RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I might just stay up all night during my deskwarming days and then nap in the nap room for 8 hours lmao

That's incredibly efficient

idk if I'll actually be able to manage it, but it's a good plan in theory!

I'm still kind of surprised MOE requires us to deskwarm anyways, it's kind of just pissing money away on utilities. It's not benefiting us nor them, just kind of feels like at this point they just keep it in policy out of spite considering there really isn't a good reason for it.

Why do you say that?

You do know why "deskwarming" came about, right?

If so, then you would know it was for "good" reason.

Too many short-sighted mental midgets kept comparing and complaining, while others were too boastful of their gravy-train.

My school controls the electricity for the aircon and for the heater (it's the same unit), and they don't allow its use in my office during either break.

I about froze last winter, so I just stopped coming in to "desk-warm" and no one said a word to me.

Did you literally just use the term 'short-sighted mental midgets'?

My apologies if I offended.

You do know what it means, right?

I might just stay up all night during my deskwarming days and then nap in the nap room for 8 hours lmao

That's incredibly efficient

idk if I'll actually be able to manage it, but it's a good plan in theory!

I have my own office and an adequate mattress. I might also try this. Maybe just European lunches.

Trying to decide if it's worth complaining that the admin office opened something that was addressed to me. I mean, it's from the office of education, so are they allowed to in those cases? Maybe they didn't notice it was addressed to me? What to do, what to do...

illegal my friend. this is according to Article 3 - (Protection of Secrets of Communications and Conversation) of the Protection of Communications Secrets Act (통신비밀보호법).

i would raise a stink about it.

Trying to decide if it's worth complaining that the admin office opened something that was addressed to me. I mean, it's from the office of education, so are they allowed to in those cases? Maybe they didn't notice it was addressed to me? What to do, what to do...

illegal my friend. this is according to Article 3 - (Protection of Secrets of Communications and Conversation) of the Protection of Communications Secrets Act (통신비밀보호법).

i would raise a stink about it.

It was carelessness, apparently. I brought it up, and it seems the staff were just in "Ignore anything not written in hangeul"-mode. My name is there in English, but everything underneath it is just the school's address in Korean, so they just assumed it was for the school in general and opened it.

I can't imagine what else they'd have thought some random English in an addressee field would be, but whatever. I've asked that they be more careful in the future.

Now for a rant:

People keep moving my ****** shoes/slippers

I'd been using the same shoe cubby for over 6 months, when one day I came to school, and my shoes were gone. Whatever. They were cheapy inside slippers I had bought from a subway store for the summer. I brought my cold weather slippers back. All was peaceful... for a time

One day I go to put on my shoes at the end of the day and someone just straight up PUT THEIR SHOES ON TOP OF MINE. TF? There are plenty of cubbies. This is unecessary. When I put on my shoes I find a different cubby to put my slippers in.

One day I can't find my shoes when I go to put them on after work. I find them in a completely different shoe cubby cabinet. WHY?

My shoes were moved within the same cabinet again recently but it's been a bit since anyone's moved them. Still. Why.

I teach at a middle school with ten students, out in the sticks. I have size 12 feet, and the biggest spare pair of slippers is a size 7, but they're comfortable enough if I really kick my toes in and let my heels peek over the back.

But, there is one particularly small boy in third grade who gets in early every day I teach there and TAKES THE SIZE SEVENS EVERY TIME. All the other slippers are miniatures and, as if out of spite, odd sizes.

I see him and his tiny feet, gliding down the empty corridors in a pair of canoes, whilst I wince my way past, size 4 on my left foot, 5 on my right, toes splayed irregularly, catching door frames, heels clattering against the cold marble floor. And I am damn sure he grins every time he passes.

I suppose I could bring in my own slippers, but sometimes I just enjoy being indignant about absurd, easily resolvable situations. It's fantastic waygook fodder.

Now for a rant:

People keep moving my ****** shoes/slippers

I'd been using the same shoe cubby for over 6 months, when one day I came to school, and my shoes were gone. Whatever. They were cheapy inside slippers I had bought from a subway store for the summer. I brought my cold weather slippers back. All was peaceful... for a time

One day I go to put on my shoes at the end of the day and someone just straight up PUT THEIR SHOES ON TOP OF MINE. TF? There are plenty of cubbies. This is unecessary. When I put on my shoes I find a different cubby to put my slippers in.

One day I can't find my shoes when I go to put them on after work. I find them in a completely different shoe cubby cabinet. WHY?

My shoes were moved within the same cabinet again recently but it's been a bit since anyone's moved them. Still. Why.

I teach at a middle school with ten students, out in the sticks. I have size 12 feet, and the biggest spare pair of slippers is a size 7, but they're comfortable enough if I really kick my toes in and let my heels peek over the back.

