Korean Job Discussion Forums

plattwaz · Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Location: <Write something dumb here>

I really feel for the OP....I dealt with this when I worked in a large publice school, although not in Korea.

My co-teachers spoke no English, and they were there to enforce discipline. This usually amounted to them sitting at the back and doing their marking (fine), but they would walk up to a student in the middle of class and ask them to hand out the marked notebooks while I was teaching or while we were doing an activity. This resulted in chaos as they all flipped open their notebooks, examined their results, shared them with their friends, etc etc.
No amoutn of complaining to any authority above the native teachers resulted in any change....it was just "a cultural thing" they told me. So in other words, while the students were MAKING OUT in the back of the classroom, and running on top of desks, screaming obscenities at me, etc, I had NO HELP AT ALL.

I eventually resorted to lines, which I have always been against. But, I always made sure that they were HUGE sentences, so that they couldn't just write I, I, I, I, I, I, will, will, will, will, will ....you get the point.

I wrote the sentence on the board with a number, like 20 beside it. Each time someone made any audible vocal noice, or got out of their seat, I increased it by 10. The first time I did this it took to 250 before they clued in. We sat in class and wrote lines all day. For every person who didn't finish them for homework, I added 10 more for the entire class to be done that day.

This went on for two full weeks. I had to sign a register at the front of the classroom every day that went to the principal to say what we had done in class, and I wrote exactly what we did....we wrote lines. In the end, the students had written "Even tough I do not like the fact that I have to learn English, my parents have enrolled me in a bilingual education school and therefore I will respect my English teacher the same way I respect my Thai teachers, " over 1000 times.

Although the lines didn't really work in terms of changing their behaviour it meant I had at least some control and some peace and quiet during the 90 minutes I had to be in the classroom.

What did work was that the entire class failed my final exam and had to do that level of English over again. With me. Absolute ANGELS they were the next semester.................

The Kung Fu Hustle · Joined: 30 Jan 2005 Location: Incheon

If anyone has some tips for hagwon control I'd like to hear about it. I know it's a Mickey Mouse show as far as learning is concerned, and I'm usually content to stand and take the abuse for the great money, but one class in particular makes me lose my cool about once a month. The boss doesn't help either, because despite his great English and relative compassion he still needs bums on seats.

These kids swear at me, pull the finger, do the exact opposite of what I say, run out the classroom and around the enitre building sporadically, and even beat themselves so they'll have a bruise so they can frame me for hitting them!??

peppermint · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:39 pm Post subject:

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

ulsanchris · Joined: 19 Jun 2003 Location: take a wild guess

A question for the OP. What happened at your school? Any updates?

KorJen · Joined: 15 Mar 2005

Update....

Well this is the 4th month now, and things seems to be smoothing out.. I have institutes a 3 strikes and your out policy. I positively reinforce those students who do whet they are asked and I humilate those who step out of line. If I have to deal with them more than twice, i pack up all their books, take them by the arm and throw their books down the hallway of the school... i then lock the door behind them and say "HOME".... Almost all the trouble makers have quit, since they kept getting sent home. When the company questioned me about losing students (ie losing money) I simply stated that I was through teaching in a hogwan and that i would not put up with this behaviour. I stood my ground and it appears to be working... I guess time will tell... but its going better for sure...
Thanks for all the posts...

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Scott in HK · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 9:03 pm Post subject:

Two things that bother me about your classroom management decisions.

Although I understand that many people used the 3 strikes rule...most books about discipline recomment immediate consequences to rule breaking. Why teach your students that they can do something wrong twice before they will experience the consequences of their actions. So, I would work this out of your classes as soon as possible.

Second...there is no justification for humiliating students. The consequence of rule breaking should not be humiliation in front of the class. That is simply wrong. Find more appropriate consequences for your students.

With a good system of classroom management you shouldn't have to resort to throwing students out. But if you do...why wait until the second time...if certain behaviours demand removal of the student, do it the first time they break that rule...why give them a freebie...

babtangee · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:23 pm Post subject:

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004