Korean Job Discussion Forums

sistersarah · Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Location: hiding out

this is something that really annoys me. when my students hold out their hands and say, teacher - candy! or teacher - i'm hungry! and just stand there. i think the korean teachers must be handing out candy on a regular basis or something. i'm the only foreign teacher at my school and i stay in my classroom all day, with little interaction with the other staff, so i'm guessing they must be giving handouts.

makes matters worse when i'm very hungry myself after teaching 5 or 6 classes straight. really irritates me. so if i need to have a snack, i have to kick all the kids out of the room and chow down in a hurry, so they don't see me.

i would have never asked a teacher for food at home....does this same thing happen to you?

peppermint · Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 8:03 pm Post subject:

I think part of it is that the kids spend so much time being shuttled from hagwon to hagwon that they don't get to eat meals. I teach a class at 5, and I've noticed that as soon as class is finished they make a mad dash to the dukbokki stand on the corner.

Considering we're currently doing a unit on food vocab, I bring foo- for now.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

Kids love to eat and are hungry. It is not because of you. It is because they are kids.

discostar23 · Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Location: getting the hell out of dodge

I have this one kid who i don't even teach. She comes in and goes teacher and then just stands with her mouth open like i am suppose to drop the food in or something.

Our hogwan teachers tried to stop giving the kids candy but whe we weren't looking the director would give them candy. It was useless!!

i can understand why the kids are so hungry all the time because I am hungry too. I think korean food sin't very filling

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

About twice or thrice a term a take my kid's class out to the school's mae-juhm to get some ice cream or what not for the kids. Good way to get some sun a nice day, I figure.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

aussie col · Joined: 31 Jan 2004

Just buy them something to eat once in a while and take it into class. This works well if it's late at night, they're hungry and you're all tired. It fills up 5 minutes and they'll love you for it.

I had a few kids that found out that I had some single serve longlife milk and little sugar packets in my desk to use in my coffee. Every night they would ask if they could eat them.

Loyal · Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Location: Back in the UK!

Few options and things to be happy about!

Just be lucky they are not offering you food! I was regulary offered food every snack and lunch time, that is not so bad as I could pretend to eat it and then throw it away later. On a field trip it was alot harder and the food was made by the parents.

Anyway to your problem.

I would recommend that you take your kids out "once in a blue moon" and buy some food if you are hungry! It does have it side effects, but as your the only foreign teacher you will not get any snide remarks from them! Ask your supervisor the first few times then just start doing it when you want too! Smile

Just be carefull they are baby Seaguls "More, More, More" so you`ll get crap, but atleast you can make them speak English next class : ) Oh and you will not be hungry!

Paid 20,000 a hour, buying some snacks 5,000won, kids happy, I am happy I make 15,000. Good for a "I want a break day".

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

Give them candy AFTER class, so they will bahave and won't get sugar highs.

P.S. It is ok to give university students candy during class.

canuckistan · Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 11:44 pm Post subject:

Too many kids are hungry because too many kids don't have enough time to eat proper meals during their 14-hour days. Can't concentrate, or they load up on the total junk sold at the corner store or at school.

Don't get me started.

aussie col · Joined: 31 Jan 2004

Toby · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Wedded Bliss

Only my later classes, so, if I am hungry, I will send one of them to the shop to buy some snacks or else I will get something delivered to my classroom. My boss seems to be quite happy with me feeding them on occaision - the old,'Kids are happy so I am happy syndrome' thing I think.

I also do this because I don't want to eat too late when I finish - 7.30pm as that just sits on my gut. A moment on the lips is a month on the hips.

ryleeys · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, MD

Non-friggin' stop... all seven hours a day I am at school and as I'm walking to my home... All the friggin' time.

Basically, I screwed up and tried to be nice to my kids when I first got here. I would bring the good kids treats every day... even had a pizza night with one of my middle school classes. Now, I have literally been mugged and had my wallet stolen by kids trying to get food out of me.

The only kid I give any food to now at all is this one girl I feel sorry for... she told me she hasn't eaten a meal with her parents in 3 months as she goes to hagwans 7 days a week. She is in school from the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep every day, so I go outta my way to have some ramen or chips for her whenever I see her.

I also just found out that the Korean teachers at my school are being forced to work noon-11pm every night of the week for the next month. So I just ordered them a pizza so they can have some dinner tonight as opposed to the ramen my director provides.

kangnamdragon · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Kangnam, Seoul, Korea

What are their favorite foods?

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

i have 800 students. i spend nearly 100,000 won on choc pies and oh yes every month. dumb fug huh.