RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

An older colleague of mine is a frantic clicker. She can't manage a simple PPT and I had to teach her how to use the CD-ROM. She screws up both regularly, sometimes in novel ways that I've never seen before. Well, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, right? No. She is so bad at classroom management that it's actually more efficient to have her manage the computer than the students. Also, she doesn't speak English.  I can't wait to move on from this school and its dumping-ground English department.

Finally, I got an answer.

For the longest time, I couldn't understand why all my classes are fitted with more than a dozens fluorescent lights, why my CTs insist on turning every one of them on regardless of incoming sunlight and why everything in Korea is generally lit up to 6500k.

I wasn't getting straight answers and I initially assumed that was some kind of collectivist mindset that everything bright is "good". Turns out, it's the parents and their belief in BS.

My CTs make sure that every light is searing through my corneas to prevent any wrath from parents. Apparently, anything dimmer than an upscale department store makeup isle, will certainly lead to permanent eye damage, according to the parents.
I'm not sure from which quack they got this information, but it's right up there with fan-death and only blonde-haired and blue-eyed people being native English speakers.

It's a myth that dim lighting causes eye damage. It does cause eye-strain, which tires your vision quicker, but no damage at all. Furthermore, the absence of brightness is NOT dimness, it's a range measured in Kelvin, for God's sake. I think we can blame binary thinking again.

The reason this bothers me is that, at the front of the class, I'm standing under the full-fury of the insanely bright lights. I also took it upon myself, as a teacher, to make a few students (the future of this country) understand the environmental cost of wasting electricity. Now, I'm not such a bastard that I'm going to put my CT, who is terrified of the parents, in the line of fire by... turning off a light (was hard to write that). I'll let her have her way, but I'll keep teaching my students to be responsible with their electricity usage.

It's also pretty laughable that parents are concerned about their kids being subjected to a single Kelvin under 6500k, while happily allowing them to hold a smartphone 3cm from their noses, for half the time their eyes are open.



 

ironically, i've heard that focusing constantly on something near to you (i.e. from studying too much) causes eye damage. i guess that's not something the parents want to hear/believe though

Finally, I got an answer.

For the longest time, I couldn't understand why all my classes are fitted with more than a dozens fluorescent lights, why my CTs insist on turning every one of them on regardless of incoming sunlight and why everything in Korea is generally lit up to 6500k.

I wasn't getting straight answers and I initially assumed that was some kind of collectivist mindset that everything bright is "good". Turns out, it's the parents and their belief in BS.

My CTs make sure that every light is searing through my corneas to prevent any wrath from parents. Apparently, anything dimmer than an upscale department store makeup isle, will certainly lead to permanent eye damage, according to the parents.
I'm not sure from which quack they got this information, but it's right up there with fan-death and only blonde-haired and blue-eyed people being native English speakers.

It's a myth that dim lighting causes eye damage. It does cause eye-strain, which tires your vision quicker, but no damage at all. Furthermore, the absence of brightness is NOT dimness, it's a range measured in Kelvin, for God's sake. I think we can blame binary thinking again.

The reason this bothers me is that, at the front of the class, I'm standing under the full-fury of the insanely bright lights. I also took it upon myself, as a teacher, to make a few students (the future of this country) understand the environmental cost of wasting electricity. Now, I'm not such a bastard that I'm going to put my CT, who is terrified of the parents, in the line of fire by... turning off a light (was hard to write that). I'll let her have her way, but I'll keep teaching my students to be responsible with their electricity usage.

It's also pretty laughable that parents are concerned about their kids being subjected to a single Kelvin under 6500k, while happily allowing them to hold a smartphone 3cm from their noses, for half the time their eyes are open.



 

ironically, i've heard that focusing constantly on something near to you (i.e. from studying too much) causes eye damage. i guess that's not something the parents want to hear/believe though

That’s evidenced by the trope that nerds wear glasses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRsPheErBj8

But in high school, it is still prevalent.  I say this mainly among the older 40s and 50s male teachers.  There is a group of 4 or 5 bloke teachers at my school who do this.  One being my 2nd grade co-teacher.  He is perfectly good at teaching.  But yesterday, he came in saying he blacked out the night before, and he stank while talking to me.  Fine, I had no classes with him yesterday.  Then, when I come to school today his car is parked with the other notorious drinker's car who is in charge of the 3rd grade students (lest we forget, they have the uni entrance test in a couple of months).  They weren't in school early, so it's obvious to me that they were out getting wasted leaving their cars at school.  They rock up at 8:20 today, grinning, and no doubt stinking of booze.  Two days in a row.   

He came in first period yesterday when I had no class, looking sorry for himself.  'I can't teach today with you as I'm hungover'.  Thing is, he volunteered us to do an open class next Thursday together.  So yesterday, I said, 'maybe on Wednesday next week I'll go out and get wasted so I can't teach in the open class meaning you have to lead the class'.  Cue some laughing.  Maybe I was only half joking. 

I came in today, and his car is parked in the car park again.  Three days in a row on the lash.   

Not really a venting thing.  Been here too long to be pissed off by these things and generally my classes are planned so that I don't need anyone ot help me.  Just the unprofessionalism of it all.  Am always amazed by the lack of dignity that goes with it too. 

