Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rookieglobetrotter]

[ThingsComeAround]

FFS, look at the TV programming they offer here

Walk around the department store and count how many posters have Asians, how many have Whites and how many have Blacks. Bet the last group you will count with fewer than 3 fingers.

Koreans don't even love themselves. They are taught that its okay to look at people with dark skin and think they are 'less'. I've met so many bigoted Gyopos in NY it made me sick. Then they turn it around and say they've been 'oppressed'. They don't know the meaning of the word.

[randall020105]

you cannot change the direction of the Nile river with a spoon...

[mimi belle]

Firstly, don't let your co-teacher put words into the kids mouths. Not saying that he's wrong, but he's put things in a way that may be stronger than how the kids felt.

I agree with the advice so far. You can make more of an impact through positive example and subtle influence than through direct confrontation. Being a positive role model of someone who accepts people from different backgrounds will make a stronger impression than anything else. It's like in chess, you don't need to attack the queen from the front to win.

With your kids, you have a lot of influence. With your co-teacher, you may or may not.

[NYC_Gal]

Perhaps you could subtly change the kids' minds. Find photos of black doctors, police officers, etc, for your powerpoints.

[tanklor1]

[ThingsComeAround]

[Mosley]

Isn't a black guy head of state/government of some OECD country, somewhere?

I think I heard that somewhere....

[jrwhite82]

[NYC_Gal]

[ippy]

Ill be honest. I laughed too when he came on the screen. Maybe your kids are smart and laughed for the same two reasons:

1. What the hell is an old dude hanging ouyt with a ten year old and pretending they are best mates?

2. What depths will that dude go to get paid?

[Isehtis]

Obama as a black role model?


I don't see a huge amount of racism in the West, but what I do see is based on hate.

Lots of racism in Korea, but most of it seems more like its based on ignorance... A K-girl casually asked me the other day if I'd ever raped anyone "because thats what English teachers do..."

[lovebug]

i agree with all the posters who talk value the idea of being a positive example over trying to preach.
i've been teaching elementary for 2 years and i am super sneaky about tackling racial and gender social justice issues in the classroom. as other people suggested, i try to use as many positive examples/clipart of people in ppts and videos.

there are a bunch of videos on education sites/youtube with people introducing themselves from different countries. i pause the video after they say hello and have the students guess where they are from. korean students will always guess a country based on how they look. showing them these videos (or you could just show pictures of people) challenges this belief that nationality is equal to ethnicity (it's a baby step).

the most common thing that happens in my class is that a random black guy will show up on the screen and they'll say OBAMA, OBAMA! i will always stop the class and address those student(s). i will ask them if they are lee myun bak or kim jeong il. when they say, 'no, no!' i will say, but - you are korean and lee myun bak is korean --same same? it's always been really effective. if you take a strong stance about it with your students, your coteachers will see how important it is to you.

i'm a person of color who's dealt with crap her whole life, so i understand why you want to just speak your mind and vent your frustrations with your coteacher. i wish i could do that all the time with mine. if the topic were to come up again, you could say that you have close friend who's black (or whatever) and that it's really hurtful personally when students make fun of black people or when your coteacher seems ambivalent. when you make it about how hurt you are and not about how wrong he is, he has the opportunity to see how his beliefs/apathy negatively affect other people.
i'm really close to my CTs at this point and will send them articles, both korean and international, that discuss social justice issues. education and information can go very far. they seem to be much more receptive to this than me criticizing them.

good luck! it's tough, but many of us are making positive impressions here every day.

[blackjack]

when i was in jejudo i got asked by the motel owner if i wanted an Obama coffee or a Bush coffee.

Took me a few seconds to click.

[brickabrack]