Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kwangjuchicken]

Well, I know I am not the sharpest knife in the draw, so it has taken me some time to solve a mystery. And, that mystery is, "What happens to my wonderful little angels after they get a couple of years older?"

You see, I am always amazed by the behavior of the little kids in Korea.

They are so polite and kind and and respectful. Then when they are a few years older they change so much. They become so rude and disrespectful and unkind towards others.

Let's take, for example, Kids I have had in Let's Go Pre-Book thru Book 3. Absolute angels. Yes teacher, and please, and may I, and thank you. They clean up the room (without my ever asking). They put the cookie wrappers in the trash can, they put my crayons and other art supplies away for me, and even erase (or try they are too short ) the black board.

And when we go to the storybook room, from the 17th to the 6th floor, they always wait for others to get out of the elevator befoe they get it.

It is like it is just natural instinct for them to be this way. But then, they change. Why?

Well, my kids classes are on campus at my university. They see how badly many of the Korean university students, some staff and even some Professors act.

1. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role models, smoking in the halls and the restrooms of a smoke free buliding.

2. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role models using the floor in the hallways, stairways and restrooms as an ash tray.

3. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role models spitting all over the place.

4. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role modles using the ground as a trash/garbage can.

5. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role models shoving and pushing their way into an elevator when others are trying to get out.

6. They see the ones who SHOULD be their role models making so much noise in the halls that the classes are being very disturbed.

7. And they see that those who SHOULD be in charge, not only ignore such behavior, but some even participate it it too.

So, is is such a big shock that after awhile, those sweet, kind, polite kids will act like wild crazy animals with no respect at all for others?

And, these kids point out to me how bad the university students are.

And, they not only see University students who are 19-20's, but they are here at times when there are a lot of older students 40+ and, they see and point out to me how bad they are.

And one day we went for a nature walk. As we passed by the dorm, they wanted to go in and see what it looked like. So, I decided to buy them all some snacks in the snack area on the ground floor. That area is about 30X20 feet. About 10 tables that each have maybe 7 chairs.

There is a lady who sells all kinds of snacks and some vending machines as well. The lady who sells the snacks is in charge of that area, so she has to clean it every night when it closes at 11:30-12. There is also a big TV there, so it is like a lounge area too.

That area is posted Smoke Free. Well, my little kids were so shocked to see how the "adults" there were behaving. There were about 15 there at the tables. They were all smoking. They were all using the floor as an ash tray. They were spitting everywhere.

Although there are several very large trash cans in that area (I know not common in Korea) the tables and floors are left covered in egg shells, and all kinds of trash and garbage.

The smoke was so bad we left. And every night that poor old lady, who the students treat by their actions, lower than scum, has to litteraly shovel up buckets of ashes, spit and other garbage off the floor before she can finally go home after having been on duty from 9AM to almost mid-night.

So, no wonder the kids soon go from being angels to devils. THEY HAVE NO ROLE MODELS.




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[Kwangjuchicken]

And, here is a good example of how the little kids are often more polite than adults and even some Korean Professors.

I am not skinny. That is for sure. But, the little kids 5,6,7,8,9,10,11, years old never point that out. But, if I had a dollar for every time a Korean adult and even a Korean professor has insulted my body size, I would have, well, a bunch of money.

The kids often say I am cute or handsome. I also give these kids tons of positive feedback, and they return it.

Just a few weeks ago, one of my girls, she is 10, and quite overweight, comes running down the hall to give me a big hug. She has a big pink ribbon in her hair. I say, "You Na, you are so pretty today." She says, "Thank you very much, and you are so handsome today."

And then, just two hours later, I am in the elevator going to the 17th floor to my office. As we get to the 14th floor, it is just me and one Korean professor (NOT IN MY DEPARTMENT) . I had only been at this new job a few days when I was alone with that same professor in the elevator. That was about 16 months ago.

The first time I was in the elevator alpne with him, he looks at me, and says. "You are very fat and ugly." Well, a few weeks ago, when I was again alone with him, he says, "You always look so strange and stupid."

None of my little kids would ever say that. I swear, a lot of these little kids are more mature than their parents and teachers.





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[Real Reality]

According to a recent survey, as many as 90 percent of Korea's youth think they live in a country that's corrupt, and a considerable number of them say they're ready to join the club if the occasions calls for it later in life. Our society has become rotten to the core.
Chosun Ilbo (October 9, 2003)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200310/200310080034.html

Ex-president's son fined 6 billion won
The Seoul High Court fined the second son of former President Chun Doo Hwan 6 billion won ($5.2 million) and gave him a 30-month suspended sentence for tax evasion yesterday. Chun Jae-yong, 40, whose father's military regime ruled Korea from 1980 to 1988, was indicted and detained in February on charges of evading inheritance taxes on the 16.7 billion won in bonds he received from his grandfather in 2000.
by Chun In-sung and Lee Min-a
JoongAng Daily (October 20, 2004)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200410/19/200410192156273909900090409041.html

Kim's 2d son sentenced to 42 months in bribery case
by Chang Chung-hoon
The Seoul District Court yesterday sentenced Kim Hong-up, the second son of President Kim Dae-jung to 42 months in prison, a fine of 500 million won ($408,000) and an additional punitive fine of 560 million won, for accepting bribes. The younger Kim was convicted of taking 2.3 billion won in bribes from corporations in exchange for helping several companies win government contracts.
JoongAng Ilbo
November 02, 2002
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200211/02/200211020137260819900090409041.html

