first few weeks scaring the kids so that they know who's boss. If you speak korean in my class your doing push ups/jumping jacks next level you hold your hands in the air for thirty seconds. No book or pencil has them writing lines and if it isn't then your doing it again.

That said I always ask in every class how the kids are? What they did that weekend etc. I try and work in some fun stuff after a few weeks.

Sometimes it takes a while of a power struggle and you reach some arrangement you both (ie you and your students) can live by. I agree that the onset of puberty can sometimes turn decent kids into monsters until their 20s. I know I was one who prided herself on how many subsitute teachers I made cry

CLG

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Well, now lo and behold my kids say I am getting better after one day.

This is what I did:

- If they say something bad in Korean, I simply pretend I did not hear it.
- Treats (bribery works!)
- Smile more

[Cthulhu]

The best thing for student troubles is sometimes having a meeting with the parents with a translator present. The parents are footing the bill for little Bobby Kim's antics, and if you let them know in no uncertain terms (with appropriate facial contortions for effect) that he is wasting their money it can make a difference. Of course some parents--perhaps many--think that hagwans are glorified daycare to allow mom some time to chat with her friends before hubby gets home. However, a lot of them don't like their money being wasted and they will take it out on their kids better than the teacher could ever do.

Some hagwans might encourage a teacher/parents meeting while others loathe it in case the parents pull the kids out. It all depends on the director. Also, most foreigners don't want to meet the parents either (understandable) but sometimes it just has to be done. As a last resort.

[humanuspneumos]

Do you feel any better TGWW or have things remained static- or even- gotten worse?

[SaraDevil]

I'm a fairly strict teacher and I have made it a point to learn all the bad things a studet can say about me in Korean, which has made it easier to recognize what the students are doing or saying that is inappropriate or out of line.

It sounds like the problem is more with not having enough support of the director or the parents. Here is an excellent way to solve this probelm, and it will only cost you about a 1,000 won.

Tape record your class without telling your students. If they know they are on the record they will shape up, but when they have no idea they are being recorded they will behave normally. If you feel like spending a whole fin you can get a bunch of cassette tapes and make some copies of the tapes.

Invite the Director to your problem class, and with the student present, play the tape, or if you don't have that much time, just the choice excerpts. Explain to everyone that you would be happy to send the tapes home via post to the students parents.

If nothing else, you have covered your own ass because you have evidence of poor behaviour by the students that is not related to your behavior as a teacher. Documentation is key here. If the students want to tell on you and report on you, well that is their perogative, however, when they expose themselves you have the advantage. Also, if your director turns out to be an evil minion of the underworld, you can use tapes of verabl abuse in your class, and tapes of your teaching in general, to show yourself as an outstanding teacher in a bad stituation entitled to what is due to you.

I'm sure there parents would be none to happy to recieve a recording in which the students talk about sex, use bad words towards you, and misbehave in class.

And, when your students are behaving well, record them too. In this way you can show just how much improvment your classes make over time. I tape my classes once a month and send the tapes to the parents. My parents really appreciate this because they can get a very accurate view of how I teach and how their students behave and respond to it.

Of course, I also go the extra sadistic route of having parents acutally sit in on a class once every three months or so, and that is certainaly not for every teacher, but it does work for me.

You might find that very helpful.