Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kermo]

(I have been posting silly things about my hagwon students lately in the Job Discussion Forum, but I thought this one deserved a wider audience.)

My last class of the day is a group of spirited middle schoolers. They're quite friendly and altogether canny, but not at all tame. One of them recently came to school drunk, and this week she proudly showed me her nose- and eyebrow- piercing (homemade!)

They beg for "discussion time," which they use to quiz me about things like whether I have ever had "one-sided love" or what my "first love" was like (even the boys pursue this mawkish line of questioning.)

Today, "Sarah" looked deeply into my eyes and said:
"Teacher... I want ... I want ..........
(I silently beg her not to finish that with "to know what that mark on your neck is.")
....I want.... A NEW NAME!"

So, we talked about different names, and I tried to come up with suggestions that would please her. Other students also tried to discard their old names with suggested replacements like (like "Beauty," "Pretty" or "Audrey.")

I told them about what I considered stupid names, like "Beyonce," "Boa" or "Elastin." We talked about movie stars, different implied attributes of names (i.e., strength, intelligent, looks.) We tried to come up with another name for "Sarah" but she wasn't satisfied, not even with the extremely creative suggestion (thanks Pierced Girl!):

Bitbox

Every time someone said this name, I doubled over in silent spasms of laughter. I think they were trying to say "Beatbox." However, I just could not hold it together when they asked me if








Olabia

would be a good name. I strongly suggest that they do not use this name. Boneheaded move on my part-- of course now they want to know what this name is all about. I'm steadfast: "I'll tell you when you're 18."

"Ta arra!" the pierced girl protests ("I know it all!") They scour the dictionary, and then after class race straight to the FRONT DESK to quiz the receptionists, and then my manager. Thankfully, these women have not had the need for such specialized vocabulary, and they respond with genuinely mystified looks. The muscular red-headed Canadian boy they approach responds neatly with "Get away from me!"

If they keep up this line of questioning, my only resort will be to change ALL their names to Bitbox and Olabia.

[Poemer]

Usually my kids just want names like "allen Iverson" and "kill-bot 2000" which I happily allow them to have. Never gotten any along these lines.

[Leslie Cheswyck]

Do NOT name anyone 'Jill'.

[Bo Peabody]

[deleted]

[Snowmeow]

There's a student in another foreign teacher's class here who parents insisted on keeping the name Semon for their son. Originally it was pronounced with a long e, but thanksfully they were talked into a name that rhymes with lemon.

Other little girls here have names that I would only expect to find on old blue haired ladies - names like Esther, and Sophie. At least, those are very far from contemporary names at home.

[Gorgias]

I got a girl named "Christ." That has been changed to Christy.

[pet lover]

"Olabia" sounds to me like a Korean with poor English pronunciation trying to say, "Olivia" which is a perfectly decent name. Tell them that they were just saying it wrong and that the proper way to say it is, "Olivia". I can't help you wtih bitbox.

[Hater Depot]

I think Bitbox is an awesome name.

What was the Seinfeld episode where all he can remember about his girlfriend's name is that it rhymes with a female body part?

[uberscheisse]

my school has a 'zeus kim'.

i so desperately want to talk a kid into taking the name OTIS.

[JacktheCat]

For the littler rug rats, I wouldn't worry to much about what name they want to call themselves. Anything that gets 'em more interesting in learning English. For the older set though, I'd have a talk with 'em about appropriate names.

In Korea, avoid the names Jill and Emma as they have bad meanings in the Korean language.

[peppermint]

Shoule I be concerned about the Emma bakery then?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Goodness, I can't imagine what would happen if one of my middle school girls came in with a nose ring and eyebrow ring. You teach in Korea? Mine aren't even allowed to have earings.

I think Bitbox is a really cool name. I worked with a Korean teacher named Lica. She got it because in high school her and her friends were Metalica fans and one took the name Meta and the other Lica. She was completely obvious to the connotations, of course.

Good on her though for showing a sense of individuality. The % of adult Koreans who'd do that is only about .001.

[kermo]

[JacktheCat]

[The Kung Fu Hustle]

"Emma Bu In" is synonymous with porn among the older generation.