Korean Job Discussion Forums

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

Okay, so that's not exactly what is said but it's darn close. I told my co-teacher(s) that no student deserves that kind of label. I mean, why would they be labled as such anyway?

This made me think about Jane Elliott. Do not try to do/teach what she does without training!

I suggested that only level 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C, be used to classify students. Students whose parents who can't/couldn't afford Hagwons/whatever shouldn't be LABLED. NO specific word should be placed upon students who find themselves in such a place. They can overcome without LABELS.

I strongly recommend you listen to the entire 9 minutes and learn anything else you can from her in whatever manner you can(google search her name)...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/synopsis.html

Later, she taught ADULTS in the same way/similiar way and they reacted in the SAME way or even more extreme. I saw this on FRONTLINE(PBS) a few years ago. Frontline is a great show! Unfortunately I haven't been able to see it since I've been here. I'm not an IT guy who streams/downloads.

This is how ADULTS react to the same type of teaching/attitude...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/synopsis.html

For whatever reason I couldn't get the feed below, maybe you can?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/synopsis.html

dirkdiggler · Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Far from costco

you take your job way too seriously. dont treat this joke as a job

Big Mac · Joined: 17 Sep 2005

Yet another post from buymybook that makes no sense to me.

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

jadarite · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:14 am Post subject:

I don't see the point in this. If a teacher already thinks the student is stupid, then they have already graded the student down. It doesn't matter what the student's second move is, their first move is below some standard set by the teacher.

As for grade levels, students need to be placed in the appropriate classes. Having a classroom of 30 students who just treat the class like a playground doesn't foster a learning environment. The students who know the answers, shout them out and wait in boredom for the teacher to do the next thing after the teacher realizes the "stupid" ones aren't going to improve at the speed of the ones answering.

I don't understand why this is such a big deal. I mean in music class we had first seat, second seat, third, etc...

You play well, you move up. You play bad, you move down. We hide the truth until it is too late and then tell the child, "Since we lied to you so you wouldn't feel 'stupid' you never got the attention you needed to improve. Now you are REALLY STUPID, and I am even MORE STUPID for not stopping the cycle. Instead of treating the students as handicapped, we should be placing them in the appropriate classes. Then, we can treat them more on an equal or expected fashion.

The problem with the word "stupid" isn't what it refers to, it's that it doesn't help the student any more than keeping them ignorant of their level.

We had one girl who cried in the beginning of the Fall term. I wouldn't be surprised if she quit. She cried because she couldn't read like her friends. Instead of keeping her in class and helping her deal with the differences she was recognizing, the school and parents prefer to "protect" the child and preserve some sense of "perfection" in the child.

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

jadarite · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:42 am Post subject:

Calling someone stupid sometimes is a byproduct of a STUPID system which places all students from different levels into one class. If you had them in their appropriate classes, you wouldn't have to number them LOL

Do we put Chemistry 1 students in Chemistry 3 class?

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

jadarite · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:52 am Post subject:

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

Canerican · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Location: Cheongpyeong, S. Korea

TOO much EMPHASIS on words RANDOMLY DISPERSED through THE postings.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

polonius · Joined: 05 Jun 2004

No students deserve or should be called stupid. It is demoralizing and creates a lack of trust between the teacher and the students. The students will not want to work for the teacher anymore, because they are afraid of being insulted again.

A class should be a safe learning environment. I wouldn't even give the higher level groups the higher numbers. If they are of the same age, the class codes should be randomly picked. In a Korean school, they have multiple grade 3 classes, and class number 1 isn't the best class.

I would have responded right after that comment with, "You may not be the best in this English class, but I am certain that many of you excel in math, science or social."

What your co-teacher fails to see is that not all students are linguistically inclined. Belittling them won't make them any better. Rather, find what they are good at, and focus on that as a starting point. If some are great at math, then use that as a bridge to teach them English. Make it content based.

Big Mac · Joined: 17 Sep 2005

Perhaps buymybook was one of those students who was labeled "stupid" by his teachers. Maybe that's why this means so much to him.

I wouldn't be surprised, given the quality of the writing in his posts.

And no, buymybook, I was not drunk or high while reading your post. Maybe if I was it would have been more understandable to me.