RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD

I'm about to have to change schools. Again.

After my first year here, I wanted to renew. However, the school I was at was changing from EPIK to TALK, so I had to reapply to EPIK and change schools. I taught at two schools over the next two years, and I developed a great relationship with the students at both of them. I wanted to renew for a third year at those schools, but because of all the budget cuts, all the English teachers who were staying in my province were reshuffled and I had to change schools.

I'm currently working at four different schools, but again because of budget cuts and many of the August hires not renewing, some teachers are being shuffled again, but mid-year this time, so I have to leave the schools I'm at to start at new schools after summer break. I'm told there will be at least two. That means that in four years here, I'll have taught at at least eight different elementary schools, each and every transfer being something I didn't request.

This has officially gone past frustrating and into soulcrushing territory. I just feel so... defeated. I know the forced budget cuts have put many POEs in tough situations, but that doesn't really make things any easier on me or any of the other teachers affected by them. It makes me feel so powerless. Well, more powerless than foreign English teachers in Korea already feel, that is.

Gonna be really hard not to fall off the wagon this weekend. I can't deal with this sh!t.

Sorry to hear Mr.Tim are you in a rural setting or in a city? I hope things stabilize, do you have to change accommodations as well? That would really be annoying.

Did you know its possible to eat watermelon without ssslluurrrppping?   Because apparently the teachers in the office do not.  *cringes*

Oh boy, we had watermelon for lunch. CT across from me slurped it down and then proceeded to spit the seeds from about a foot's height back into his tray. It doesn't seem to bother them, and that's cool cause they do the same table manner stuff, but oh boy is it just not my jam.

It was the last day for after school classes so I prepared a fun lesson for them. Honestly this class is just terrible and I hope to god I get a different selection of students for next semester.  I spent hours coming up with a fun lesson for our last day. I put them in groups of five to make it easy. Like five people came in very late, one girl came in four minutes before class ended. They have no respect for me. They don't even TRY to speak English they just play dumb. I had everything on the worksheet translated into Korean by my co teacher and they still didn't know what the f*ck they were doing. I was showing them dance videos and they got to judge them from 1-5 on costumes, music, and dancing. They had one person do the writing and the rest of them goofed off. They made fun of all the dances. They're so egocentric that they can't appreciate ANYTHING that isn't Korean. They wouldn't listen if I told them to be quiet. CoT didn't help at all just sat at her desk looking busy. I'm so done. At one point I had finally had it and I just sat down at my desk and got on my phone until the class period time was done.

They've all come in late the entire semester, sometimes a few of them stumble in with 10 minutes left of class. The answer I get from my co teacher is always something like "oh they had to practice running" or "oh they were cooking" etc etc bullsh*t. If they have prior responsibilities then WHY ARE THE ENROLLED IN MY ENGLISH CLASS. It's so disrespectful.

I'm telling my co teacher that next semester they can't come in to class if they're more than 5 minutes late.

Completely sympathise. I had all my grade 5 kids today. 2 of the 3 classes went great. We had a final class day of fun and games and we left for the hols on good terms.

Come the last class. I tell them that today is a game day. I allow them to change their seats which they always beg for and the first period goes OK. After break time they start to act up. I warn them a few times then decide that their last 30 minutes with me is going to consist of me reading a book while clicking on the listen and repeat sections of the book. Fun was had by no one.

I have no regrets. I have 2 control groups that tell me the problem is not my teaching. It's completely on them.  I know it's trendy to say that all children are inherently good but some days we have to admit the sad truth. Some kids are just little shits.

I'm sick of Korean men not understanding that women- all women- have feelings and generally want to be left alone after dark. Also, I'm tired of blonde = prostitute, when "if (blonde = prostitute) = maybe you think too damn much about prostitutes you degenerate!"

I got followed to my apartment building again last weekend, and I rounded on the guy before I could tell if he was going to whip it out (like the last guy).

Ugh. Being followed is such an issue here. I don't know if it's because in South Africa I drive everywhere rather than walk or if stalking is just endemic to Korea but I have had several instances of men blatantly following me around.

Sorry to hear Mr.Tim are you in a rural setting or in a city? I hope things stabilize, do you have to change accommodations as well? That would really be annoying.

Rural. I've been teaching at elementary schools for three and a half years now, no one school having more than 75 students total. Now I'm to start teaching middle school, which I've never done, at the largest school in a small nearby city. The schools are close enough to my current apartment that I shouldn't have to move, but I haven't been told what the deal is there.  I'm nervous, frustrated, angry, and in sore need of something to calm me down.

