Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philipjames]

Today was graduation for grade six at my elementary school near Suwon. I looked at the graduation album that each student received, and at the front there were pictures of every teacher at the school - except me, the foreign teacher. Most of the teachers pictured don't even teach grade six students at all, yet their picture was included. I regularly teach grades 3-6 as their English teacher, yet my photo wasn't included.

I like my job and love my students, and get along with the Korean staff, so it's not as if there's an issue there. It's just one of those little reminders that they don't really consider us to be on the same level as themselves.

During my third week here I had organized a lunchtime soccer game with my students on the field outside. Fifteen minutes into the game a male Korean teacher, without even acknowledhing my presence, calls the students off the field, organizes them into another event, and leaves me standing in the middle of the field looking like a fool in front of my students. Now, what message does that send to my students? What does that say about his opinion of me as a co-equal, under whose authority the children were then organized into a sports event?

It's the little things like that which really piss me off. Can't decide whether to call them on the missed photo, and all that it implies.

P. Jameson