Youngest Kim son's sentence is suspended in bribery case
President Kim Dae-jung's youngest son, Kim Hong-gul, 39, will not have to serve a prison term on his conviction for taking bribes from favor-seeking businesses. The Seoul District Court yesterday sentenced him to two years in prison, but suspended the sentence pending three years' probation. He was also fined 200 million won ($166,000).
by Jeon Jin-bae
JoongAng Daily (November 12, 2002)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200211/12/200211120146514729900090409041.html

President Kim Young-sam's son Kim Hyun-chul guilty of accepting bribes and evading taxes. Kim Hyun-chul, 37, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of more than $1.5 million. The court also confiscated more than $500,000 in illegally amassed assets.
http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/13/skorea/

[inkoreaforgood]

Yeah, it's true about the no role models thing. What I find shocking is that a university prof. would say those things to you. I guess he is a very ignorant individual, as I have worked at post sec schools for a while and yet never experienced that sort of situation. Young children do call me fat however!!

Next time that prof says anything to you, just let him have it (on a verbal level!!). He should be ashamed to say anything like that to anyone in his work environment!!!

[FUBAR]

Tell the prof to stop looking in the elevator mirror when he is talking to you.

[Styles]

KChicken, I live in Kwangju also. . .you could point me in his direction and I could verbally abuse him whenever I've had a bad day. I could just appear in his vicinity, start a conversation with him, and innocuously ask ridiculously rude questions.

Like. . .So, uhhhh, is it true what they say about you Korean guys. . .ya' know down theeeeere? Like, do you. . . stuff? I mean, I couldn't blame ya' if you did, ya' know a guy's got to have his dignity. Did people used to make fun of your face and clothing choice when you were a kid? Just because you look funny dosn't mean you deserve the crass remarks right?!?! Sorry God did that to you and that you're a native resident in the least industralized and most under-educated province in a country sandwiched between two ethnically superior Great Elephants. . .Alright this is my floor. . .have a nice day. . .Chucky-face.

[Styles]

Incidentally I just had to tell the PC bong attendant not to smoke under the no smoking sign. . .not a soul in the whole place and he does it two chairs down from me. . .not even using a computer mind you. Nice guy though, got a free coffee out of it. . .although its probably the coffee I was supposed to get when I sat down in the PC bong which wasn't offered because he was too busy taking a smoke break .

[Paji eh Wong]

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

[Ilsanman]

I agree 100% with this post. They live cradle to grave, seeing behaviour, and how could it not become addictive?

I posted months ago about people with babies on their backs walking carelessly. I expect careless walking from babies and kindergarten children.

Also, my kindergarten students always speak ���븻 to me, as they should. My elementary school students...well 80% of them do. I have to say '�� �ݸ� ��? ���� ����̾�?' quite often.

As others have posted many times, they have many rules and laws here for everything, similar to the west, but the enforcement level is somewhere close to 0.

At times, I hope that my (in my opinion) better behaviour might be noticed and modelled after, but I don't see it.


Just a quick story to emphasize this point. At my old school, the earlier classes finished, and the new classes were coming in. The hallways are quite narrow, and the idea of walking in an orderly fashion is just out of the question. One little girl, really tiny, bent down to tie her shoe, and started to get trampled.

I came into the hallway, saw a big crowd-up, and didn't know what was happening. I started yelling at the kids, and trying to get them moving. The kids in the front (stepping on the girl) were laughing about it, and I reliazed what was happening. I started to push students back, and get to the front. The director came and broke it up (of course they listen to him), then proceeded to yell at me. I told him to shut up and don;t jump to conclusions.

Anyways, the moral of the story is this: We then instituted a new system. Each class would be released one at a time. The feedback we got: whining. The kids actually saw no reason at all to why we made that rule. They saw it as punishment of some sort. Can they not see outside the box?

[tommynomad]

They can't even see the box.

[Sooke]

True story:

A bunch of us were at a beach on the west coast of Korea. One of the group cut her foot on a broken piece of glass, so we decided to clean up our area. We got some black plastic bags from the super, and proceeded to clean up all the garbage we saw close to us.

A group of Koreans are playing that stupid volleyball/soccer game, and they are quite a way from us. But one guy kicks it goalie style and nails one of us in the head. There were about 10 of them, all uni or post army guys, and only 5 of us, including 2 women. They come over to get their ball and tell us to stop cleaning the beach up. They say something like "it's our beach, don't clean it, blah, blah, blah." We ignore them, and then they start a pushing match with us. (There are many children on the bach, as well as many families wattching this).

anyway, the beach police come, and we are asked to leave the area of the beach for starting a fight. They even took the garbage from us, and left it in bags on the beach. As we were being escorted away from the uni-guys, they are shouting "f*ckin' USA" , and "Bushie Puck you!!", et al.

Since that day, I have nevered offered to clean up litter, and often litter myself.

So, I guess those guys are good role models.

We did the same at a beach in China, and people were thanking us and saying hello. They even bought us a few cokes!!

[Gollum]