I'm sick of Korean men not understanding that women- all women- have feelings and generally want to be left alone after dark. Also, I'm tired of blonde = prostitute, when "if (blonde = prostitute) = maybe you think too damn much about prostitutes you degenerate!"

I got followed to my apartment building again last weekend, and I rounded on the guy before I could tell if he was going to whip it out (like the last guy).

Ugh. Being followed is such an issue here. I don't know if it's because in South Africa I drive everywhere rather than walk or if stalking is just endemic to Korea but I have had several instances of men blatantly following me around.

same thing has happened to quite a few female friends of mine (foreigners).

Dear Korea,
Why are commercials
so effing loud?!?!?

Are you insane?...

Those bloody videos on the textbook CD's. The voices are overdubbed and end up out of sync with the actors mouth movements. Also, the fact that I need to check if the black girl is in any video because if I have a certain boys class I avoid playing the video because the laughing/complaining/comments distract the class for too long. Neither mind that half of them are strange looking brats. I mean I get that Korea is a really racist place but having to spend so much time commenting on someone who is not white or Korean seems utterly childish. Its mostly a thing with boys rather than the girls I find.

Those bloody videos on the textbook CD's. The voices are overdubbed and end up out of sync with the actors mouth movements. Also, the fact that I need to check if the black girl is in any video because if I have a certain boys class I avoid playing the video because the laughing/complaining/comments distract the class for too long. Neither mind that half of them are strange looking brats. I mean I get that Korea is a really racist place but having to spend so much time commenting on someone who is not white or Korean seems utterly childish. Its mostly a thing with boys rather than the girls I find.

THIS THIS THIS! The worst part about it is the NET before me was Jamaican-Canadian...I was absolutely gobsmacked at my kids' behavior.

Those bloody videos on the textbook CD's. The voices are overdubbed and end up out of sync with the actors mouth movements. Also, the fact that I need to check if the black girl is in any video because if I have a certain boys class I avoid playing the video because the laughing/complaining/comments distract the class for too long. Neither mind that half of them are strange looking brats. I mean I get that Korea is a really racist place but having to spend so much time commenting on someone who is not white or Korean seems utterly childish. Its mostly a thing with boys rather than the girls I find.

One day in class, my CoT made a couple students stand up and then she totally tore into them. Gave them a real verbal smackdown. I thought they were going to cry. It was all in Korean, so I didn't catch most of it and had to ask her after class what it was all about. She said that during one of the abovementioned videos, they used the Korean equivalent of the N-word several times, and had even been warned about using it in the past. I would've high-fived her, were she not a little old lady with children my age.

Those bloody videos on the textbook CD's. The voices are overdubbed and end up out of sync with the actors mouth movements. Also, the fact that I need to check if the black girl is in any video because if I have a certain boys class I avoid playing the video because the laughing/complaining/comments distract the class for too long. Neither mind that half of them are strange looking brats. I mean I get that Korea is a really racist place but having to spend so much time commenting on someone who is not white or Korean seems utterly childish. Its mostly a thing with boys rather than the girls I find.

Not to mention, depending on the book and of course the grade, the content can be rather dull. I find for Daegyo Grade 5 the textbook sucks, for Cheonchae(or whatever it is)Grade 4 sucks, YBM grade 5, and so on. Also for one of the textbooks there's this girl who shows pronunciation. My students called her 이상여자 or strange girl lol

9:45 AM on a Tuesday and I'm chilling at home, good thing. I had to circumnavigate a veritable clusterf**k of unnecessary BS to be chilling on my couch at this time of day.

CT texts me last night saying the kids are going to the CGV to watch a movie and that she'd like me to come along. No problem, but I teach at 2 schools (about an hour of travel apart) on the same day and straight after 3rd period I have to high tail it to the bus stop, to catch the bus for my next school. I ask here if I can be excused since the CGV is even further from the bus stop for my 2nd school, the movie ends 15min before the bus arrives (the bus stop is about a 20min walk or an unnecessary cab ride away),  the movie is an animation (not my thing) and dubbed in Korean.

The more I'm trying to gently persuade her to be reasonable, the more she's trying to tell me how great the movie is, how popular it is in the states and how I'll enjoy it. So this morning, I go to school, at 09:10 we carpool with another CT. She gives me the cold shoulder, throughout the ride and drops me off downtown, nowhere near my bus stop, CGV or apartment. "Ok, see you next week, bye"

Essentially, I went to school to come home...

