RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

One of the 5th grade boys at my Tuesday school is a real POS. I'm human and have the right to not like a student and I sure as hell don't like him. This doesn't mean I'll pick on him or favour other students, I discipline solely based on the infraction at the time, not past experiences or personal feelings.

Since 3rd grade I, every one of my CTs (including the current one who is never in class) and the HR teachers (according to them) have tried to teach this kid his ABCs or how to count up to 10. I've even offered to give him extra tuition after lunch, when I finish teaching. He puts in zero effort, is incredibly rude and arrogant to anyone who tries to help him and always disrupts the class.

At the start of the 2nd term, I'd had enough.
For or the past few weeks, I start the class by seating him away from the other boys whom he CONSTANTLY distracts during the lesson. I also don't bother asking him questions (he's never answered one in 3yrs anyway) and basically ignore him. It seems as if no longer being the centre of attention is upsetting him and unsurprisingly, he's gone to squeal to his ridiculously pathetic HR teacher about the big-bad foreigner treating him unfairly.

The CT, who I've never seen in weeks, suddenly rocks up to discuss the situation.

Him - "X" student told his HR teacher that you're treating him unfairly.
Me - Really? How?
Him - uhhh, you make him sit alone.
Me - Sitting with your friends, during a lesson, is a privilege, he lost that privilege a long time ago. If he wants to sit next to his friends he has to earn the privilege back.
Him - I know X student is disruptive in all the classes, including mine, but we need to be fair with him.
Me - I discipline a student when they do something wrong. He gets in trouble a lot because he's the only one who causes trouble. If he stops causing trouble, I'll stop disciplining him. How is that unfair?
Him - ... but we're worried that he will complain to his parents.
Me - If his HR teacher can teach me what a more fair discipline strategy is, she's more than welcome to. I'm not responsible for what he decides to tell his parents.
(this went back an forth for a while till the conversation ended in much the same way as it started)

Now, I can certainly read between the lines. He's essentially asking me to let the little f*cktard get away with just enough crap so that he doesn't go running to his mom's teat.

Thing is, I don't dance like that and will continue to discipline my way. I'm hopping that a few weeks of alone time and watching all the other students eagerly engage in my lessons and have fun will encourage him to join in and take up my offer of learning the alphabet, my door's always open.

It's a crappy little rural school, which I'm not too fond of and the new VP (who I think hasn't been made aware of the situation), has quite a liking for me. We often have conversations and he's sat in a few of my classes and told me that the school is lucky to have an English teacher like me. Absolute worst case scenario, which I doubt will happen, I get transferred. Should that happen, I'll gladly oblige.

Respect.

One of the 5th grade boys at my Tuesday school is a real POS. I'm human and have the right to not like a student and I sure as hell don't like him. This doesn't mean I'll pick on him or favour other students, I discipline solely based on the infraction at the time, not past experiences or personal feelings.

Since 3rd grade I, every one of my CTs (including the current one who is never in class) and the HR teachers (according to them) have tried to teach this kid his ABCs or how to count up to 10. I've even offered to give him extra tuition after lunch, when I finish teaching. He puts in zero effort, is incredibly rude and arrogant to anyone who tries to help him and always disrupts the class.

At the start of the 2nd term, I'd had enough.
For or the past few weeks, I start the class by seating him away from the other boys whom he CONSTANTLY distracts during the lesson. I also don't bother asking him questions (he's never answered one in 3yrs anyway) and basically ignore him. It seems as if no longer being the centre of attention is upsetting him and unsurprisingly, he's gone to squeal to his ridiculously pathetic HR teacher about the big-bad foreigner treating him unfairly.

The CT, who I've never seen in weeks, suddenly rocks up to discuss the situation.

Him - "X" student told his HR teacher that you're treating him unfairly.
Me - Really? How?
Him - uhhh, you make him sit alone.
Me - Sitting with your friends, during a lesson, is a privilege, he lost that privilege a long time ago. If he wants to sit next to his friends he has to earn the privilege back.
Him - I know X student is disruptive in all the classes, including mine, but we need to be fair with him.
Me - I discipline a student when they do something wrong. He gets in trouble a lot because he's the only one who causes trouble. If he stops causing trouble, I'll stop disciplining him. How is that unfair?
Him - ... but we're worried that he will complain to his parents.
Me - If his HR teacher can teach me what a more fair discipline strategy is, she's more than welcome to. I'm not responsible for what he decides to tell his parents.
(this went back an forth for a while till the conversation ended in much the same way as it started)

Now, I can certainly read between the lines. He's essentially asking me to let the little f*cktard get away with just enough crap so that he doesn't go running to his mom's teat.

