Korean Job Discussion Forums

[darkhorse_NZ]

So I'm sitting at my public school giving a lesson to a couple of English teachers from the surrounding Elementary Schools when the issue of corporal punishment comes up. Now, they were all women and they all told me that students are really unruly these days because they can't even give the little rascals one upside the head to keep them in line, unlike the old days. Well I thought 'hold on a second', my co-teacher (a man) has thrown a kid off his chair by his hair, struck them on the head with a closed fist, wacked one across the chest and nearly ripped this other kids ears off.

So, I'm wondering...what is the legal status or otherwise of corporal punishment in Korean schools?

I'm sure the other teachers know about him, he doesn't exactly hide the fact. I just went along with it because I thought it was normal and part of Korean culture and as long as he didn't become overzealous or strike girls I would just ignore it and carry on.

I'm not anti-corporal punishment or anything but I think it should be controlled and monitored and not inflicted in an emotional and immediate manner. You know, let that $hit cool down and then decide with a level head if he deserves the strap or the cane or something and then have an impartial teacher inflict the punishment. i dunno...i'm not sure how much of his yelling and screaming like a pre-pubescent girl I can take.

[cbclark4]

Are you saying the male teacher punish the female students with corporeal zeal.

Sounds very bent.

cbc

[Young FRANKenstein]

[jvalmer]

I think Koreans consider certain things not as corporal punishment. While a Westerner considers anything that makes a student physically uncomfortable as corporal punishment.

For example, a Korean would not consider being on your knees holding a heavy book in the air for an hour as corporal punishment. Also, if you work at a private boys middle or high school in a rural area, corporal punishment is still very standard.

[MollyBloom]

There are some teachers at my school that hit the student's hands with bamboo rods, make them stand in a squatting position with their hands forward, and run in place. The only one that was shocking was when I saw a kid get hit with the bamboo rod. No one seems to think it is a big deal. Only Korean teachers do this, though.

[darkhorse_NZ]

damn, I just think it's a big deal because it disrupts the classes for the rest of the day. if he hits a kid in first period he'll be in a $hitty the rest of the day hurting the other students learning. not to mention yelling and screaming at them for no good reason. it's just bloody unprofessional at least in my Western understanding of the term. then again they all seem to answer their office phones, cellphones and do instant messaging during class when they're sposed to be teaching.

[MCSM]

I'd let her punish me any time she wants.

[Colorado]

My public middle school is pretty open about using corporal punishment. They line the boys up right outside the teacher's office and go down the line smacking them hard on the back of the legs with a big stick. It would be pretty hard for anyone to pretend it's not happening.
I have mixed feelings about it, but it's their school and their backass country. So good luck with that.

[darkhorse_NZ]

these are elementary school kids, 10 and 11 years olds, hitting 10 and 11 year old kids just aint cool!

[Damulgun]

I personally think kids need them especially boys since they get out of control.

I know America used to have corporal punishment. At least that's what someone told me.

I remember I got hit with a ruler in my hands when I got a 4 our of 10 right on a quiz in Korean Elementary school. I got hit in the hand with a ruler few times. Did it hurt? No.... It stung a little...

Punishment is needed in school at least I do. But I don't believe in beating kids.

[Gwangjuboy]

I think we should bring it back in the west. It never did our parents any harm. In fact, it's one thing I genuinely like about this country. Unfortunately, they are slowly getting soft here too.

[marckot]

I grew up with corporal punishment and I turned out kinda normal.

I think this kind of punishment is near its end. There has been a couple of high profile cases on tv the last few months about korean teachers punishing students. A tv truck and reporter showed up at my school a month ago after a teacher punched a student in class. Nothing came of it though. Didn't see anything on the news about it.

I spoke to my high school students about corporal punishment and the majority agreed that it is a good thing in school. They did however disagree with the methods of punishment. They hated the fact that teachers hit students with their hands or beat them all over with a stick.

I have had some really good beatings in my life at school and at home but it makes me cringe when I watch some of the korean teachers punish kids.

[darkhorse_NZ]

i think we should too, i was at elementary in the last days of corporal punishment in NZ, the early 90s. I remember the principal bringing out the strap, this huge, thick belt thing that was simply too large for any man's pants. He let me look it up and down and said "You want this, son?". I replied "yup", then he brought the elephant rein right down on the desk in front of me making a few volumes of books jump an inch in the air, he looked at me again and said "Do you still want this, boy?". Meekly I replied "no". i never misbehaved again for that week anyway and I had my Spartan citizenship immediately revoked.

Having said that, I think that certain conditions should be imposed on it. ie not being arbitrarily enforced and dished out by the offended teacher, given that they show so much favouritism in this country anyway. Plus, restrict it to middle school and junior high. too young is just cruel and when you're a senior, well you're sposed to be turning into a man, so getting the cane is a bit of the antithesis of that, dont ya reckon?