Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ucfvgirl]

I am so tired of teaching middle school students. I am wishing my contract was almost over, yet I know that it isn't. I am in my second year at the same school and I am feeling really down this year. I am feeling like I just don't care anymore and I am tired of playing babysitter to the students.

The first graders are USUALLY pretty good and I USUALLY don't feel depressed when I leave their classes. However, when it comes to the second graders, I just hate their classes. They talk all the time, write on my desks, tear up their paper handouts, hit each other, they are immature, don't participate, show no respect, and just don't care. Now, I have to say that they are NOT all bad, but the majority of them are. It is impossible to control 40-45 students at one time. (I can hear it now....people are going to say you just have to find the right classroom management technique that works for you and your students). Trust me: I have tried them all. I am a high school social studies teacher back in Canada so I have been trained to deal with bad behaviour.

Here's what I have tried:

Moving bad students, switching the desks around in a different order, making students stand at the back of the room, in the hallway, with their noses against the wall, or infront of the class. I have made students stay in after the bell during break time to finish their work. I have taken their 'toys' away, made them clean the classroom, sit quietly without saying a word for a specific amount of time, or have them come to the teacher's room and stand there. I have yelled, talked nicely, had discussions about behaviour, talked about the rules, helped the slower ones, used encouraging words, and praised the ones that show interest and participate.

I could go on and on, but this gives you an idea of some of the things I have tried. I am all tried out. I don't want to try anymore. I want to feel like I love my job again but I just don't see it happening. I don't want to go home feeling angry every night. I want to feel like I made a difference in my students' lives.

There are other parts of middle school that are driving me nuts: The lack of communication between my co teacher and myself. "She's always so busy". And others have mentioned this in other places on Dave's so I won't dwell on it, but the idea that the Native Speakers are always the last to know. It is extremely difficult to plan your lessons when you never know if you have class or not and who has had what because of all the different activities/examinations/holidays. Finally, I enjoyed being the only Native Speaker at my school, when I first came, but now I find it really boring. There is no one to speak to, to be sarcastic with, or to just complain to. Sometimes, we need that support system that other institutions have with more than one native speaker.

I have decided that I am going back to Canada when my contract runs out to look for work. If there is no work to be had, then I will return to Korea but this time, I will work with younger students. Anyone have any thoughts?

[ilovebdt]

When was the last time you took a vacation? Whether it be a weekend away or a longer vacation.
Have you already decided what you are going to do during your winter vacation?

ilovebdt

[crazylemongirl]

If you are a trained teacher, you might want to look into the foreign language high schools or the foreign schools.

Also sounds like you are teaching either co-ed or boys. Perhaps make the move to girls only?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[crazylemongirl]

[tiger fancini]

I've also had a cr@p day at middle school today, and the surprising thing is that I usually enjoy teaching the students that I've had today, but for some reason today they have been a nightmare! I haven't had much in the way of co-teachers today either, which usually means the chances of them playing up increases anyway. But today they just really annoyed me.

I had first grade class this morning who are usually lovely, however today this was not te case. My co-teacher kept having to leave the room, which I noticed coincided with me having to raise my voice and start shouting. I hate shouting, but with this class as soon as my co-teacher left the room they started fooling about.

Then I've just had a third grade (all girl students) class in period 7. Usually I look forward to teaching this class too because they're usually no problem. I'd planned to talk about movies and had devised a pretty cool handout with some (I thought) easy blanks to fill in about movies that the students have seen. After ten minutes the co-teacher leaves (she'd told me she might have to - although I didn't mind because usually I like this class) and the students instantly start freaking out! Its like they suddenly think that "oh Korean teacher is not here so lesson is over - whats the strange looking person at the front of the room talking about?" The activity (which would take 10mins at the most with a Korean teacher in the room) took up the whole lesson, and the students behaved as though they were in the playground. Basically I felt this lesson was a total failure, and I really hope I don't see any of the students from this class on my walk home, as I may just throw them under a bus....

[ilovebdt]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[passport220]

I have one class out of 36 boy�s classes that has mostly bright motivated boys (they can be rowdy and spirited, but it is good natured and in line with the lesson). This is hands down my most enjoyable class.

However, day in and day out it is the girls classes that I have the least problems with and on aggregate enjoy teaching the most.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I want to join this chorus. I had my one Extra class of middle school students (Grades 1 & 2) today and am ready to spit nails.

First only 7 of the 15 showed up. I started class a couple of minutes late hoping the rest would show up. Those that were there were rowdy to start things off and just when I decided to stop the lesson and get the cell phones and toys put away, two more girls showed up. They were late because they'd been cleaning their classroom. Go back to chewing the rest out and before I'm finished two more boys show up. Same excuse. I think a few of them understood the new words: rude, impolite and disrespectful.

Finally get things going again and the first activity went well. Start the second activity and have to take a cell phone away from one girl. Then get no more than started again and another girl has hers out. I stop. I take away the phone and then decide I'm fed up. I quiet returned her phone and told her to go home. She refused. I told her again. She refused again. (This class is in a ampitheater style room, completely inappropriate for teaching English conversation.) I can't get at her without climbing over the table and I'm not the type to grab and drag a girl anyway-- but I was tempted. In the end, I told the class I wasn't going to teach anymore today and they could go home early.

The facilities are rotten; there is zero support from the administration; I took the class on under pressure; and I've lost what little motivation I had to begin with. ARG!

[Julius]

Why anybody wants to work in a middle school is a mystery to me. Too many hormones. Never work with teenagers. They're too busy being self conscious, rebellious, or thinking about the opposite sex.

I'm an elementary person. My Kids Love me. I rarely, if ever, get any disrespect. The kids crowd round to give me little gifts and chat to me at lunchtimes. Cute!!

[xox]

It's the 3rd graders that are the most rude, impolite and disrespectful at my middle school. Other than that the 2nd and 1st graders seems to have a good relationship with me. Some don't really listen in class but outside of class they are always coming and talking to me asking me this and that. But I notice it depends on the co-teachers. Some students tested very well so they switched classes and they are more talkative and seems more happy being in a different class than their previous one. The ones before that were happy and cheerful seem to be miserable in their new classes.
i keep trying to brush of the 3rd graders behaviors mainly because they are going to graduate soon and I won't have to deal with them anymore. But really, going to high school with that kind of attitude i hope they meet their match and get a whooping from the older kids to whatever high school they are going to.

[kimchi_pizza]

I feel for all of you. It's not just Korea that middle school students are so hard to reach. In Japan it's just the same but worse as the boys are liable to punch or kick you and girls prostitute themselves and come to class purple-bags under eyes and still dressed way to promiscuously( I had to order a number of blouses buttoned up before even teaching.) I taught in public schools near Tokyo, so I know.

Sheeet, I had a girl grab my ass on the very first day of school!

Now, I swore I would never....ever....teach junior high again. I'm sure it isn't much better back home either. Kudos to those that can do it.

[Horangi Munshin]

[crazylemongirl]