Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Phant0m]

I think this is the right forum, but MODS, please move to the appropriate one if it isn't.

I was just threatened by a student in one of the worst class in my school. Here's what happened. I was having a test with this class today and I caught a couple of students, including this particular student, cheating, so I collected their papers (and will get a zero for the test). Shortly afterwards, while I was continuing with the exam, he and another student were speaking loudly and joking with each other during the test, even after repeatedly telling them to be quiet during the exam, so I moved them to different seats which were closer to me. After the test was over, there was about 10 minutes left until the end of the period (it should have only taken 10 minutes for the test itself), but since the whole class in general was disruptive, I told them to stay seated and quiet for the rest of the class. About 2 minutes before the bell, the student got up from his seat, started walking around the class and talking with his other friends while pacing in front of the door. At this point, I was pissed off beyond imagination, but I kept my composure and told him to sit back down in a firm voice. He wouldn't comply and feigned ignorance, so I got up from my chair (I was grading their papers at this time), pointed to his seat and told him again to sit down. Then suddenly, he just exploded and started cursing at me and threatened to physically injure me if I was ever caught alone outside of school. This was all in Korean and he didn't care if I understood or not (which I did). Only after this did the CT step up and tried to calm him down. While she was leading him outside the class, he was complaining about how I was only targeting him and threatening to quit school. This was the first time this happened to me in my 11 months here, so I have no idea how to respond to this. I know that the school won't do anything serious to him discipline wise, since if he quits school, they'll be losing money (he's already quit once or twice before). Also, I'm not sure whether to take his threats seriously or not, and whether if I have any legal options I can take if it becomes really serious.

Did anyone come across any similar situation or have any advice for me?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

If he quits they lose money ... you have a CT ... you administer tests ... I'm baffled as to whether this is a uni, high school, or hagwon. Not knowing which I have no idea.

[Phant0m]

Ah, sorry about that. I teach at a public HS with a mix of regular and vocational students. There's a dormitory in school for (limited number of) students who either excel academically or live too far from home, and he's part of the latter category. The school would lose money because the dorm fees are paid monthly (at least that's what I've heard). Normally, this isn't a problem, since students/parents are lined up to get into the dorms, but since there's only a month left till school ends.....

As for the "test", it wasn't an "official test" asked by the school or CT. It was more of a review of a couple of sentences and vocab words. This class' English level is so low that I decided to at least test them on the spellings of a couple of key words from the chapter/unit that we covered. I even went over all the words/sentences that I was going to put into the exam the previous week, and they still can't even spell "salad", "pepper", or "steak" properly. And I have to admit, it was also partially a punishment for being really disruptive to the point that I have to shout out the lessons in order to teach the few of the students that pay attention because of all the talking/noises/disruptions that occur in class.

[PatrickBateman]

No, they're not crazy.

Wow, some of these stories I read on here are crazy.
Good job keeping your composure though.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I don't know what to say. I can't imagine that and if it happened to me he'd have to be one hell of a big HS student if he didn't want to get asked if he'd like his ass kicked right now.

If I worked somewhere it got so bad that I felt threatened by a HS student I'd march right down to the principal's office and tender my resignation.

[EvanD85]

I'm unsure how well this would work in a Korean school, but teaching in a high school I had a kid who was incredibly disruptive and borderline violent.

Whenever he talked, I stopped talking. I then rolled my eyes and opened and closed my hand (like you do when someone keeps yapping) until people started laughing, then I said "are you finished?"

To keep him from feeling down in the dumps (and thus needing to retaliate), I also had him help out more in class and congratulated him a bit more often than normal. I would say "(name), you're leading group A!" when assigning them into groups with group leaders. I would ask him to write things on the board I knew that he knew the answer to from previous worksheets/tests, and would ask him specific questions and say things like "I'm having a little trouble stumping you today... I think I might have to turn it up a notch with you". Whatever would make him feel smart and feel on top.

While it probably gave him a complex for the first few days (the teacher is a jerk AND makes me feel like I'm smart), within a school week he had been conditioned well enough to where I didn't have to do the hand motion anymore when he talked and he would actually volunteer answers instead of me forcing them out of him. It was win/win, especially when I noticed other students stopped talking because they were afraid of me making fun of them.

Really, social standing is huge to any high schooler. Learn how to make them feel like they're a rock star, and show them that you can take it away, and then they're yours.

[Goku]

I think a lot of teachers would be flaming so I give you props for keeping it calm and composed.

You MUST have the school discipline him. You have to convince both your co-teacher and vice principal something must be done about this student.

I'd sit with your co-teacher and talk about the situation. Tell her that although you are not actually afraid of the student, you are worried that other students will look at this and think it's ok to threaten other teachers, and that other teachers will also get threats over time.

