Korean Job Discussion Forums

[EzeWong]

I'm seeing a common theme here on Dave's and with own students.

Children not being disciplined.

And I think this has a fudemental cause because children don't learn the difference between right and wrong.

I think moral values may not be vehemently enforced because of all this focus on eductation. I don't blame the kids who sleep, they have hagwon and haven't had times to rest, but those that are distruptive and insulting/inconsiderate to others need something to influence their life.

So I was thinking of dedicating a chapter to Discipline and What's right and wrong.

Some ideas I had in store were:

having stories like ugly duckling in class
Posing questions like "Johnny is being beaten up by Joe, is this right?"
Racism is wrong would you like someone to be racist to you? etc...

Has anyone done this before can give me some feedback or ideas? I really want to impact these kid's life in a postive way beyond an English education while still teaching them English.

[some waygug-in]

As much as I think it's a great idea in principle, I wonder how much success you would have trying to carry it out.

You might be seen as some "holier than thou" westerner, trying to inflict your neo-colonial world views upon your students.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try, just be careful how you do it.

[EzeWong]

[Ukon]

Speaking as someone who hated afterschool daycare as a kid, I think the problem is that they don't wanna be in school till 7pm. I'd go bonkers in that situation and be a hell raiser too.

I teach elem. and 90% of the kids are well-behaved and don't act up....the worst you get boys hitting girls or insulting each other....some kids are also loud....other than that discipline problems were near zero....

[Cornfed]

[QbertP]

I might frame it in a different way. Try "ettiquette" and start with things they will immediatly understand like respect for elders before moving straight on to bullying and rascism.

[EzeWong]

[Xuanzang]

They should get it from in the home or in moral studies class. Or just make mistakes and learn the hard way. 1 and 3 are how most people learn.

[EzeWong]

[quote="Xuanzang"]They should get it from in the home or in moral studies class. Or just make mistakes and learn the hard way. 1 and 3 are how most people learn.[/quote

They should! I wish parents were required to take child education courses.

I don't think it's more of a "Korean" thing as much as it's a "I want to change these kids life for the better" kind of thing.

Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way based on many of your feedback. Thanks, I need more time to think about this.

It's really just mulling over the idea...

[offtheoche]

Just tell the kids to agree with everything you say .... do as they're told.....and hang on your every word.

[English Matt]

I think you may well end up preaching to the choir. I've found that bringing up those sorts of issues is really only possible with the kids who have a high level of English.

I hold an after school debating class, and during the run up to the US election I held a McCain vs. Obama debate. The subject of illegal immigration came up incidentally; I played devils advocate and found that the students ended up vehemently defending immigrants rights, both in America and here in Korea. These students are a pretty well behaved bunch and they are not the ones I have discipline issues with.

I would imagine that those students who are acting disrespectfuly are the ones whose English level is not fantastic, and won't listen in class anyhow. If I were to start trying to teach all my classes 'life lessons', I think that the kids whom I would be trying most to reach with that message would be the ones who don't really have a clue what I'm saying and are too busy chatting to their mate to notice I'm in the room anyhow.

That being said, I don't think this sort of thing is an abuse of your position, providing you are not trying to guide students in a particular direction (i.e. indoctrinating them). Telling them what to think is not our place, but trying to open their minds to different viewpoints most certainly is (in my opinion). If you don't agree with their opinion on something you can always continue their line of reasoning to it's logical (and ridiculous) conclusion. But telling them they are wrong is not going to make them change their mind.

I say go with it if you think it'll make a difference, but I agree there is a danger you could come across as a bit preachy. It helps to have some material to get the class thinking - a friend of mine used a clip from a Simpsons episode in which Apu turns out to be an illegal immigrant, and that class worked really well for him.

[crusher_of_heads]

kimchi jigae is disgusting.

[Cornfed]

[EzeWong]

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

I think it's a bad idea. Have you ever heard of a second language teacher doing this kind of thing before? I mean, say a French teacher in Canada, or a Spanish teacher in America?