Those bloody videos on the textbook CD's. The voices are overdubbed and end up out of sync with the actors mouth movements. Also, the fact that I need to check if the black girl is in any video because if I have a certain boys class I avoid playing the video because the laughing/complaining/comments distract the class for too long. Neither mind that half of them are strange looking brats. I mean I get that Korea is a really racist place but having to spend so much time commenting on someone who is not white or Korean seems utterly childish. Its mostly a thing with boys rather than the girls I find.

One day in class, my CoT made a couple students stand up and then she totally tore into them. Gave them a real verbal smackdown. I thought they were going to cry. It was all in Korean, so I didn't catch most of it and had to ask her after class what it was all about. She said that during one of the abovementioned videos, they used the Korean equivalent of the N-word several times, and had even been warned about using it in the past. I would've high-fived her, were she not a little old lady with children my age.

My old co-teacher used to flip the old Uri Nara nonsense in order to avoid the racist jeering. She didn't care until she saw me get angry at one of the books that represented Uganda's national dress as a leopard or zebra skin. We had a chat about racism and I pointed out that racists back home tended to be  semi-retarded plebs. She took this and board and decided that none of our students would shame the Korean Nation with these types of antics.

She was old enough to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder about Korea  being perceived as backward. She was the best co-teacher I ever had by far. Scared the sprogs silly.

Naengmyeon is the devil

I agree. The texture is weird. All noodles should be hot to me.

Ugh yeah. Like.. its cold. I feel like I'm drinking vinegar from the bottle.

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in the view that one day I might.  Kind of like how kids get over things like their dislike of tomatoes (unless they're juvenile and petty like my brother).

 

Hahahaha only a sourpuss with suboptimal taste buds and brain cells would dislike tomatoes.

As for nangmyeon, the first handful of times I ate it I rejected it upon pure noodle logic. But it grows on you and is now one of my favorite Korean dishes (with a little mustard of course).

I swear to god, people. I swear to f-ing god.

I came in this morning to a long, angry screed about how I am wasteful and "hurt earth" because I apparently leave the lights on when I'm not in my classroom (I don't, except if I'm just running to the bathroom) and I use the air conditioning too much (I have used it ONCE, for TWO HOURS).

I'm guessing this will be yet another attempt by my school to not pay me in full because I am "using too much electricity" and have to pay for it. So now I get to wait for that shoe to drop.

I HATE IT HERE AND I DON'T CARE IF SAYING THAT MAKES ANYONE MAD.

I swear to god, people. I swear to f-ing god.

I came in this morning to a long, angry screed about how I am wasteful and "hurt earth" because I apparently leave the lights on when I'm not in my classroom (I don't, except if I'm just running to the bathroom) and I use the air conditioning too much (I have used it ONCE, for TWO HOURS).

I'm guessing this will be yet another attempt by my school to not pay me in full because I am "using too much electricity" and have to pay for it. So now I get to wait for that shoe to drop.

I HATE IT HERE AND I DON'T CARE IF SAYING THAT MAKES ANYONE MAD.

Your school sounds like shit and it sounds like they are operating outside of the law. I'm sorry to hear that and I can imagine it is burdensome on you. Don't let it bring down your personal life though, do what you can to enjoy every moment outside of that hellhole to the fullest.

I swear to god, people. I swear to f-ing god.

I came in this morning to a long, angry screed about how I am wasteful and "hurt earth" because I apparently leave the lights on when I'm not in my classroom (I don't, except if I'm just running to the bathroom) and I use the air conditioning too much (I have used it ONCE, for TWO HOURS).

I'm guessing this will be yet another attempt by my school to not pay me in full because I am "using too much electricity" and have to pay for it. So now I get to wait for that shoe to drop.

I HATE IT HERE AND I DON'T CARE IF SAYING THAT MAKES ANYONE MAD.

They won't be able to charge you for the electricity. At most they may deprive you control of the aircon. If they hand you a bill tell your district coordinator and education office.

Trying to do the right thing an upload my complete camp for all y'all f***ers and waygook keeps throwing me out.

About to say **** it.

Trying to do the right thing an upload my complete camp for all y'all f***ers and waygook keeps throwing me out.

About to say **** it.

Meh, **** it brah. don't think any of us 'f***ers' need or want your complete camp.