Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bogey666]

I have some ideas, but always willing to listen to someone who's been there, done that.

here's the situation.

I'm in a vocational highschool where the students have minimum incentive to learn.. and don't care.. they treat the FT English classes as some kind of rest period.

I was told by another hs FT teacher recently that I get his dropouts the kids he can't say goodbye to fast enough

but that's ok - it is what it is and I am where I am.

several of these classes are very unruly and have a reputation for having made some of their female Korean teachers cry.

on the other hand, I was told there are several male korean teachers in school that everyone is deathly afraid of.

I smell a war coming, because basically though I can't make them listen or learn or study, I won't tolerate them ruining the classroom for at least/even ONE kid who'd like to learn.

suggestions and ideas? I can easily physically intimidate them but I can't be running around doing that to everyone for the entire class.

seems like my Kotex teachers don't get the wearing the dunce cap in corner idea..

(one of my first ones)

anyways, suggestions appreciated

[Easter Clark]

Stand up, arms in the air for 20 minutes.

Make the troublemakers write one of the rules in both Korean and English 100 times.

Talk to their homeroom teachers about their bad behavior.

Make every lesson as easy as possible (i.e. "I like____." "Do you like ___?" "Yes." "No.")

Do a pop song as a way of rewarding the class for being good.

When they get out of hand make them write the lesson aims several times. Then give them a choice of a speaking class or a writing class.

Positive reinforcement as often as possible.

Aim for 60% of the class paying attention. Any more than that and you'll go crazy.

Make sleepers stay after class and clean the classroom.

End class 10 minutes early if they have been really good and focused on the lesson. Make this a regular thing.

I'm in a vocational HS and this has worked for me!

[daz1979]

I've got all this to look forwards to

[TheChickenLover]

Welcome to my old high school

Good luck with your school, I had very limited success with teacher support ranging from good to zero.

Btw..that female teacher who cried in class wont' do anything. Teachers are so afraid of getting bad reviews from students they will leave you hanging.

Again, good luck & welcome to my former world.

Chicken

[bogey666]

[TheChickenLover]

I'm sorry to say, but your co-teachers wont' be as useful as you'd think. I know the woman in charge & she is sweet, but not that effective.

Candy for high school kids? Wait till that gets old & they take it for granted.

Again, those high schools are NOT a place for us. I'll put it simply for you as one person said it to me.

"It sounds like you're wasting your time at that school".

He was right & I quit shortly after realizing it.

They just want you to try, but when any failings come..believe me, you'll be the one getting blamed.

Good luck & let me know how the push ups work. I had them running laps outside. Believe me, they don't care about school & a large percentage are simply not intelligent.

Chicken

[bogey666]

[Atavistic]

[Easter Clark]

FWIW I just signed on for another year at my tech HS. Luckily the entire staff and administration support each other as we all know how difficult some of these kids can be. There's a quote that goes:

"We don't see the world as it is; we see the world as we are."

So if you go into it thinking "These kids are rotten to the core," then the students will pick up on that attitude (they're much smarter than you think) and you will have students from hell.

Let me balance this by saying that there are a couple of classes (out of 12) that I have given up on trying to accomplish anything. They are truly an hour in Hell, but I focus on the 6 or so students who want to learn. The rest of the class just sits there like "zombies," no matter what I do or what kind of material I use.

I think the key is to have a really great "good side," and a really nasty "bad side." Show them both as often as necessary. Keep in mind that your role here is less to teach them something useful (English) and more to make them comfortable being around foreigners and to show them that they can approach a foreigner and it won't be the end of the world. Be sure to have a fast-food role play at some point so they will have something they can use in their future profession!

[ajstew]

I feel for you all.
Now put those same technical dumbasses in my technical college that required nothing to get them in, and with punishing techniques such as handups and pushups long gone, that's your recipe for the 'feel like you're wasting your time' experience. I'm just looking forward to show students what they've earned come grade handout time, where the only pleasure I'll get is happily giving 'F's to 80% of my students.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

At my HS I teach 80% academic, 20% vocational (just the grade 1s), and over the years have had a real variety of classes. The two I had last year were the worst PS classes I've ever seen in Korea. This year they're nice and easy to manage, but with four or five exceptions really bloody thick. Two years ago I had one that just had a great dynamic and we could actually have fun practicing some real English.

I generally found that just moving or removing the most distruptive was the easiest way of keeping things going with the really bad classes I had last year. Each one had a retard who wasn't there for my lesson and so if anyone couldn't STHU they'd just get moved to the retard's empty seat at the back. If that didn't work or if there was a group of them causing trouble I'd make them kneel in the corridor outside the classroom where I could still see them and keep an eye on them. Their regular English teacher (and my co-teacher) really lost control of them during the second half of the year. I was thinking about attempting a few group punishment sessions with some of the ones who were models of indolence. I counted down the number of lessons I had left with them with all the class cancellations that were coming up on days I was scheduled to teach them and figured it just wasn't worth it, especially if I wouldn't be teaching them anymore this year.

[nobbyken]

I'm also at a Information HS.
My co-teachers all carry sticks. Even they are only effective to a point. If you regularly get the stick, then your palms become toughened.

I teach 4 OT hours a week, and some can get unruly.
A stick happy teacher warned them one day and hit the worst offenders.
Next day I took the class and I wrote on the board:
"You made me angry yesterday. I used to warn you to be quiet.
Today, no warning. Immediate punishment; I will make you cry. "

They got the message. No talking that day, just attentiveness.
The next day there was some talking, so I calmly walked up to their desk and put the nearest hand to me face down on the desk.
I then made a fist with my other hand, put on top of the hand and pushed down while slowly twisting. Absolute agony, and the screams of pain sure get the attention of the class. Brings a tear to their eye.

They don't need you as another friend, they have plenty friends.
They will respect you more as a commanding teacher.

One of my regular classes, well getting them to do dialogue practice for 25 minutes is the best you can hope for. We play a blackboard/powerpoint review game on previous lessons, with the prize being free time for the last 20 minutes.

A subtle punishment would be to do what my old English teacher used to do: stand on peoples toes and press and turn with his heel. If feet are positioned correctly, it can be done accidentally but intentionally if you know what I mean.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Easter Clark]

My students know that we have a certain amount of material to cover each class, and that it's in their best interest to pay attention and participate if they want free time at the end. Sometimes we go until the bell, but more often than not they get 10-15 minutes free at the end. If they've covered everything they've needed to cover that day, and have demonstrated that they know the material, then I think they deserve free time. 20 minutes regularly may be a bit much, but if it keeps the students fully focused for 25 minutes, then things could be worse.

OP--for some reason my kids like stickers. After a speaking activity I call on a pair that I thought did a good job and have them "perform" for the class. I always give them a sticker afterwards. Then each of them can call on someone they like (or dislike ) to perform. If they do a decent job (lots of encouragement / applause here!) then I say "OK. Choose who's next, and if they can do this with no mistakes and no reading, we will be finished for the day." At this point I usually have some students asking to be called on.

[nobbyken]