Thing is, I don't dance like that and will continue to discipline my way. I'm hopping that a few weeks of alone time and watching all the other students eagerly engage in my lessons and have fun will encourage him to join in and take up my offer of learning the alphabet, my door's always open.

It's a crappy little rural school, which I'm not too fond of and the new VP (who I think hasn't been made aware of the situation), has quite a liking for me. We often have conversations and he's sat in a few of my classes and told me that the school is lucky to have an English teacher like me. Absolute worst case scenario, which I doubt will happen, I get transferred. Should that happen, I'll gladly oblige.

Parent: My son says you're treating him unfairly.

School: Your son does absolutely nothing in class and we do our best to accommodate him and then when he misbehaves we punish him accordingly. He is the sole student with this problem in the class.

Parent: He says that you.............

School: No. No, no, no.

Parent: But he can do no wro................ ..

SCHOOL: NO.

Why is this so hard for schools? We rely on money from the vast network of tax dollars, we're not bound to the whims of one mother. It's so absurd.

it's the principals. in the west, you get promoted to principal on merit. in korea, it's based on age. principals are near the end of their careers in korea. they want a nice, easy, relaxing time before retirement. if they get complaints from a parent, then they will blame the teacher. principals also hold all of the cards: they can literally do whatever they want without repercussion. they are, as an old co-worker once said, "god".

principals are usually men. every single one i've had in every single public school i've worked in has been lazy, spiteful, and rude. the other teachers all agreed, and were afraid of upsetting him (even talking to him). sigh

I suspect that my coTs don't know exactly how much work I have to juggle this year. I teach at more than one school, I have to create a unique lesson for each grade at each school every week, and I also have after school classes to worry about. I have zero free time at work, so if I need to do anything additional outside of what I'm already doing, I can only do it after hours.

So, whenever they come up to me asking me the same questions about whatever lesson over and over and over again, and nitpicking at my lessons because they don't really understand what's going on, and then refusing to sit down with me so that I can finally SHOW them the process instead of explaining it for a ****** 10th time, I'm going to have a hard time hiding my frustration.

And I feel so bad about that because I know they mean well and aren't trying to be difficult. But it's too late for indecisive misgivings now, and I just don't have the time. Gawd, I wish this semester would ****** end already.

I suspect that my coTs don't know exactly how much work I have to juggle this year. I teach at more than one school, I have to create a unique lesson for each grade at each school every week, and I also have after school classes to worry about. I have zero free time at work, so if I need to do anything additional outside of what I'm already doing, I can only do it after hours.

So, whenever they come up to me asking me the same questions about whatever lesson over and over and over again, and nitpicking at my lessons because they don't really understand what's going on, and then refusing to sit down with me so that I can finally SHOW them the process instead of explaining it for a ****** 10th time, I'm going to have a hard time hiding my frustration.

And I feel so bad about that because I know they mean well and aren't trying to be difficult. But it's too late for indecisive misgivings now, and I just don't have the time. Gawd, I wish this semester would ****** end already.

Totally get it. I have 14 LPs a week to see to, so if one of MY 14 UNIQUE WORKSHEETS HAS A SPELLING ERROR, THEN DEAL WITH IT!!!! 

Ha! Who am I kidding.
My coworkers never see any of my stuff.
In so far as they know, me and my little 'uns could be watching anime and learning how to more effectively cheat at Poker each and every class. 

...
 learning how to more effectively cheat at Poker each and every class. 

Every year i teach cards once per class. At my last job i had one remarkable class for 7 straight years (kindy thru 1st year middle school five students - advanced level), so they went from Go Fish and Crazy Eights, through Black Widow, Spades, Hearts, rummy, robber rummy, cribbage, canasta, 5-card stud, 3-draw poker and Texas Hold'em.

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.

I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.

"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.

I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.

Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

I've actually played "Mao" (I called it "Rules") with my camp students, letting the winner make a new rule every round (with fewer starting rules - I think I cut some out, and replaced them with ones that were easier to remember). It's great practice for "must", imperatives, or "if/then". The students loved calling each other out if they forgot/broke a rule, and the chaos that happens when someone plays a king.

