Korean Job Discussion Forums

Keepongoing · Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Location: Korea

When students complain about you, how do you handle it? Especially when teaching adults? Unless you never get complaints?

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

It depends you see.

if the student is a real **** then I will call his/her parents before it can dob on me and make up stuff.. kids that have been around hakwons they are pretty smart they will try to get you in trouble or get you fired. dont be fooled!!!
they will even do it for kicks if you let them!

if the director is a real *beep* and only cares about money and does what ever any parent tells him, then you're done mate!
but if you work a real SCHOOL! then the parents know they cant say shit and get envolved in the operation of the school, so the parents tell the kids to ENDURE and do better then the teacher wont be angry at you!
but if you got a baby director who is a complete MORON!! forget it!
I dont think a student will complain in your face! if they do its because
that child has issues! PMS? or just a deliquent! I usually tell them to shut up and sit down and if you dont like my class then TOUGH!
but I have never had a whole class dislike me.. sometimes I get one student in a class of 12 that doesnt like me! but is it my fault that student never does its homework?,or classwork, tells me NA NA NA I dont want to do that etc... blar blar makes an arse in my class etc.. so I tell it off really bad,, of course they hate me now! they are kids, they want fun! I can understand that. but I dont want to get in trouble with my boss becuase I am slacking off in class because one person justs wants to play games and chat and talk on the phone and send text messages! na I aint losing my paycheck over that brat!!

I have gotten harder than I used to be! 6 years here now.. now I dont mess around so much like I use to like my first couple of years,..
those years I didnt give a shit! I would sit in class for the whole time and do what ever the kids wanted just as long as they liked me!!
I never wanted anyone to dislike me!!
I still dont want anyone to dislike me,, but now my patience has run out.
I dont take crap I handle it much different now.. I just threaten them with phone calls.. and have rung before.. and threaten them with WONJUNGNIM! and make the class laugh at someone who has been sent out or as such.. its good like that!!
so many factors man, depends is it raining??? Wink

Hank Scorpio · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Zyzyfer · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 8:32 pm Post subject:

Depends on whether it's a blanket complaint or not. If it is, I'll try to remedy it. If it's just a specific student, I'll tell the director or whoever to investigate it further. Twice, I've been complained about, and the director has taken it seriously, and it turned out that it wasn't anything that I did at all.

William Beckerson · Guest

I havent had that problem in a long time. But I was working at a place where the boss was a cunt who only cared for money, so I got shoved out the door.

Now I try to work with my boss and partner teachers as soon as a problem kid rears it's stupid little head in the hopes we can stomp it down fast.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

A former poster told his boss whenever complaints arose, "Tell me exactly what you want me to do, and I will do it." The boss was stumped (he had never taught). We are like baseball umpires: a hundred right calls go unnoticed; one bad call gets you in trouble. Relax, ignore the complaints unless there is something for real that you can fix. If they say no more "A", don't do "A" anymore. Or more "B" please, try some more "B". Otherwise relax, it's the kind of job that veterans are still learning. And these armchair managers have no clue what is involved.

Ody · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: over here

off the cuff, i think complaints must be addressed, especially with adult students, so as to prevent festering. this requires that the complaints be specific. one cannot be expected to give substantive attention to generalizations.

if you are working for a private academy, it's important to keep in mind that it's a business. in business, customers will act accordingly (ie, they will test you and try to position themselves favorably), don't allow yourself to be backed up. a complaint should be met with specific questions. this must be done in such a way to show that you are concerned, and truly have an interest in meeting the challenge of satisfying the questioning party. this way, no one looses face.

it's like a dance.
Wink