Korean Job Discussion Forums

The evil penguin · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:53 am Post subject: should i let 'em know???

Okay, I've got this advanced class of middle-schoolers. Very high english ability due to having rich doctor/dentist/business parents who were able to afford to send 'em overseas. At first the class was great. A damn nice change from the ol' "HOw are you? My name is ____ parroting sessions....
But a few weeks later and the class is just draining.

The trouble is, the kids have a major attitude problem. The ol' middle school student "Koreans are the superior race" kind of thing. Not sure what kind of crap they were being taught at their regular school today, but they were really flinging around the BS when they came to the hagwon. A few points: foreigners are hairy because they are closer to monkeys on the evolutionary scale (a few diagrams were needed to fully convey what they were trying to say). The world will be learning korean in a few years when people (non-koreans) realise how scientific the alphabet is.
Amercians created the DMZ to prevent Korea from becoming a rival super power.
And a few other gems. One student was carrying on about the whole pure blood thing. She wanted to know what its called when people have a history of being "pure" and untainted by the 'blood' from other countries.
Without really thinking I repied that its called being "Inbred". Didn't really mean to say it- kinda just slipped out. Anyway, the short of it is that my students spent the rest of the lesson proudly claiming to be inbred and stating that korea is the most inbred country in the world.

Didn't really have the heart to explain the true meaning of the word....

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Don't say a word!

Just enjoy it.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

............. until one of them decides to look it up in the dictionary and complain to their parents that you have told them a wrong word..

or a parent with fluent English overhears them saying it and demands to know who has taught them the word?

Not that it would matter because it's not a bad word.. but...

bosintang · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:35 am Post subject:

Hahahah, that's hilarious. I know I wouldn't have the heart to ruin their pride in being the most inbred country in the world!

I teach many students simular to the ones you are describing. I always find it hilarious to have conversations with them. Today I had a student tell me in detail how much he hates Japan, no surprise, how much he hates America, no surprise, and that he wants to nuke them. I asked him his feelings on North Korea and he told me he also hated North Korea and that America should nuke them before they finished developing their own nuclear bomb. I told him that with all that hate inside of him he will never be able to love himself. He asked me what country I hated and I told him that I didn't hate any country. He was surprised.

Flossie · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:16 am Post subject:

Not only should you not enlighten them, you should give them homework getting them to proudly proclaim the fact on as many websites and netizen sites as they can.

While you're at it, see if you can get them to spread rumors such as: it's a proven medical 'fact' that chewing gum gives you wrinkles; snorting the contents of your tar covered lungs onto the pavement causes throat cancer (and yes, I know that smoking does that on it's own but I don't think they do^^) and...oh, well, I guess lets just start small.

If we can organize a multi-pronged attack on the internet who knows what we can achieve??? Wink

sorry, having a bad day. Crying or Very sad

your post totally tickled my fancy though. thanks. Very Happy

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I think some of the best moments in teaching are unplanned--things just slip out.

I once got away with telling a bigot that Lincoln was Jewish...who else would name their kid Abraham?

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

First class I met this one middle school guy, 15, named Terry, he seemed to be what you, Evil Penguin, would call, 'inbred and loving it'.

But he doesn't believe this stuff. He said, that first class, that South African people eat hamburgers made out of hamster meat. This was told to him by a South African man his parents hired to tutor him. He's a gangly teenager who smiles and throws out whatever outrageous urban legends and such are good for a laugh.

Once he said 'Korea number one' and I said 'America is 100 times better than Korea' and he/they didn't say anything. Probably thinking 'teacher inbred'.