Korean Job Discussion Forums

[paperbag princess]

deleted

[aussie col]

I hate to say this but you shouldn't do anything.

First of all it won't do any good. Domestic violence is a difficult issue, especially when you are just the waygook teacher. This is something that can only be dealt with by professionals if there are any in Korea who deal with domestic violence.

The main problem is that society accepts this and does nothing to change it. It isn��t up to you (or possible) to change the way Korean society deals with this issue. It will take time and has to be initiated by Korean society itself. Anything else will just be interference by outsiders.

You��re not in Canada any more. There are many joys to experiencing another culture but also many things that you may dislike about it. This is one of the dislikes and you have to realise that you are an outsider and you came here to learn about a different culture and not try to change.

I hate the answer I just gave you and it saddens me to write this. But this is how I feel.

Maybe you agree with the above, maybe you don��t. In the end you have to go with your heart. I would like to believe that if I was in this situation that I would say screw Korean society and give them a piece of my mind.

Just be ready for the consequences�� they will be hard.

[Homer]

I have to agree with aussie col here paperbag princess.

However, if it helps, I had one boy who came in every second day with bruises. I got to thinking the same thing you did and I asked around getting a similar response.

Then I talked to my wife and decided to ask into it further. Not much came of this until one weekend, we were eating at a small food stall and we saw this same boy playing with his friends, the game: wresling.

The wreslting took place in a concrete arena...i.e. the side street and there boys were going full on...hence the bruises!

I am not saying that no one gets abused here, far from it, just relaying an experience of mine.

Also to consider, my wife's brother has 3 kids, not one of them has ever been touched.
We see them everyday.

This is a personal experience but its just meant to show that there are many sides here.

[tokki]

Kids are kids. Kids do things like wrestling, horsing around,jumping from high places. They get tons of bruises and most of the time its not from abuse.

[Ilsanman]

One day it will be addressed. Not yet, and not by me.

Let it be.

I think it's wrong, but I am powerless to stop that. When I accepted that, it bothered me a lot less.

[canukteacher]

There is NO child abuse in this country. There is also NO:

--prostitution
--no spousal abuse
--no gays
--no unwed mothers

Who can add to the list?

[desultude]

I'm afraid that in Korea, parents are basically allowed to do what they wish with "their" children. The people that post on this forum arguing that it should be okay to hit children, and that it is impossible to teach in the States because they aren't allowed to hit children, haven't seen the other side of the coin.

I had a student at camp last summer who reported being hit by his mother with a baseball bat. We tried to do what we could , but the boy was an emotional disaster. Everyone wanted to help him, but there is really nothing to be done. The way we were treated in the States, in my family, when I was a child, was somewhat comparable. But in those days it was private family business, like it is here today. Thank god that people are starting to realize that beating children is not a private affair. It will take a little longer to catch on here, but it will. And there will be those who say, "oh, we have to beat them or they will be out of control"- try seeing your own mother out of control with a baseball bat, or a teacher out of control with his fists.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Homer]

Canuckteacher,

[desultude]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

China is by far worse than Korea. Just ask Rhonda Place on the China board.

Many of my students are whipped because they do poorly on a test.

When I moved into my apartment, there was a lock on the washroom door, on the outside. When I asked what is it for, the answer was given to me as if it was a silly question. "Lock there son in there until he finishes his homework."

I also have students getting on their hands and knees begging for me to either change their test score, not record the test score, or not tell the Chinese teacher because he will "tell my father".

I've seen cigarette burns on arms, bruises on legs, and kids with black eyes, big bumps on there heads, and cut lips.

I am very reluctant to fail any of my kids because of this....

Damn I miss Korea..

[paperbag princess]

it's such a sad state of affairs... thanks for the advice, i appreciate it very much!