Korean Job Discussion Forums

[theatrelily]

I was teaching an intermediate class of students between the ages of 10-12 last term. The book they were using had this "culture spot" that was asking students to discuss what was similar between Korean culture and Western cultures.

A student asked if other countries had jjimjjilbangs (sp....saunas?)...so I told them how in Sweden they had saunas that men and women share.

This one girl (let's call her Jenny for now...) asked if they wore the shorts and t-shirts too, trying to find further similarities.

Without thinking I told her that as a matter of fact they went in the buff...(grave mistake on my part and one that I instantly regretted).

The students erupted into hoots of laughter thinking that this was the weirdest thing they had ever heard. Men and women naked together?!

Embarrassed at my slip-up and desperate to try and move past this little snag, I told them how they sit in the sauna for a while until they are too hot, then jump outside the sauna to roll in the snow to cool off.

All of the students calmed down, muttering comments here and there about the cold...all except for Jenny.

Jenny's hand immediately shot up into the air. I called on her.

With a perplexed look, she asked, "teacher, if man jump in snow he (starts gesturing to her crotch) is no...so why woman stay?"

I turned three shades of red. Laughed, and left the room to refill my water bottle. What can you do?

Thank goodness none of the other children caught on to what she was saying!

[jacl]

How about this:

Was teaching my students "rent a video". The word for "rent"is similar to borrow. Anyway, I went through what you could rent and one student said "Rent a lady". Some funny. He's said it again and again.

Who says Korea is a closed culture. I don't think so.

All the other kids laughed, or at least understood. I just went along with it. "What else can you rent?". I said, "Rent a teacher". I have great classes. We have a good time.

These kids are in upper elementary.

Did you rent a lady last night?

Good kids.

[SPINOZA]

Kids say funny things when I get my WADS out.

K-kids are hopeless at expressing simple requests politely in English (not because they're rude kids, but rather because manners are expressed differently in Korean) so I'm always doing stuff on that..."may I have some candy please?", "may I open a window please?", "may I borrow your pen please?" etc etc etc. To bring out the concept of borrow I get my big WADS out of my wallet, which creates chaos and begging (yes, the Korean God is definitely money). I pretend I'll lend/give some money to a kid who expresses the most polite request. They never get it right. You get stuff like "TEACHER...MANY MONEY...GIVE ME!" and "PLEASE GIVE ME MUCH MONEY!"

Funny kids, bless them.

[jacl]

[SPINOZA]

It gets boring after a while because they know you're not gonna give them anything but getting one's WADS out makes for some excellent motivation and sponteneous English production if done 2 or 3 times with a class. Better than candy even! Subject matter doesn't have to be money-related either.

[Lizara]

From last week's collection of diaries:

What did you do yesterday? "I ate kingcrap."
What didn't you do yesterday? "I didn't study meth."

From this week:

What are you good at? "I am good at speak Egllish"

and from class: "Okay, who can make a sentence using 'finger'?"
Julia: "I have four finger."

[jacl]

On Friday, a middle school student got up and said, "Washroom". I said, "May I go to the washroom, please." Can't stand these one word questions. I mean, they should know what to say. So, I get on their cases about it. Anyway, another student said, "Mushroom". Had to laugh and continue to belittle my student. I said, "My I go mushroom? How do you mushroom?" and I made myself look like a mushroom with a puzzled look on my face and jumped. He is now known as "Mushroom Boy" He didn't show up today. Wonder if I embarassed him? Hmm. A student told me he was sick today. He's actually one of my nicer students. Oh well.

[OiGirl]

Well, after planning with my co-teacher, who likes to teach a lesson on the five senses once a week, I was to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then the students would write a five senses poem about Santa.

Hello?!? How does Santa taste? How does Santa feel? How does Santa smell??

So, we did a mind map and I got some good things, like "Santa feels puffy" and "Santa smells like candy canes." I also got "Santa smells like reindeer," which would be true but a little gross... I said, "now, imagine you give Santa a kiss...what does Santa taste like?" and I actually got good answers like "cookies."

So far, so good.

Then the students start to write their own poems. One kid INSISTS on writing "Santa tastes like reindeer," only he ended up with "Santa tastes reindeer."

[khyber]

i have a class of kids who are just really low ability. Some of them, i'm afraid to say are quite stupid while others just aren't pushing themselves hard enough.

Today we were talking about "helping around the house".

I asked one student directly, "Who cleans your room" (having covered the concept [what i thought] quite thoroughly)
a looong blank pause ... "water".
I giggled.

There was one student in the back of the class, rocking in his chair with his silly monkey grin (it's actually his nickname and it suits him well) and it made me giggle cause he looked just as crazy as he should have.

Another interaction:
"Do you help your mom?"
"The bank is white" (from earlier in the lesson).

Perhaps it's all a cry for help but i can't help but laugh at these kids. Not very bright; a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE textbook that i HAVE TO work out of (since it's a "chain-linked" one if you catch my drift.

[crazylemongirl]

Found in translation this morning:

CLG: Hyeong-min, what are you going to do for vacation?
Hyeong-min: I'm going to make a girlfriend.

At least he is honest.

[Shooter McGavin]

I use a system where a student only gets their name, then 3 checkmarks on the board. Then they get a red card, which gets them into sh1te with their K-teacher (altho nothing actually happens usually). So one girl looked at me after I put her name on the board, and said "teacher, why do you blackmail us with these red cards?" I had nothing for that.

I had a level one class where a boy wrote the word "SEX" in his book. I didn't know what to say to him. The girl behind him said "what is sex?" The more I said "No, No! Shh" the more determined he was to tell her. So he explains it, in Korean, with gestures et all, and she turned GREEN and looked like she was going to puke. To stop the discussion, I decided it was game time. What can you do? Funny as heck tho.

[Lizara]

That reminds me...

"How do you spell 'six', Glen?"
*triumphantly* "S-E-X!"
"Ummm... please don't write that in your book. Who can spell six? Alice?"

[OiGirl]

[Hater Depot]

[ajuma]

For their final exam, my students had to do a dialogue, including going to a restaurant and ordering food. One group really made my day...I'm still laughing about it!


Waiter: May I take your order?

Customer: Yes, I'd like barbecued pig lips!

(Guess what they meant!!)























Yep! They meant "ribs"!!