So today is Thursday.  I came to school this morning and his car is parked in the car park, so obviously he was out on the lash last night.   

The open class will be fine, done loads, not a problem.  But don't 'volunteer us' to do an open class.  All the teachers know that I'm very organised and professional about my job and take it seriously.  I think there'll be a whole lot of scolding from me to him today on that particular issue. 

Korea:  Where 'professionalism' is only a word students memorise in the hope it'll come up in the university entrance test, then it's forgotten.

But in high school, it is still prevalent.  I say this mainly among the older 40s and 50s male teachers.  There is a group of 4 or 5 bloke teachers at my school who do this.  One being my 2nd grade co-teacher.  He is perfectly good at teaching.  But yesterday, he came in saying he blacked out the night before, and he stank while talking to me.  Fine, I had no classes with him yesterday.  Then, when I come to school today his car is parked with the other notorious drinker's car who is in charge of the 3rd grade students (lest we forget, they have the uni entrance test in a couple of months).  They weren't in school early, so it's obvious to me that they were out getting wasted leaving their cars at school.  They rock up at 8:20 today, grinning, and no doubt stinking of booze.  Two days in a row.   

He came in first period yesterday when I had no class, looking sorry for himself.  'I can't teach today with you as I'm hungover'.  Thing is, he volunteered us to do an open class next Thursday together.  So yesterday, I said, 'maybe on Wednesday next week I'll go out and get wasted so I can't teach in the open class menaing you have to lead the class'.  Cue some laughing.  Maybe I was only half joking. 

I came in today, and his car is parked in the car park again.  Three days in a row on the lash.   

Not really a venting thing.  Been here too long to be pissed off by these things and generally my classes are planned so that I don't need anyone ot help me.  Just the unprofessionalism of it all.  Am always amazed by the lack of dignity that goes with it too. 

Is this an 'on' and 'off' kind of thing for him, or is it all the time?

But in high school, it is still prevalent.  I say this mainly among the older 40s and 50s male teachers.  There is a group of 4 or 5 bloke teachers at my school who do this.  One being my 2nd grade co-teacher.  He is perfectly good at teaching.  But yesterday, he came in saying he blacked out the night before, and he stank while talking to me.  Fine, I had no classes with him yesterday.  Then, when I come to school today his car is parked with the other notorious drinker's car who is in charge of the 3rd grade students (lest we forget, they have the uni entrance test in a couple of months).  They weren't in school early, so it's obvious to me that they were out getting wasted leaving their cars at school.  They rock up at 8:20 today, grinning, and no doubt stinking of booze.  Two days in a row.   

He came in first period yesterday when I had no class, looking sorry for himself.  'I can't teach today with you as I'm hungover'.  Thing is, he volunteered us to do an open class next Thursday together.  So yesterday, I said, 'maybe on Wednesday next week I'll go out and get wasted so I can't teach in the open class menaing you have to lead the class'.  Cue some laughing.  Maybe I was only half joking. 

I came in today, and his car is parked in the car park again.  Three days in a row on the lash.   

Not really a venting thing.  Been here too long to be pissed off by these things and generally my classes are planned so that I don't need anyone ot help me.  Just the unprofessionalism of it all.  Am always amazed by the lack of dignity that goes with it too. 

Is this an 'on' and 'off' kind of thing for him, or is it all the time?

There are 4 or 5 of them, and it's always once a week at least.  It's mainly as I'm in school first that I notice the cars in the morning.  I work in high school, I finish late (after 8pm) so I know the feeling of being tired at the end of a day and I also know the Korean thing of 'blowing off steam' after a hard day.  But I go home.  These guys have wives.  Go the fukc home and see your wives.  Knowing how bad Koreans are at drinking, wouldn't you just hate being a wife and having to put up with your husband coming home one or two times a week wasted and having to deal with that?  I have dinner with a couple of female co-teachers, who are my really good friends, and they complain about their husbands doing just this.  It's just selfish, and like I said, a lack of professionalism and dignity.  It's not a 'holier than thou' thing, just there is so much wrong with it that can affect a number of people.   

There are 4 or 5 of them, and it's always once a week at least.  It's mainly as I'm in school first that I notice the cars in the morning.  I work in high school, I finish late (after 8pm) so I know the feeling of being tired at the end of a day and I also know the Korean thing of 'blowing off steam' after a hard day.  But I go home.  These guys have wives.  Go the fukc home and see your wives.  Knowing how bad Koreans are at drinking, wouldn't you just hate being a wife and having to put up with your husband coming home one or two times a week wasted and having to deal with that?  I have dinner with a couple of female co-teachers, who are my really good friends, and they complain about their husbands doing just this.  It's just selfish, and like I said, a lack of professionalism and dignity.  It's not a 'holier than thou' thing, just there is so much wrong with it that can affect a number of people.   

Totally agree with you. I have problem students who have issues with their fathers, and this is a common theme with them.

Heat is coming down on Trudeau and Arasalan locks a civil discussion about blackface under the guise of "professional courtesy?"  That's not moderating, it's plain up censorship.  Lame. 

