Korean Job Discussion Forums

[yeremy]

I was sitting at my desk today when a kid came into the teachers room, which isn't unusual during the breaks. Then he promptly snarled,and made made an obscene gesture towards a female teacher which I saw out of the corner of my eye, and the senior English teacher jumped over and smacked him upside the head with an open hand. Senior stood nose to nose with the student yelling at him for a few minutes until the student abruptly left. Afterwards, Senior heard a commotion in his homeroom, which is next door, and he quickly dumped his books, grabbed his wooden stick and furiously tore out of the teachers room. I was wondering what those of you, who are also in the public schools, have seen and heard first-hand.

In case you wondering, I was pissed that one of my co-teachers stooped so low. I don't condone it at all. If it happens in one of the classes we co-teach, I will definately say something and try to stop it.

[spliff]

I've never once seen a student scolded harshly or hit with a stick or hand at my public school. The teachers at my school are professional. Whenever I've seen a student being reprimanded it has always occurred w/ the teacher talking the infraction over w/ the offending student in a calm and reasonable manner.

[babtangee]

Sounds like the little turd was begging for a beatdown.

[xCustomx]

That's nothing compared to the punches to the side of the head some students have endured from the ex-PE teacher at my school. He also kicked them, threw them into cabinets, kneed them in their stomach and bitched slapped them several times. I was shocked to see that last year, but now I don't even care. I imagine the students in my school had a big party when they found out the PE teacher was transferring schools

[FUBAR]

[jay-shi]

I teach part time at a rural, read very rural, elementary school (student enrollment total 64).

I once saw the VP and two other male teachers taking down a student and kicking him while he was on the ground Sopranos style, perhaps in a gentler manner. Telling him to stay down and yelling at him.

This student is retarded.

Yes, I can use that term because I worked with the intellectually handicapped for 8 years while paying my way through university.

I asked my co teacher what was going on and she said he hurt the second grade teacher.

I've seen my share of student physical punishment in my time here but this was really over the top, or so I thought. Then I saw the second grade teacher and she had a huge gouging wound running down about 10cm on her cheek, turns out he had scratched her in a tantrum.

Did the student deserve the beat down? Probably not, there are better ways of dealing with it. I was trained in restraint methods by the RCMP. Did I understand the Korean staff response to the incident? Yes, I did.

Life goes on.

[babtangee]

[gangpae]

I've got an idea! Why don't we let the malignant little turds run the schools like back home. Korea is a competitive place and can't afford the luxury of social experimentation. Anyone offended by corporal punishment meted out in Korean schools should consider another line of work.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

I will definately smack you upside the head if you say definately again.

[yeremy]

I think that the ROK should enforce the laws they have about violence to students. In the US, physical punishment, if it occurs at all, usually happens behind closed doors in the vice-principal's office, at least where I was a student volunteer.

I agree that there may be mitigating circumstances, as Jay Shi wrote, but there are better ways to handle these events. Really good, professional teachers don't have to smack kids.

[Insidejohnmalkovich]

[tob55]

I see my share of violent act towards students in my school. Most of it comes from the students themselves, but a share of it comes from the teachers. I don't condone the use of corporal punishment when disciplining students, but I also recognize that some of my students are soon to be candidates for the Korean Penal System, so I can understand the position of some of the teachers.

Much of what goes on leading to the behavior of teachers has much to do with the fact that the students we are getting from other schools these days simply have no respect for authority. Surely, there are a portion of the teachers who could use anger management classes, but on the occasions when the teacher loses their cool, I don't intervene in any way.

You need to remember that if the teacher goes over the top, which many do, they will be dealt with by the school based on the system in place. Korea is not "western" in terms of law suits and having people arrested for violent acts against adults or minors. In most situations they are using the intimidation and control to establish who the boss is.

However, if a foreigner becomes involved, the situation immediately takes on a more serious turn. Foreigners can be charged with crimes that would not be applied equally to the Koreans simply because they are "Koreans." Your best option if you don't like what you see, is to leave the room or get someone Korean to come and intervene. I understand everyone's feelings on this, but you are risking much more than your own sense of right when interfering in these types of situations. Honestly, it just isn't worth landing in jail, just because you thought you were helping.

[R. S. Refugee]

[yeremy]

Taking action as I thought of can be as simple as talking with your co-workers. I have plenty of people, co-teachers, the vice-principal, or even my poe handlers to talk to if I have to. I'm not going to be a vigilante, but if the time is right and the place is a good one, I'll tell those who ask what I thought.

I did have another experience with teacher to student violence with an elementary school co-teacher, whom I told that it was illegal. She had a conscience and eventually stopped.

No, I'm not condoning it, but this is Korea and it's their ball game to manage.

As to getting up and leaving the room, it happened next to my desk and between my desk and the door. I was blocked in at that time.

The other issue was that I was writing and working on a lesson plan which I gave up on for the rest of the day after that.

Thanks all for your comments and advice.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

If a student made an obscene gesture at my co-worker in front of me in the staff room I'd have them down on their knees in an instant while calling for the PE teacher. The fact that that's what would inevitably happen at my school is the same reason why I've never seen a student do something like that in almost three years here. There are times when zero tolerance and immediate harsh penalties for extreme insolence are very beneficial for a school. If the OP thinks that's the sort of situation that should be handled with kid gloves there are probably some wonderful comprehensives in England that could use a teacher just like him.