Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

[ChopChaeJoe]

Korea isn't for everyone. Probably best to move on. Doesn't sound like you were making am difference anyways. It isn't easy connecting with kids. I it a slump about 18 months in where I couldn't make progress with the challenging students. After another 18 months I worked through it. That's a serious learning curve.


BTW, any war would be won by the sout, reunification would mean greener bucks, but probably not for years, and many of us would be killed. But hey, adds spice to te race.

[goodsounz]

I remember I hid my teacher's stuff when I was a student (many moons ago!) I always put his chalk on that sill above the blackboard. One day near the end of the year he walked in as I was putting it up there and I had to pick up rubbish for a week!

Kids will be kids. Self policing (as someone has already mentioned) has always worked for me. If I were the kid I probably wouldve taken the laces and soles out of the shoes and hidden them all in different places - now that would've been creative - and funnier!

[Horangi Munshin]

[b-class rambler]

To answer the question, yes I have, a handful of times over 10+ years. The first time it happened was in Japan and I didn't get them back. I had to walk home and take the subway and two buses in my slippers. The Japanese teacher working with me had a car but didn't offer me a lift home or even to the subway station.

So I can sympathise with people feeling a bit angry when this happens. However, the OP's reaction here is just way, way over the top.

I think gazz hit the nail on the head. You got them back fairly quickly, the Korean teachers helped find them and you were given a lift home to solve the problem of having missed the bus. Also, of all the pranks that elementary kids could play on you, this is nowhere near one of the worst. And the leaps of logic you're making to somehow point to the Korean teacher having set this all up are just insane.

To be honest, OP, if this is how you react to something like this happening, then I'd hate to think of the kind of emotional mess you're going to be in if someone really did screw you over. Your overreaction would also suggest that you're perhaps not cut out for living and working in a country so different to your own as this one.

If so, there's not necessarily any shame in that, as another poster said above, Korea isn't for everyone, just like we all have something, somewhere or someone that we just weren't made to get along well with. But it is surely better just to admit that to yourself and move on to some other place or job where you might be happier.

[Fishead soup]

I agree with the posts about not wearing the slippers. You chose to respect Korean culture and as a result you ended up the butt end of a practical joke.

[kiknkorea]

[Robot_Teacher]

B class rambler, my claim that the Korean teacher had something to do with is NOT insane. If you were only there and worked at my school, then you would know and believe my claim. It's probably senseless to make a claim not provable in an internet forum where none of you see really what the situation is as it's impossible for you to make an accurate judgement or opinion of an OP's stated situation and claims surrounding a posted situation. Unfortunately, I have no contact with other foreigners who see and know the situation as I'm the only one, so I don't have their honest opinion or thoughts, but I'm old enough to know when someone is lieing or playing a head game to be vindictive in an indirect manner. I can't count how many times I've seen OP's in many threads discounted as insane, preposterous, crazy, trolling, etc. when it's very possible they're ranting about a very real situation or problem. It happens. An internet forum really is a terrible place to to seek feedback on a situation as we don't work at the same school to have necessary insight to make a well informed post reply.

I've been paid late 2 out of 3 times, but didn't get on here claiming they're screwing me, becuase I believed it was honest forgetfullness on my accountants part which required nothing more than a polite reminder. Now some of you would probably think, "Oh, they're showing you who's boss." No, it's not like that in my relationship with my main school, but it is at my branch school.

Moving on...

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

It's a cliche-- but it sounds to me like this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

This job is definitely not without its stresses, and the obligation to maintain a cheery disposition at all times while attempting to organize an effective lesson in the face of culture and language barriers, in an environment where people can insult you openly without you realizing it's an insult (and then think it's funny when they see your vacant reaction)... is a difficult task.

And then there's also the added stress of being a teacher who has to constantly battle to maintain authority in the face of several public or private psychological and sometimes physical attacks, work politics, criticisms, as well as various cosmetic, psychological and behavioral incompatibilities with the society... while the kids are privately experiencing all sorts of idiosyncratic stresses and problems in their own lives... and then there's pressure to show empathy, strength, willingness to help, while also being on all the time and frequently having kids come up to you during your breaks, and although they often mean well, they're expecting you to be the same person that you are in class... and well, you probably get the point.

Unless you have ample distractions in your free time or manage to detach yourself or just don't think about-- you're going to have blowups... then again, you're probably going to have blowups even if you do have those things, just not as many.

I have to admit, even though it sounds a little whiny when I'm reading it, I've definitely been there many times myself, and at the end of a really bad day when I just wanted to get the hell away from all people, especially if they're Korean, this would definitely kick my a@#. In fact, there are even days when if anything else went wrong, I would probably lose it altogether.

Don't sweat it, Robot... once you've hit the bottom, it means you're probably overdue for an easy day, full of worksheets and tests and co-operative students!

[chris_J2]

^

Good Post,ESL Milk "Everyday. The mood can also change quickly, like the weather. Today, my coteacher / VP were whining about the untidy state of the classroom, even though I get the kids to vacuum it, at the end of every day (with a chocolate bar as a reward), & there's absoloutely nothing in my contract, that says I have to mop / sweep the floor. Does she (the VP) seriously expect me to arrange cleaning of desks / floors after each & every class?

They were also relaying a complaint that I put 2 chicken bones in the food scraps bin, outside my apartment, & the apartment manager spat the dummy & demanded they be placed in a 20 l plastic recyle bag in future. Do they feed the food scraps to pigs or something?

[ATM SPIDERTAO]

did anyone find the solution to the problem?

sounds to me like someone "borrowed" your shoes and forgot to return it

and then OP freaked out and scared everyone lol

it's a little shameful borrowing someone's slippers. but nobody really makes a fuss because that IS shameful on the person who borrowed it so they just pretend it ain't no big thang

the fact that OP freaked out scared the koreans into thinking they're barbaric and inconsiderate hahaha

the "Teacher" who found the slippers was probably the guy who borrowed them hahaha

and was like "Yeah it's the student's fault"

and the OP STILL freaked out. so they're like "Don't blame the students!"

cuz if they fessed up it would be worse

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Wonder if the OP is still in the country?