Korean Job Discussion Forums

xCustomx · Joined: 06 Jan 2006

I'm at the point with one of my classes where I am about to refuse to teach the class unless the co-teacher gets control of his one particular class. The co-teacher is also the homeroom teacher for this class and there is absolute chaos nearly ever time I teach them. I won't get into details about the problems, but am just curious if you've ever rufused to teach a class. I've already explained two times to the teacher that she has the worst class of the 1st grade and I need help to control them. It hasn't worked, and after today, I'm about to tell her to get some control over her students or I won't bother coming.

tob55 · Joined: 29 Apr 2007

Been there, done that, and nothing more to say. Get the co-teacher involved, and if they are unwilling to listen, talk to the principal with someone who will listen to what you have to say. I am not going to belabor this concern, and most of the other people will have an opinion, so I will simply give you this comment as advice from someone who knows what you are going through.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

No, I never have. When I first started there were a few times when the CT wasn't available for a vocational class and they just let me pass that lesson; now I'd know how to teach them without one no problem.

Before refusing to teach them I'd at least make a decent attempt to lay down the law myself. Whether it's better to deal with the whole class or a few individual troublemakers depends on the situation. Now, if I got undermined trying to take control myself I might refuse to teach that class again.

Joe666 · Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Location: Jesus it's hot down here!

xCustomx Posted:
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I'm at the point with one of my classes where I am about to refuse to teach the class unless the co-teacher gets control of his one particular class. The co-teacher is also the homeroom teacher for this class and there is absolute chaos nearly ever time I teach them. I won't get into details about the problems, but am just curious if you've ever rufused to teach a class. I've already explained two times to the teacher that she has the worst class of the 1st grade and I need help to control them. It hasn't worked, and after today, I'm about to tell her to get some control over her students or I won't bother coming.
Shit, screwed up the cut+paste on this one!

Yu_Bum_suk is right, try controling this one on your own, atleast initially. As an absolute last resort, go to the higher ups. I have 5 co-teachers and 4 of them put the hammer down immediately if 1 rodent gets out of line. The 5th is just too soft. I have told her that a couple of times. I now have to put the hammer down myself in her classes and I hate doing that. It's not my culture and there are so many things I just don't understand about Korea.

I have a question. Is your co-teacher doing this to break your balls? Does she just not give a shit? Is she a softy like one of mine? I believe the answer to these questions would determine how I would handle the situation! It's your show and your call.

I know it's frustrating brother, but you have to control yourself as much as possible. I yelled once in a class and scared the shit out of everyone in that classroom, including myself! That's not me or my style. But, it was damn effective. If you have been calm and cool since day one and then all the sudden take a brief vocal nutty, watch what happens!! I digress.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:04 pm Post subject:

When I first came to my present school I had one particular grade 2 (middle school) class who tried to 'test' me. Much to the surprise of an ineffectual co-teacher, I suddenly had the entire class out in the freezing-cold hallway on the balls of their feet and the palms of their hands with their butts in the air when the school disciplinarian happened to walk by... LOL. He 'warmed up' all of their butts and the class was as good as gold after that.

bananahammock · Joined: 26 Feb 2009

Did you try bribing them with candy?

Goku · Joined: 10 Dec 2008

xCustomx · Joined: 06 Jan 2006

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

ardis · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

I've never refused before the class has started, but--once in class--if the kids become too wild, I'll shut the class down, make them sit there silently until the end of class, and read a book. It doesn't exactly thrill my co-teachers, but I don't try to scream over the loud students and I'm not going to waste my time/energy with a class that is too ridiculous to teach. They usually get a big enough verbal lashing from their homeroom teacher (who hears about it from my co-teacher) to be well-behaved the following week.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

I wouldn't, the blame will ultimatly return to you. You will be accused of making boring lessons and be under intense pressure to Edutain the students more. If you work for a really bad school the best thing short of quitting is getting transfered to a better school.Sometimes it's just a matter of time last year we had some really rotten third grade students. They are graduated out and the ones replacing them are way better.

harlowethrombey · Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Location: Seoul

I dont teach elementary so take this as you will.

The one thing I've found that has helped is if the students 'hear that you're angry'. What that means is whenever I've had a really bad, out of control class (a few weeks ago I had a student teacher instead of my regular coteacher and my class was a bit too wild. well ok, really wild). So, when the bell rang, I left without saying goodbye.

The students know I always give them a cheerful 'goodbye!' and whatever other words of encouragement, but I left without a word. I had other teachers and students for days afterwards coming up to me, asking how angry I was with the class.

Next time I taught them they were little angels and have been steadily good ever since.

Again, these are high school girls, so I dont know if it will work on little ones but I think students' imagination of you being angry is even more effective than actually seeing you get angry (if someone yelled at me in a language I barely understood I'd probably laugh or then be too afraid to speak to them in the future).

anyway, good luck with it

E-2_slave · Joined: 24 Apr 2009 Location: Busan

OP- I am in the same situation. I am still waiting to hear from the teacher supervisor. I have refused to teach a particular class that has made their homeroom teacher cry......

WendyRose · Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Location: hanam-si, seoul

poet13 · Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 10:32 pm Post subject:

Pushups. Lot's and lot's and lot's of pushups. The boys love 'em. And at my other school, the students know that I believe boys and girls are equal, so girls do them too.

Different combinations of pushups work well. I had a pair of 3rd year boys at my last school that thought they were pretty sharp. They were on a Tae Kwan Do team, so they would knock out twenty, twenty, twenty, etc while laughing and clapping between pushups. So then instead of them doing the pushups, I had the 280 pound Ssirrim wrestler who sat behind them do 30 pushups. Maybe 6'1" and shaped a lot like a door. Boy was he unhappy. After he finished, I turned to the board to write. One of the sharp boys got about half a syllable into his next outburst and then there was an incredibly loud "SMACK", right between his shoulderblades. I swear it reverberated in the classroom. My new policeman.