Example rules:
If you play a diamond, you must do jazz hands and say "sparkle sparkle." (failure = take a card)
If someone plays a king, everyone stands up. The last one to stand must take a card.
If you play a heart, you must tell the person on your left "I love you." (failure = take a card)

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

I've actually played "Mao" (I called it "Rules") with my camp students, letting the winner make a new rule every round (with fewer starting rules - I think I cut some out, and replaced them with ones that were easier to remember). It's great practice for "must", imperatives, or "if/then". The students loved calling each other out if they forgot/broke a rule, and the chaos that happens when someone plays a king.

Example rules:
If you play a diamond, you must do jazz hands and say "sparkle sparkle." (failure = take a card)
If someone plays a king, everyone stands up. The last one to stand must take a card.
If you play a heart, you must tell the person on your left "I love you." (failure = take a card)

Did you just teach them a kiddie version of "Kings"? Nice

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

It blows my mind how much time groups will waste. I made Grade 6 do a new subway line in our town. I gave them a printed out map on paper and let the 4 students comprising one group use a computer to use Naver Maps.

Mission? Pick 5 or 6 places in our town. Refer to the net, Make 5 or 6 dark circles on the paper where the stations woulde be. They had 10 mins.

8 mins in.

  Why don't you have any circles on your paper?

  We can't decide where to start the subway and we've been arguing about it.

Like, FFS, there FOUR OF YOU. Everyone pick one place, mark em down, and then you can quibble over the final one or two places. I don't understand. Subway lines don't have starting and ending places, at least not in their version that they're doing. Jesus.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

Tremendously dumb thing and so badly implemented.  It's like when they send the teachers abroad for 'research/fact-finding' this is one thing they'd think would be good, and like you said it doesn't work as it's just apathy from the students.  The majority of Korean teachers I know agree too.  Thing is, schools in the same city can opt-out of it while others do it.  Then the next year when they do have tests, they're playing catch up.   

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 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.

Oh shizzzz... Gettttt'ummm!  Good luck with the class (not that you need it). I am like you, an open class is a normal class and relatively easy to just do.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

Yeah. Out of all the goofy things in the education system right now, this might be the dumbest and most poorly implemented.

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

Or it could be a behavioral problem with the students, for the class they picked for it.
I have a school, where 2/3 classes are filled with sports students that don't listen to anyone in the school.
My co-T will FILM them doing bad shit to send to their parents, and the students will pose, and laugh while facing the camera once they know they are being filmed.
Now, if an open class, for renewal was in this class, instead of say, my class where all the students listen, and I rarely even need translations from the co-T; The results would be much different.

However, what you said is sound advice, I feel it's not as black and white as: you are greatly prepared, not no prepared enough.

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

Lol have you ever seen an open class here?  It's like a Beauty Pageant at my school.  Korean teacher gets dressed up like she's going to get professional head shots taken, the students have practiced the material a million times, no talking, no messing around, NO KOREAN is spoken (hahahaha).  It's like another planet.

I think Koreans would be disappointed if your open class didn't look any different to your regular ones 

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

I'm reading about how overly bright lights might be damaging to eyes. Hopefully that's not true. The other sad part is bright lights require more electricity which burns more coal which makes the air more polluted. 

Have you noticed how teachers play listening tests at an excessively high volume?

I guess that's to prevent a kid who didn't study from lying to his mother with "The sound was too low. I couldn't hear."

Ironically, this loud sound is causing hearing damage, which will reduce the accuracy/likelihood of future comprehension.

There is another widely held belief / myth that cold temperatures cause illness, so schools and other public places (like buses) crank up the heat beyond what is necessary... which dries out mucus membranes in the nose and throat, making virus penetration more likely.

Took a chance on a convenience store burger and got burned.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time.

Tremendously dumb thing and so badly implemented. 

Yeah. Out of all the goofy things in the education system right now, this might be the dumbest and most poorly implemented.

OMFGYES

They "borrowed" something from a different country with a completely different school system, did absolutely nothing to adjust it to their own school system, and now students feel free to **** around for the entire semester. They don't even provide teachers with any guidance. They just tell them to figure it out, lol.

I think what really irritates me most about the free semester, though, are the methods students employ in trying to get out of doing any work. They think they can use the same nonsensical excuses that they've used in primary school, and they expect the teachers to just roll over and give in to them.

It's like the one good thing that comes out of the free semester for me -- students eventually learn that their workload doubles when they attempt to pull a fast one on the teachers, so they're better about projects and group work the following year.

At my school they do this, but students take their regular classes, and they just aren't tested on anything.
So, grade 1 get into an attitude of not caring. and then grade 2 hits them really hard, or they just keep not caring.