Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

It just shows how wacked the education system is in Korea. Koreans often think that foreigners are the "magic pill" of English and believe that your white-faced presence in the classroom alone will hurtle the students down the road of English fun and fluency...it's ludicruous! Then they are miffed/angry when they see that it's a struggle for you to keep high school boys entertained and learning at the same time. Coupled with the fact that you have much less respect than the other ajeoshi teachers who can hit and scream at them...we can't do that...hell, I too couldn't "flunk" any of my students or punish them, and why should the department be suprised that many of the students thought of my class as the "free" class that they could sleep/putz around in. But they think, "you are foreigner...you expert in English...why no come students speakee English and have fun!"
I know I'm ranting but I had the same issues as Crazylemongirl. And although the high school was a step up from a kid's hagwon...I had the same problem. Actually, I liked the students. I mostly had problems with all the ajeoshi teachers gaping at me and making cutsie mocking jokes of my English. The viceprinicpa even asked me to go swimming with him at the school pool.puke! The school even told us foreigner teachers that they only want female foreigner teachers...probably because we keep the ajeoshi teachers entertained....more puke!