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thursdays child
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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 Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:29 pm Post subject: Co-teacher went off at me in class |
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In class and was trying to wrap up an activity.... kids were into the current activity so were not paying much attention to my cause. Anyway I finally magaged to get the co-teachers attention to come and help me- he was sitting at the back reading a book - I got his attention by waving my arms and giving him 'I'm in trouble' look, I did this action because obviously he couldn't/didn't want to hear me. ...
AND THEN he just blew up - slammed his book onto a desk, rushed over, hands in a fist, and yelled into my face 'what a rude and culturally insensitive person I was' and continued to yell about how the students and all the teachers hate me... This was in the middle of a class (32 students)!!!!
Totally shocked! The students were all giving me supportive looks and a few of them have showed up this afternoon with candy etc. But the teachers are all giving me the evils and i've got the feeling there's a story going around that's no quite true  |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry to hear about your troubles.
How rude and unprofessional is he?
I can't believe he did that in class.
Hmm, I guess you are going to have to try and find out what this rumour is and who started it and have a talk with them.
I am not saying you did, but , can you recall doing anything which could have been misinterpreted/misunderstood by the Korean teachers?
Let us know what happens.
Ilovebdt  |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Yikes. Sounds like you might have inadvertentily stood on a few toes. Try and work with someone you trust to iron out this problem before it gets anymore out of hand. |
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I_Am_Wrong
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: whatever
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| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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strange.
As the other people said, think back and consider if anything you've done in the past could have been misconstrued. Figure out what the problem is and then mend it. Bringing a bag of oranges or one of those roll cakes for the teachers an always help too.
As for getting students attention back from an activity you could try a countdown, simple chants, banging a big stick etc, yelling "YA" etc. |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:45 pm Post subject: Re: Co-teacher went off at me in class |
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To the OP, even if you were the absolute worst teacher and biggest a$$hole the world had ever seen, had previously stepped on their toes on an ongoing basis and did something culturally horrible by accident, that reaction still would have been uncalled for and about as polite as a caveman in heat (were they ever in heat ???) There might be something underneath all this that you should DEFINITELY find out about, but unless you are sleeping with the guys younger sister, that was horrible (and I tend to be a bit of an apologist).
Last edited by laogaiguk on Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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thursdays child
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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I have a pretty dodgy history with this teacher... which I thought we had sorted out (well, agreed to disagree).
I just talked with him again, and he says he is not upset and was just speaking on behalf of the students who were offended by my rude gestures  .
He has always put me down for my teaching - but (not to blow my own trumpet) it is actually jealousy because I have a good rapport with the kids and I get results in the few speaking assessments we have. And the students don't like him at all. He says I use strange, extravagant gesture... I say he is a motionless, monolougue...
Anyway, just taught a similiar levelled class with him - minus the gesture - students were unsure, bored and kept asking me if i was alright!
I really want to say something about his outburst - but I've learned life is better (in this system) if I just let it go ....and let it out on you guys instead! |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:29 am Post subject: |
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Perhaps you unintentionally offended him by beckoning him over in the typical Western way instead of the Korean way? It definitely sounds like it's more than just that but that might have been what set him off.
Also if rapport with the students is good maybe there's something of a generation gap, so perhaps adjust your behaviour in front of your co-workers more than in front of your class. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:41 am Post subject: Re: Co-teacher went off at me in class |
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| laogaiguk wrote: |
| To the OP, even if you were the absolute worse teacher and biggest a$$hole the world had ever seen, had previously stepped on their toes on an ongoing basis and did something culturally horrible by accident, that reaction still would have been uncalled for and about as polite as a caveman in heat (were they ever in heat ???) There might be something underneath all this that you should DEFINITELY find out about, but unless you are sleeping with the guys younger sister, that was horrible (and I tend to be a bit of an apologist). |
Yes, that's completely inappropriate under any circumstances. What were the past disagreements about? I have to say that I'd find that quite intolerable and if it happened more than once I'd consider serving notice and finding another school, and making it very clear that he and only he was the reason I was leaving.