Emphasize you need to set an example. Students can NOT have the power to threaten a teacher and get away with it. She will probably be more than understanding, and you've given her motivation to speak on your behalf (assuming your Korean isn't fluent)

This will motivate her to explain it to the vice principal about the severity of the issue. Once the Vice Principal understands how severe this is (hopefully not shrugging it off because you're an FT.) you need to show, HIS incentive for listening to you. Obviously his bottom line is the money fo this student. But phrase it in a way that if other students follow suit, more and more students will start threatening to leave the school.

That'll get him panties in a bunch and you can begin to discuss together reasonable courses of actions.

Good Luck.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

How does the public HS lose money? They have their budget.

Korean students are all bluff and bluster, but having said that I wouldn't put it past a student to take a cheap shot. For example, there was an International Korean student that stabbed a NZ High School Japanese teacher in the back. Cheap shot indeed, but you shouldn't turn your back to students.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/avondale-student-admits-stabbing-teacher-2760545

Any threat by a student is a serious event. Don't let them blow you off. Sit down in the Principals office until something has been done which involves the parents and a satisfactory conclusion-which I should imagine ought to ultimately mean this student is permanently removed from your class.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

How does the public HS lose money? They have their budget.

Korean students are all bluff and bluster, but having said that I wouldn't put it past a student to take a cheap shot. For example, there was an International Korean student that stabbed a NZ High School Japanese teacher in the back. Cheap shot indeed, but you shouldn't turn your back to students.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/avondale-student-admits-stabbing-teacher-2760545

Any threat by a student is a serious event. Don't let them blow you off. Sit down in the Principals office until something has been done which involves the parents and a satisfactory conclusion-which I should imagine ought to ultimately mean this student is permanently removed from your class.

[bluelake]

Many, many years ago, at my first university, I once received a threat by mail. Needless to say, it was anonymous and was mailed from a P.O. in another city. I could never match up the handwriting to students' papers. It was rather strange, as I always had a good relationship with my students (one Korean prof friend suggested it might not have been a student).

One of my colleagues, at that same university, had a student threaten him at a bar (he had failed the guy). The guy pushed my colleague up against the wall and they had to scrape the guy off the floor (from what I heard).

At my last university, I was the chair of our program. One Saturday, I was shocked to see students in our departmental office (locked door and fingerprint security pad). I demanded to know why they were there. There was an English camp going on and the departmental assistant at that time allowed the student helpers to use the office. We had a strict policy that students who did not have official authorization were not to be in that office alone. I wanted to know how they got in and I was told they were given a master key (opened up all the rooms in our building). Needless to say, I was boiling mad and wanted that key returned. The guy who had it was a big fellow and, when I held out my hand for it, he refused to give it to me, saying, "I will only return it to [dept. assistant]" I told him I was the chair and he would return it to me and would do it right away. He again refused and I got VERY loud. He still refused and acted very threatening towards me. I called my boss and put the guy on the phone with her; after the call, he sullenly handed me the key. The dept. assistant was called on the carpet for it, but he just shrugged it off (and later put another master key out for students on top of the office door sill!). We could not fire him due to his contract, but it was not renewed when the time came. There were other matters we found out about after he was gone, but that's a whole different story...

[Goku]

That teachers assistant sounds very careless.

Who gives a master key to anyone? Especially students?

Just out of pure curiousity, and it doesn't ultimately matter, but was it a Korean teacher? Or a foreign teacher?

I'm just wondering if the assistant just wasn't aware of the rules because they were foreign.

[oldfatfarang]

Op. Well done for keeping your calm. You did the right first step (not blowing up in the classroom). Now take the next right step: writing to the principal, meeting in principal's office with parents (for decision whether this kid is allowed back into your classes). For me - he would never get back in my classroom - ever (PS or not).

A case in point: years ago - I had to interview my 2nd in charge (a supervisor) about his beligerant manner and poor work performance. That was really embarassing, so I asked him to quietly come outside with me so we could discuss things in private.

I didn't get the reaction I expected. This guy threatened me - and actually moved to hit me (unbelievable!). I left him to calm down - and then rang my boss (I really thought this guy was going to beat the ... out of me).

My boss sent some limp wristed pen pusher to mediate (I'd wanted to fire him). Apparently, everything was my fault, and the guy kept his job as my right-hand-man. It took 6 months before he eventually transferred out of my office - and that was a very tough 6 months. He'd gotten away with threatening me - and the other staff knew about it. It took a long time for that situation to settle down (and that was dealing with adults).

I can't imagine how you're going to be able to teach any classes/students at your school when the word goes round that a student threatened you - and the school did nothing.

Stand your ground.
Good luck.

[JJJ]

Let's see, in 9 and a half years, I've been punched in the face, punched in the jewels, spat upon, thrown water on, verbally abused, head butted (few months ago) by students. Sometimes on the streets in my area, I am walking around and some bad boys see me and scream, F U Mr. JJJ, Mother f, son of a b and more in front of everyday people walking by. They do it for fun. Wow, the future generation...yikes!!

So, yeah, I basically know how you feel and it basically sucks.

[bluelake]

[Yu_Bum_suk]