Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jaganath69]

Just calm down and learn to enjoy it.

[Hollywoodaction]

[fusionbarnone]

Bad manners cannot be excused because someone claims kids will be kids yet, refuses to explain why that disgusting practice persists. It's almost as if foreigners are supposed to tolerate it? What is this, some kind of twisted jung/social hierarchy claptrap teaching K-kids to differentiate between Ks and foreigners?

Foreign Esl teachers deserve respect too and I think it's a pretty sad indictment on the ROK if "cultural understanding" can only be understood by "forcefully" telling the K-boss/K-co-workers that the practice is both offensive and disgusting.

No amount of money, education,will wash K-people's reputation as civilised world players when habits attributed more to illiterate goat herders/peasants are condoned and encouraged.

Tell your co-workers that.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Just don't put up with it - that's ridiculous. What would piss me off is not the kid's childish habbit but the attitude that you're a second-class citizen. Just yell no and they'll get the message. If someone complains just say you don't tollerate shit like that, plain and simple.

[JongnoGuru]

[just because]

As a few other guys have posted just grab a hold of him and get every other student in your class to do the same thing.....

there will be no more ddong-chim...

However, I do think you need to chill out a little, it is just part of the territory...just be firm and unless the kid is a bit vacant upstairs you should be fine

[JongnoGuru]

[riley]

Last Thursday, I was walking into the public school I work at and all of a sudden felt someone touching my butt. So I turned around, grabbed the boy and yelled at him for awhile. I had no idea if he understood or cared about it.
Yesterday, in comes the boy to my office. He had written a letter saying how sorry he was for it. He said that he had been thinking about his mistake the whole weekend. It was pretty funny, and he was definitely forgiven.

[Old fat expat]

Regarding punishment
Some of you have advocated the forcible restraint of a student while others assault her in a way what could be regarded as sexual. Hmm, I think not. Just what the pubescent boys don��t need in this society is another opportunity to denigrate a girl; especially an opportunity sanctioned by the teacher.

Punishment is very effective IF applied correctly. The solution provided (gang dung chim) fails to meet the criteria, although would make me feel better and make the day for boys who coped a cheap feel (2 reasons it fails to meet the criteria).

Regarding classroom control. I am the only teacher that does not carry a ��love stick�� into class. My classes are better managed with (99% of the time) fewer behavioral problems. However, at any given time I can poke my head out my classroom and see other teachers students lined up outside their classroom-supposedly being punished. The crash of tables and chairs, and the smack smack smack of the love stick against desks permeates the building. Clearly punishment, as performed here, does not work. Reinforcement creates behaviors that are more resistant and enduring. They take longer to establish. I have been surprised at just how effective a properly managed reinforcement program can be. The students really like me because of the way I treat them, and that is also why my problem occurred. I was dung-chimed because the student really ��liked me�� and wanted to be my friend (yes, Korean thinking-go figure).

The issue of my post is not so much the inappropriate behavior but rather what is done about it by those who make organizational decisions. While I can control what occurs inside my classroom most of the time, I cannot control what occurs outside. What occurs outside will inevitably generalize into my classroom environment. What I cannot control is an environment that is perpetrated by Korean society, the director, and the other English teacher.

It does seem to me that many schools do not value their most expensive resource (foreign teachers are expensive). That was my suspicion and I want to thank those of you who have confirmed this. As always, some posts were informative, others less so.

[Kimchieluver]

Old Fat Expat

I think you should get it out of your head that you are the most expensive resource. Ask your director how much he/she pays in rent and key money for the hogkwan building and the five buses scooting around all day and so and so on. It is precisely quite the opposite... because you make more money than the other teachers, they expect you to put up with more crap.

[sadsac]

I would agree to some extent on what OFE said. We are an expensive resource. Yes they have the day to day costs associated in running the hogwans, but when you look at our cost to have us there, we are an investment. Having been ddongchimmed many times by a myriad of kids, I let them know that it's not acceptable and I will not tolerated a repeat of it from anybody at the school. It's not only our responsibility to teach them English, but also what behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate. They learn very quickly what is okay and what isn't. But as VanIslander pointed out much earlier, you need to take control and set the boundaries. Best of luck.

[capebretoncanadian]

Try to chill out, I got the business end of the dongchim a few times in my first couple weeks as well as a few uncomfortable grabhandings of the testicle region, yelling at the top of my lungs did not work.....but the thing is with these little punks is that you're smarter than them (God help you if you're not) get psychological on their a$$es. I've broken more spirits than a drill instructor without laying a hand on em. I am know treated with a healthy mixture of fear and respect.........bow to me hanguk saram

[forgesteel]

If someone under the Korean age of 9 does this to me (dongchim), I tell them, "Hajima!" and give them an extra-special scary scowl. If someone over the Korean age of 9 does it to me, I feel sorry for their tard-like existence, and give them a withering look of pity, and make sure everyone else can see the pity oozing out of my pores.

Some of you are reacting like you've never played with little kids before. Kids do stupid, outrageous things, especially kids that aren't all that 'college-bound,' or whose parents aren't all that clue-ful. Get used to it. It isn't particular or unique to Korea.

Cheers,

[ajuma]

When I was teaching kids, that would happen now and then...and I put a FIRM stop to it. I'd grab their hands, crouch down to their level, look them in the eye and say (while squeezing their hands rather firmly!!!) "If you EVER do that again, I'll break your fingers!!!!!! They had no idea what I was saying, but needless to say, word got around that it was NOT nice to do that to "teacher"!!

Kids are always trying to push the limit...you need to be firm about what is acceptable to you and what isn't. It doesn't matter what the other teacher does...it's YOUR class and YOUR rules!! Make them and stick by them!!!

[The Man known as The Man]

I would like to give Corporal The Shocker