Korean Job Discussion Forums

[creeper1]

This is something that has been getting on my goat for a while. Why do so many esl teachers feel the need to degrade themselves on social networking sites like facebook?

Why don't they realise that part of a teachers job is to act as some kind of a role model.

On facebook I have seen disgraceful pictures of my "friends" working here in korea. Here are some of the things

-Routinely giving one finger salutes Why do so many of us put up the midddle finger as soon as a camera is pointed at us? That's just so cool!

- Teachers passed out due to overconsumption of drink

- Drunken idiots actually mooning in the middle of the street. Not content with a picture of them extending their middle fingers they show us their backsides.

- secret santa- One English teacher giving his female co-worker sexy lingerie as a gift while innocent wide eyed kids watch on

Imagine coming across photos of your physics teacher, Maths teacher or any teacher you had acting in this manner. Wouldn't you lose respect for them?

My basic message to people of this nature is to have some respect for yourself and stop acting the fool.

[LosSeoul]

...or just make sure that your account is private?

[Olivencia]

Your question is based on a false premise. We aren't "teachers" (well a vast majority of us) anyway. We are just talking English machines.
1. No one cares about what we have to say about quality education.
2. No one cares about our opinions, thoughts and feelings about anything.
3. We are all just druggies, thieves, womanizers, rapists, pedophiles etc etc........"learned helplessness".
4. When wronged we are told that we just don't understand Korean culture.
5. When we try to express our culture no matter how benign it is we are told that "This is Korea". Once again demonstrating the truism that Korea wants the world to embrace Korea but Korea doesn't want to embrace the world.

ESL teachers acting awful...so what? It doesn't matter. "I am what I am...and what society has made me" ("Billy Budd", Herman Melville).

[languistic]

[Olivencia]

I first arrived here about 15 years ago and in terms of their approach to language acquisition it worse than a train wreck. They haven't changed and there is little hope they ever will....and it will not depend on our behavior or advice. Look how terrible most everyone in Korea speaks English and yet they keep continuing to do the same old tired unworkable approach day after day and year after year and billions of won down the drain.
I'm not helpless. In fact, I'm a realist. I am dealing with things as they really are. Three cheers for your naive crusade that will get nowhere. Enjoy the ride!

[nomad-ish]

i think your gripe is more about idiots than facebook. they're your friends?

[thegadfly]

Nomad-ish, he used quotation marks -- they're his "friends."

[Gwangjuboy]

To the OP: What's the big deal? Unless your friends have adjusted their security settings in such a way that all and sundry can see them - not likely in the world of fb these days - then it's essentially their private parcel of cyberspace where they can pretty much do anything they want. In the event that these photos haven't been locked then yeah, basically they are pretty dumb.

[djsmnc]

Wow, sexy lingerie as a gift...man, all these years here and I never even considered it! Great idea!

[conbon78]

Well I find your post a little entertaining. First, many people who are English teachers are really away from home (across the world) and like to act out because that's what happens when people feel free or just far away from home. Second, I'm a teacher and when I lived in the states I didn't give my FB information to my students because I don't think that is appropriate. I can get as drunk as I want too and that's my business. Korea promotes drinking, so if you don't like it...this isn't the country for you.

Also...in case you didn't know...FB is a private site, so if you don't "approve" of what your friends are posting, then maybe you shouldn't be friends with them.

[Seoulio]

I agree with the OP, but my opinion doesnt extend to just teachers, it extends to society in general.

Why do people need to dump the entire contents of their camera- all 500 pictures- of them drunk at a bar?

Why is the picture of you fake licking a girls boobs so hilarious?

Why do people think that just because they can set up a profile to "private" there is little regard for tact and appropriateness?


As for the guy that said we shouldn't be freinds with people if this bothers us, thats like saying we shouldnt teach a student if we don't like them. YOu don't just ditch a freind because they have one thing you don't like ( at least most of us don't

As for the guy who say that we are not teachers, clearly you have just devolved into a guy that knows the sytem can't change so you now simply work for a paycheck. Maybe that's out of line because I don't know you, but I find the people who care the least are the ones who whine about the system and do very little in their job.

And, you think you are justified because you find the Koreans are ignorant about the problems inherent in the system anyway, so why should you work hard?

[Olivencia]

Not really whining about the system but just stating facts. In terms of doing very little in my job I have tried that but have on many occassions been stifled and squashed in my attempts. Don't care anymore to bother to even try. Play the game, get my paycheck, shut up (except on Dave's) and do not allow (as much as possible) my so-called profession define who I am. Anything else for me is called "pretending".

[Seoulio]

Thanks for proving my point.

You have no self respect, and will not do what you say is a good and admirable job unless that work is recognised and acknowledged.

So you're not there for your students you are there for your own validation.

If the admins don't know what a good teacher is then screw it right, why should you be one.

Yeah I understand totally, keep coming to Dave's and complaining about "the system" you are more than happy to succumb to. Many of us here love that kind of Hypocrisy.

[Olivencia]

Been there tried that done that wont work forget it.

[Seoulio]

don't wory, I won't waste any more time on you anyway.

I just like to point out hypocrisy and laziness.

Have a good one