Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mayorgc]

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2010/03/violence-in-elementary-schools-and.html

I feel like I live in a magical fantasy world where my kids are just one big happy family. I've never seen anything in my school that even comes close to bullying. But then again, I speak almost zero Korean so there could be a whole crapload of stuff going over my head.

I know how bullying works in the western world, but how different/same is it in Korea?

I'd be devastated if my elementary kids have to go through what those kids went through.

[Captain Obvious]

Never saw much of anything when I taught PS ... about the most harmless teens you could ever meet. I think this only happens at schools where teachers really don't care and can't be bothered to do anything about problems. Useless teachers and VPs are where I'd lay the blame for it.

[Aelric]

My girls middle school recently had a nasty case of bullying that left a bad taste for a lot of people. We are doing some construction and rearranging, so there are some empty rooms right now and apparently two third year girls lured or dragged a first year girl into one of these rooms and beat the everloving tar out of the poor, defenseless kid, stole her stuff and then brought a big group of their friends to come and laugh at her while she was bloody and bruised on the floor. Not exactly what parents like to hear, so that has led to a hell of a lot of complaints, lawsuit threats and other crap, not to mention the complaints that the crappy parents of the bullies are making cause their little girls could never have done that. This has resulted in new security cameras installed everywhere leading to a screen at a perpetually unmanned security station cause there isn't enough staff to actually use the setup, but hey, we spent money, right? Oh, the problem must be solved, then!

Anyway, you asked.

[jvalmer]

Unless you work in a school of less than 100 students, I can guarantee you there is some form of bullying going on. It happens among kids and adults all over this great earth. If you think only a minority of schools, in Korea or back home, has bullying you need to learn a lot more. It isn't necessarily violent.

Nothing you can do about it, unless 2 kids start duking it out in the middle of your class, and you'll be forced to break it up. Anything else, you'll probably make it worse by trying to get involved. It's best to leave it to the Korean teachers. And Korean teachers do know about it. When you see parents coming in talking to the teachers, it could about grades, just chatting, whatever else, and bullying.

Typical in girls' schools is the absolute social isolation of the wangta. Hard to notice unless you are very observant. Boys are usually easier to notice, since most of the time some kind of physical intimidation goes on.

[Senior]

There were some kids extorting money out of other kids last year. They are forever whaling on each other. There is a high punk to non-punk ratio this year, so I expect there will be some bullying amongst the 1st grade class over the next 3 years. The 1st graders I had last year were angels. This year, not so much.

[winterfall]

very. especially with the mentally challenged.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

This is a little embellished, but if you want a cautionary tale of bullying with regard to Korean culture, try 6월의 일기 (Diary of June). The English title is Bystanders.

[ticktocktocktick]

For another interested bit of bullying related Korean fiction, try 우 리들의 일그러진 영웅 which translates as 'Our Twisted Hero.' You should be able to rent the DVD

[Bloopity Bloop]

OP:

Pretty disturbing link you posted. I've never been bullied in my life (probably had something to do with me being 6'1" [185cm] in middle school--still the same now ) but it infuriates me to see people being bullied and I've done my fair share of intervening.

Can anyone here even imagine any of their kids doing any of the filthy/degrading acts mentioned in the linked article?

It'd be hard for me to believe that any of my kids, who go crazy over stickers and bingo would suddenly be able to transform into demons.

[jvalmer]

[lilith63]

It infuriates me that anyone would blame teachers for students bullying other students. Teachers have enough to worry about....teaching, planning, administrative work, cleaning, prep, tutoring, grades, performance and their own personal safety, parents, etc...and they see hundreds of kids a day. Parents see...2.5 kids a day, IF they see their kids at all. Where are the parents these days?!! They're both off at jobs so they can roll home in their BMW and farm their kids out to schools, baby sitters, mcdonalds, internet and the movie theaters. Parents need to take a long hard look in the mirror before blaming teachers for their kids behaviors. Besides, parents are the ones who should instill morals and then there are other "moral teachers" in the communities at establishments of religion or communal clubs.

Lay off the teachers....they're judged enough as it is.

[Manuel_the_Bandito]

^ A growing number of teachers and headmasters these days are willfully ignorant and have no idea what their kids are getting up to - and don't want to know. In Korea teaching morals is the teachers' job, as is looking after other aspects of their lives including what they do after school. They're not always to blame, but very often could have prevented things.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

[andrewchon]

One can see some 'stand-over' tactics used during the class captain election times. Candidates don't do it, his lackeys do.

[Goon-Yang]