Heat is coming down on Trudeau and Arasalan locks a civil discussion about blackface under the guise of "professional courtesy?"  That's not moderating, it's plain up censorship.  Lame. 

Well, do you really expect them to do the right thing around here?

Heat is coming down on Trudeau and Arasalan locks a civil discussion about blackface under the guise of "professional courtesy?"  That's not moderating, it's plain up censorship.  Lame. 

Well, do you really expect them to do the right thing around here?

Par for the course.

"Keep it professional."

The "locked out of professional courtesy" thing has me a bit confused.  It implies that Arsalan is, in fact, also a leader of a nation and he's just helping a fellow leader out. 

Anyways, it's a shame that unless we're bashing Trump I am unable to criticize my own elected official because the site programmer likes him.  That's not professional.  Again, it's blatant censorship.  Someone needs to take a serious look at why people come on this board.  Getting serious feedback about the ESL industry isn't the main draw.  It won't ever be.  That's a fringe benefit.  People come to shoot the sh*t and have discussions in their downtime.  Unless things get really heated and people start only attacking the person instead of the viewpoint, locking a thread shouldn't be mulled.  It was an interesting, relevant and civil thread.  Disappointing that it was shut down. 

When you say "hot" but the little coffee shop ahjumma hears "ice", and you don't have the heart to make her fix it because you should have used the Korean word instead anyway.

There are 4 or 5 of them, and it's always once a week at least.  It's mainly as I'm in school first that I notice the cars in the morning.  I work in high school, I finish late (after 8pm) so I know the feeling of being tired at the end of a day and I also know the Korean thing of 'blowing off steam' after a hard day.  But I go home.  These guys have wives.  Go the fukc home and see your wives.  Knowing how bad Koreans are at drinking, wouldn't you just hate being a wife and having to put up with your husband coming home one or two times a week wasted and having to deal with that?  I have dinner with a couple of female co-teachers, who are my really good friends, and they complain about their husbands doing just this.  It's just selfish, and like I said, a lack of professionalism and dignity.  It's not a 'holier than thou' thing, just there is so much wrong with it that can affect a number of people.   

Totally agree with you. I have problem students who have issues with their fathers, and this is a common theme with them.

The male teachers use the English room, at my wife's school, as a place to hang out.

Her Korean as getting better, they don't know this, and she tells me that all they do is bitch about their wives, who complain when they spend too much time at the PC Bang or come home drunk. One of the male teachers is in his early 30s and recently got divorced after being married for one year.

These types aren't men looking for wives, they're boys looking for mothers.
It's no wonder young Korean women are opting to stay single.

yeah. overgrown man-children.

the korean woman i know mostly hate their husbands, and the other half refuse to get married.

When you say "hot" but the little coffee shop ahjumma hears "ice", and you don't have the heart to make her fix it because you should have used the Korean word instead anyway.

That's much too heart-warming for this website.

Isn't that just Korean wives in general? A good chunk of the foreigners married to Korean wives I know are henpecked because God forbid, they want to spend a Sat. night watching Liverpool-Man U at the bar with the boys instead of tedious dinner yet again with the inlaws or play some XBox instead of having to watch some dumb Korean food eating show together or even worse, that show with the good looking young foreigners who speak fluent Korean and being constantly compared to them.

That or them constantly yelling at the kid to study until 10pm while the kid wants to play and dad eventually has to play enforcer even though deep down he thinks the kid is right but if he speaks up it's a night on the sofa with a bad back and the latest threat of divorce.

Can't understand why someone would rather be playing Red Dead Redemption or pool at the bar.

Is it the husbands? Quite possibly, but I think we know enough batsh*t crazy Korean mothers to know that there's two sides to this.

When you say "hot" but the little coffee shop ahjumma hears "ice", and you don't have the heart to make her fix it because you should have used the Korean word instead anyway.

That's much too heart-warming for this website.

Even Satan needs a break sometimes.

These types aren't men looking for wives, they're boys looking for mothers.

That's a great quote, like it a lot.

Isn't that just Korean wives in general? A good chunk of the foreigners married to Korean wives I know are henpecked because God forbid, they want to spend a Sat. night watching Liverpool-Man U at the bar with the boys instead of tedious dinner yet again with the inlaws or play some XBox instead of having to watch some dumb Korean food eating show together or even worse, that show with the good looking young foreigners who speak fluent Korean and being constantly compared to them.

That or them constantly yelling at the kid to study until 10pm while the kid wants to play and dad eventually has to play enforcer even though deep down he thinks the kid is right but if he speaks up it's a night on the sofa with a bad back and the latest threat of divorce.

Can't understand why someone would rather be playing Red Dead Redemption or pool at the bar.

Is it the husbands? Quite possibly, but I think we know enough batsh*t crazy Korean mothers to know that there's two sides to this.

Yeah reasonable take on it I think.  I agree.  Korean women aren't the damsels in distress they're being made out to be here.  Foreigners aren't swooping in and rescuing them from a destined life of misery with a Korean man.

We don't know the other side to the stories so I don't think we should judge too harshly.  Those Korean guys are probably only working what, 70 hours a week lol.