Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eIn07912]

...My first instinct was to laugh. After seeing how serious my co-teacher was being, my "that must be a joke" laugh suddenly became a "oh give me a break" laugh.

A few weeks ago one of my classes was just being unbelievable. Absolutely uncontrollable. I had exhausted all of my resources. Angry teacher face. Yelling. Extra homework. It just didn't seem to matter. They were determined to give me hell. So, considering there's no real form of discipline for students in this country, I went to the harshest form of punishment allowable.

"I will not act like a baby in class. I must listen to and respect my teacher, because he is trying to help me learn. When I speak Korean in English class, I am only making it harder on myself to learn."

I wrote this on the bored and then put a fat "30 TIMES" next to it. I got my co-teacher to ask their homeroom teacher to back me up on this. If a kid doesn't do it, he/she will not be allowed in my class again. The homeroom teacher, recognizing this was a rather unruly bunch, decided to support me. And I thanked him fully for it after class.

All the kids did it. I was pleased. The next few days rocked along fine. I haven't resorted to such a punishment since. Then, today, my co-teacher said she needed to talk to me. After reviewing the above incident, she said one of the moms was very unhappy about it and that if I make them do it again, "She's going to sue you."

Now, I'm not worried about being sued for making a kids write a bunch of stuff. In fact, if she did, I'm sure I could win a countersuit for filing such a stupid claim. But what keeps running through my head is, this is what it's come to? If the writing teacher makes them write, he's going too far? When did it become acceptable for students to get away with murder and the teacher isn't allowed any measure to discipline? I mean the parents don't do anything. As long as the kids brings home an A I'm sure they don't give a hoot how he acts. Then they blame the teacher when the child performs poorly, after they've taken away any real form of control or discipline the teacher had.

I'm from the deep south. We got paddled. They still paddle at my old school. I recognize that is a controversial topic and some fervently oppose it. It worked for me and if given the opportunity, I will allow the school to paddle my future children. Others feel differently and I understand that and completely support their right as a parent to make that choice. And I'm not advocating paddling here. But what passes for appropriate discipline or punishment? What is considered allowable? And if they keep moving the line further and further back, what does this do for the students? Even now, kids know they can get away with almost anything. We had a teacher today have some money from her purse stolen. It's a usual routine for kids to come kick or hit the teachers door and run away. It happens to all of us, not just the foreigners now. But if we try to do anything about their homeroom teacher comes to their rescue or we get a lawsuit thrown in our face? I mean, WTF?

I know this isn't my country. I know it has different standards. And I'm not out to change it or the world. I'm leaving in 6 months and this place can rot for all I care when that time comes. Guess I was just looking to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening.

[asmith]

What you don't understand is that you're not really a teacher.

I'm not saying this to put you down. I'm not really a teacher either.

In this country, we are teacher aides. Assistants.

This is a job where you pretty much have to grin and bear it at times.

[tenchu77491]

[fermentation]

I'm very surprised at this. Either this is just your school, its because you're foreign or Korea really changed in the past several years. Is it a public school or Hagwon?

I've gotten my ass kicked and some of my peers worse by our teachers. My hagwon teachers threw stuff at me and my friends. The last time time I've been to the hell that is a Korean school was 7 years ago. Did that much change over such a short time?

That being said, I don't believe in hitting kids since its ineffective; animal trainers (the good ones) and the military don't even resort to such methods for that reason. What you did seemed pretty reasonable to me and that mother was being retarded. I don't know how you can sue anybody for making kids write. I'm not knowledgable on legal affaird, but what kind of charge can she press on you?

[cherrycoke]

ive seen teenagers kicked, slapped across the face, whipped with sticks but when a foreigner makes a student to a menial task for disrupting class it equals litigation. lol.

Today I have to manage a class of 37 alone! I'm armed with "if you guys disrupt class I'll TELL ON YOU to K-TEACHA!! K-TEACHA BEAT YOU!! UNDERSTAND!?!?"

lol

[Bronski]

At the hagwons I've worked at we've been encouraged to discipline the students. We weren't allowed to hit, but stuff like making students put their arms in the air, having them write sentences over and over, kicking students out of class, etc, was the norm. We were more likely to get in trouble if we didn't discipline enough. Is this a general difference between hagwons and public schools, or is yours just an unusual case?

It could just be you had a crazy mother. They pop up from time to time.

[BigBuds]

[Whitey Otez]

English teachers should never use English as punishment. It creates a negative impression of the subject in the students' minds.

Here's what you do:
Come armed with "the regrettable letter," a basic form letter written in Korean from student to parents, apologizing to them for being disgraceful. Tell the kids that a parent's signature on the form is their next ticket into your class. The key is enforcement. They hope your memory and resolve are gone the next day.

One kid in my old hogwan flicked me off, so we went to the principal's office and wrote the letter. He didn't get it signed, so we went back to the principal's office and wrote the letter again, then we read it out loud over the phone to his embarrassed mother. He quit come time to re-register and I got a lecture about the business end of English academies, but good riddance to that kid and that academy.

[CentralCali]

[fermentation]

[BigBuds]

I was also in the military and know just as much about it as anyone whose ever been in the military.

You are correct, it is banned in most militaries, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and it happens more often than you would think. More often than not, it's hushed up by the military themselves.

[Joe666]

fermentation wrote: What you did seemed pretty reasonable to me and that mother was being retarded. I don't know how you can sue anybody for making kids write. I'm not knowledgable on legal affaird, but what kind of charge can she press on you?

Agreed on the "retarded" portion. What kind of charges? From what I have heard on mutiple occasions, a female can press the most absurd charges on a male in this country. They can sue for loss of time (she wasted valuable time during the courtship), loss of income (she may not have been working during the courtship (she wants the money she could have been earning), psychological damage due to the break up (she may get some cash for this one also), etc. If these examples are true, what else is valid in regard to the law in this country?

We all have heard about the payoffs as a substitute for serving time. I believe this is a common theme throughout Asia!!

[BigBuds]

Hazing is quite often used as a form of punishment.

[fermentation]

[roll_eks]