Wrapping up a group activity is always a bit difficult, especially in a larger class. My middle school classes are in fairly old classrooms that have old blackboards that can be squeeky. Running the edge of a new piece of chalk down them produces an ear-splitting squeal that gives me a two-second window of silence quickly to redirect everyone's attention. |
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Yo!Chingo
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: Seoul Korea
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:59 am Post subject: |
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| ilovebdt wrote: |
I am not saying you did, but , can you recall doing anything which could have been misinterpreted/misunderstood by the Korean teachers? |
Who gives a crap what if anything was misinterpreted by the korean teachers! There's no excuse for that kind of behavior, especially in front of the kids! I would have excused myself and him from the classroom, went outside and had a confrontation about his stupidity. I would then have gone to your and HIS boss and demanded an apology. Then he would tell me he was sorry IN FRONT of the class. C#CK S#CKER! |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:16 am Post subject: |
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You probably didn't do anything wrong other than make it obvious that he wasn't doing his job. I'm not saying I know for certain, but I suspect that is what's behind this.
He probably felt that you "made him look bad" by trying to get his attention while he was reading. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:34 am Post subject: |
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It sounds to me like he resents having to share a class with you.
I think the best way to handle it is to bring in the Head Teacher or most senior English-speaking teacher to 'mediate'. Something is seriously wrong for this to happen. |
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thursdays child
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:06 am Post subject: |
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| It sounds to me like he resents having to share a class with you. |
i think so too.
| Quote: |
| Perhaps you unintentionally offended him by beckoning him over in the typical Western way instead of the Korean way? It definitely sounds like it's more than just that but that might have been what set him off. |
oh I'm sure I offended him... in hindsight my gesture was quite abrasive, but short of shouting his name..... I'm not a shouter.
| Quote: |
| As for getting students attention back from an activity you could try a countdown, simple chants, banging a big stick etc, yelling "YA" etc. |
Good advice. I generally have no worries controlling the class. But I don't yell EVER... And my bunch of surly teenage girls wouldn't chant even if the scariest teacher was in charge! I've worked hard to make the students respond to my physical routines and movements to know what to do... blah, blah... it works and the students tend to respect my ways. But today... I was off - got a stinking cold
UPDATE - a couple of teachers visited me at home this evening - just to let me know that my co-teacher's an idiot and just told me to let it go. Battling with the age and gender thing. |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:01 am Post subject: |
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| It may be just about how you waved him over....you gota be careful about that, especially in front of students... |
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TJ
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:34 am Post subject: Re: Co-teacher went off at me in class |
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| thursdays child wrote: |
In class and was trying to wrap up an activity.... kids were into the current activity so were not paying much attention to my cause. Anyway I finally magaged to get the co-teachers attention to come and help me- he was sitting at the back reading a book - I got his attention by waving my arms and giving him 'I'm in trouble' look, I did this action because obviously he couldn't/didn't want to hear me. ...
AND THEN he just blew up - slammed his book onto a desk, rushed over, hands in a fist, and yelled into my face 'what a rude and culturally insensitive person I was' and continued to yell about how the students and all the teachers hate me... This was in the middle of a class (32 students)!!!!
Totally shocked! The students were all giving me supportive looks and a few of them have showed up this afternoon with candy etc. But the teachers are all giving me the evils and i've got the feeling there's a story going around that's no quite true |
Just a thought ....................... are you female and younger than the (male) K teacher ? If that's the case then he may believe he has grounds to be offended. Especially if he is an older person - they are less likely to be 'flexible' and more likely to insist on adherence to the old customs.
By this I mean that he would expect a younger female to show a heap of respect to him. It seems that you may not have shown him this respect. |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:31 am Post subject: |
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Just a thought ....................... are you female and younger than the (male) K teacher ? If that's the case then he may believe he has grounds to be offended. Especially if he is an older person - they are less likely to be 'flexible' and more likely to insist on adherence to the old customs.
By this I mean that he would expect a younger female to show a heap of respect to him. It seems that you may not have shown him this respect. |
It would seem that he feels that you may not have shown him this respect.
Unfortunately some older Korean males seem to think that their poop doesnt stink and that they should not be bothered by any 'lesser' life forms. Luckily  we FT's can bring them a cup of reality....a bitter drink to be sure but at some times necessary. |
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