Korean Job Discussion Forums

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Rapier: I was not saying that school discipline and army beatings are comparable. I just put up the HERALD link because I thought the two issues are thematically related. Perhaps I should have posted it as a separate thread.

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: South Korea

I'd love her as a co-teacher. I can tell you that if you start getting the classes by yourself then you will be praying to have her sent back.

My school is full of kids who hate English period and firm control is needed. If kids think that their teacher might kill them if they push too much then they generally behave.

William Beckerson · Guest

I'm a nice nazi in the classroom, and I do slap the occasional rear-end when it's needed but I'm pretty easy going about most things. And when a light wack doesnt do it, I send them off to the director.

But this "lady" who dumps food on kinder kids... That's too far past discipline and deep into abusive and she needs to be tossed out on her butt.

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

i teach elementry to high school kids, ive had no problems with the girls but some of the boys are a little rowdy, i found a good solution to this though, make them go down in the push up position and stay there for however long, i dont know about kiny kids tho.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

I find the style of discpline by some of my co workers a bit to full on for my liking. I seem to go from one extreme to another with the korean teachers.

Ones that let the kids (esp. the kindy kids) get a way with murder laughing at any bad behaviour as 'cute' to ones that hand out some severe punishments and scare me. I have to take care of punishment at my school and there's no support if things get out of hand.

I agree postive reinforcement (read bribery) works really well. It's a win/win situation I get through the lesson and the kids get a candy/game/snack party etc.

Also if I find myself losing control (ie want to string some of them outside by their ankles) then I hold up hand/s with my fingers out and wait for the class to shut up and then countdown from five/ten I find it gives me a chance to calm down more than them. I found it was a good way to get the kids back on task if we were playing a game but know I use it if I find myself losing control.

If a kids breaks silence I point at them and go back to five or ten and if it's a repeat offender I ask the class if the person should go out most of them time the kids want them.

CLG

katydid · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

Last year there were days when I didn't have a kids class but still hung out a bit at the hagwan, waiting for my co-worker to finish something up so we could go for some dinner.
The class I taught on the other days had a couple of rambunctious kids, and I just remember when they tcked off the Korean teacher, they would get smacked with a plastic ruler. The sounds of the ruler hitting them and the kids in pain made my stomach turn.
Funny though, that is what the kids expect, not that it did anything really to imporve their behavior... If you send the kids out of class as a form of punishment, it's WORSE for them.

Jensen · Joined: 30 Mar 2003 Location: hippie hell

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Anda: Your defense of corporal punishment might be valid if we were talking about a teacher who applies it in a calculated and methodical manner to achieve certain ends. But this does not seem to be the case with the teacher in Tancred's story.
Suppose, Anda, that as a child you had seen your father get angry during dinner, throw his food at you, and then storm into your room and start smashing up your toys. Would this have increased your respect for the man? Would it have made you more likely to think that he is someone who should be listened to?

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

What did she tip on the kid? a hot bowl of gimchi-jigeh or a harmless packet of spicy ramion? I take it she made the kid clear it up too. If I was there I would have been in stitches..!
I bet all the other kids enjoyed the spectacle as well- in fact I've come to the conclusion that the kids like getting punished to some degree. Its in Korean/japanese culture- hence all those TV shows where poor unfortunates have to last 10 minutes in a tank full of electric eels, or whatever. The excruciating punishment concept is deep in their culture- they have a longing for it. Notice how there are no real friendships among the kids- they're all trying to get eachother into trouble."Teacher! Kim said shipbal!" etc etc.
It wouldn't surprise me if the "lions arena" originated in Korea, rather than Rome.

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

Rapier quote:
What did she tip on the kid? a hot bowl of gimchi-jigeh or a harmless packet of spicy ramion? I take it she made the kid clear it up too. If I was there I would have been in stitches..!(end quote)

How does the fact that you get your kicks from seeing children humiliated prove that it is an ethical method of discipline?

Dr. Buck · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Land of the Morning Clam

Perhaps you should merely do your job, rather than dumping your classroom problems on an overstressed co-teacher.
Just do your own disciplining in class. It's part of the job so why fob it off on another busy person?
I'd be pissed off too if the foriegn teacher kept running to me for help everytime the students started acting up. Take care of your own business and get on with the teaching.
Besides that, then you won't have the problem of feeling guilty and helpless as psycho co-teacher flips out on the kids since she won't be needed anymore.

why · Joined: 03 Jul 2003 Location: seoul

First it sounds as if the Korean teacher in question lacks any sort of consistant punishment for children who stepout of line. Rule number on of being a parent or a teacher is consistancy. Set the rules out firmly and don't bend too much on them. If you don't allow Korean in class then enforce it and make sure that the kids know what the stakes are. I am not condoning corporal punishment (sp??), but if you are using it then you have to be consistent. Kis understand routine and rules...Red card/yellow card...counting to ten...holding the push up position...all of them can work if the kids feel that it fits the crime so to speak. Freaking out on the kids only teaches them that sort behavior is okay.

Last year i had a teacher (Korean) who told her kids that she would call their parents and say that the child told her to "beep" off... This seemed to work and the point is that she was consistent.

-why

treeplanter · Joined: 01 Jul 2003

Dr. Buck: you took the words out of my.. fingers

Why don't you do your own discpline on the kids? Why do you make the Korean teacher the bad guy while you stand aside, critisizing her methods of teaching? Like you said, she's obviously overworked and doesn't need to do all the "bad" and eeky jobs herself. If you have a better method of discplining the kids, why don 't you apply them yourself?It'll make everyone happy, especially the korean teacher!

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 6:03 pm Post subject:

Circus Monkey · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: In my coconut tree

I use the yellow/red card system. Believe me, the kids do not want to get the red card (reserved for fighting and other such gross misconduct).

I fully support Hank and Will. Dumping food on a kindergarten kid and breaking pencils is abuse and not acceptable. That teacher needs a vacation and as well shouldn't have to be saddled with being the "bad" cop.

CM