Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sesame]

Just 2 things on my mind lately:

1: Do you ever tell kids to go home if they are acting up? I know their mom's are paying for the class, but if he disrupts it, he is taking away the education of the other students by making the learning environment impossible to learn in.

2: How do you handle grade 5-6 GIRLS who have the most rotten look on their faces, pull their face at you, play on their phone and don't pay attention to your class. Get in their faces and make them put the phone down running the risk of making them turn others in the class against you because we all know their sheep and will follow the leader (which most often times are the meanest girls), or say F it and teach anyway totally ignoring them and get your money.

Comment on both if you can.

[mysteryadam]

1. Send a student home in the middle of class. Do it. Then come back here and tell us what happened. Should be fun. You might still even have a job.

2. Confiscate all phones at the beginning of class.

[maximmm]

As far as hagwons are concerned, each one is different and it all very much depends on the management. In some hagwons, they discipline the students, in other hagwons they give students a candy and discipline you.

It's always a lottery - and you have to figure out what kind of hagwon you are in.

[SeoulNate]

1. Depends on the school/academy. I used to send students out/home from time to time at an academy I worked at a few years back, but that is not the norm. Ask the school what policy they have. If they have none, start your own.

2. Take the phones at the start of class. I used to send home a note to parents that had both English and Korean on it at the start of every class when I would get a whole new class or just one new student, the parents had to sign it and I kept it on file. It read something like this:

Dear Parents,

I am your child's new English teacher. I am happy to have your student in my class and I believe that your child's English can grow in my class with a commitment on all of our parts. With that said, in order to have a healthy class for learning I need students to be on-task while they are in my class. For that reason, if students are using their cell-phones or other distracting devices/objects (toys, games, food etc.) they will be confiscated until you can be reached if they become a disturbance to my class.

Thank you for your understanding.

[pattinsons]

1. Most likely your school will have a issue with you sending the kids home. I agree with those who suggested you will be lucky to have a job the next day. Ask your about your school's disciplinary policies. Follow them to the letter. Some schools will look for any excuse to reprimand you. I know a number of teachers who use wall squats for discipline. Be warned however that your school might consider this physical discipline.

2. As for cellphones confiscate them at the beginning of class, and return them at the conclusion of class. A director at my first hagwon lost her job because she did not return the phones.

[Sesame]

thanks for all the suggestions everyone. And I think I have WAY more leeway working at an after school program as opposed to a hagwon. I wouldn't send kids home if I worked at a hagwon, but at after schools I think it is a sketchy, yet last resort tactic. If parents complain you can just point the finger at the kid and his behavior. I have video recorded evidence if need be.

[maximmm]

[beentheredonethat777]

[BigBuds]

As for cell phones, I have a box on my desk, that the students have to walk past to get to their desks and chairs, with cell phones written on it and all of my students know the rule that phones go into the box when they enter the classroom.

Anyone caught with a cell phone after class has started gets it taken off them and returned to them the next day, no exceptions. If it happens to be a Friday, bad luck, they get it back on Monday.

The students know the rule, the parents know the rule, and I don't care if the parents complain about it.

If they don't like the rules, go else where. There's nothing they can do to change the rules, complain away. It does help that I own the school, though, Muwahahahahahahahah

[drcrazy]

Boys are supposed to be bad. Girls are supposed to be good. Send the girls home. Let the boys tear up the place. And HAVE FUN. Bring lot's of cookies too.

[The Cosmic Hum]

[Hokie21]

If a kid is being really bad I make them go downstairs to the directors room to inform them that they've been kicked out of class for disruptive behavior. This usually leads to a call home to the parents which is pretty scary for the average student.

Phones. Never been an issue for me as they know they must be turned off before the class begins. If you're having a problem with it then get a container and collect them before class.

If you are unable to send the kids to a director I've noticed that making them stand in the corner at the back of the room works alright as well.