But, there is one particularly small boy in third grade who gets in early every day I teach there and TAKES THE SIZE SEVENS EVERY TIME. All the other slippers are miniatures and, as if out of spite, odd sizes.

I see him and his tiny feet, gliding down the empty corridors in a pair of canoes, whilst I wince my way past, size 4 on my left foot, 5 on my right, toes splayed irregularly, catching door frames, heels clattering against the cold marble floor. And I am damn sure he grins every time he passes.

I suppose I could bring in my own slippers, but sometimes I just enjoy being indignant about absurd, easily resolvable situations. It's fantastic waygook fodder.

Day 1 of camp, we're making mug pizzas today, which I highly recommend.
http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/news/a37466/pizza-in-a-mug-recipe/

My CT confirmed that she had all the materials last week. Today, just as we're about to start class, she tells me she forget to get the flour and would it still be OK to make the pizza... After taking a moment to close my eyes and ask the Lord for strength, I ask her if she's heard of a pizza without flour... No. Anyways, I tell her where the supermarket is and send her ass to go buy some flour.
By 2nd period she's got the flour and we're good to go. She's a great CT and friend, but incredibly ditzy. Last camp we made mug cakes, the primary ingredient being 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, she comes to school with a tiny 50g packet of cocoa powder... For 20 students.

Not a rant, but more relevant to the recent discussion of deskwarming...

So my coT isn't gonna be here for camp this time (which is fine, these are responsible middle school kids. If it was elementary, I'd be a little stressed out) and today asked if I could keep track of attendance throughout camp. No problem.

Then she asked if I could keep attendance of... myself. Haha? Apparently some higher ups are requiring sign-in sheets for NETs. Idk if it's just my county or what. I guess they don't trust NETs to show up and deskwarm. Kind of annoying, not a huge deal, but really? 

Staff dinner last night.  Samgyapsal.  Now my winter coat smells like fried pork.

Finding a decent place to live in Seoul is miserable. Everything that's new or remodeled has awful built-in washing machines and gas / electric ranges. Everything older is scummy and dirty.

And everything is offensively expensive.

Buying or renting? 

Finding a decent place to live in Seoul is miserable. Everything that's new or remodeled has awful built-in washing machines and gas / electric ranges. Everything older is scummy and dirty.

And everything is offensively expensive.

why don't you like built in washing machines or cooking ranges?

Staff dinner last night.  Samgyapsal.  Now my winter coat smells like fried pork.

At least you didn't have live abalone...

  : Hey, I know you wanted to see my camp materials, but since you wanted me to focus on speaking, it's not really using a lot of powerpoints
  : I agree, since it is speaking it doesn't need powerpoint
  : So, I wrote out my camp plan to show you
  : But I already wrote the camp plan...
  : I mean the plan for my section of the camp
  : Oh ok
  : (showing the plan) So, on the first day first thing I want to ask them if there's anything they want to learn about
  : I don't think that's a good idea
  : ??
  : They are first graders
  : I know they might not have anything they want to learn about, but I want to ask them just in case, to make it fun for them
  : But there is not enough time to make a lesson
  : Oh, well I wouldn't change the whole camp for that. Maybe just one lesson. I'd have enough time for that
  : But you are the teacher. You should have already planned all the lessons
  : I... I did already plan all the lessons. I'm showing you my plan right now

Seriously, what?

 

: Hey, I know you wanted to see my camp materials, but since you wanted me to focus on speaking, it's not really using a lot of powerpoints
  : I agree, since it is speaking it doesn't need powerpoint
  : So, I wrote out my camp plan to show you
  : But I already wrote the camp plan...
  : I mean the plan for my section of the camp
  : Oh ok
  : (showing the plan) So, on the first day first thing I want to ask them if there's anything they want to learn about
  : I don't think that's a good idea
  : ??
  : They are first graders
  : I know they might not have anything they want to learn about, but I want to ask them just in case, to make it fun for them
  : But there is not enough time to make a lesson
  : Oh, well I wouldn't change the whole camp for that. Maybe just one lesson. I'd have enough time for that
  : But you are the teacher. You should have already planned all the lessons
  : I... I did already plan all the lessons. I'm showing you my plan right now

Seriously, what?

 

I see what you're going for there, but I can get your coteacher's reaction, too. Back when I first started teaching here, I thought I'd try the whole 'self-motivated / choose your own lesson' thing, and it was poorly received by coworkers and students. In another educational environment, it might work well, but here it comes across as confusing and ill-prepared. Not your fault - like I said, I tried it, too.

I'm just like baffled by her insinuation that I didn't have a plan, because the plan was literally right in front of her and I was running through it.

Staff dinner last night.  Samgyapsal.  Now my winter coat smells like fried pork.

At least you didn't have live abalone...

I'm just not a fan of seafood... I know it's expensive though!

Well, I don't see how anyone could complain after eating abalone. So good.

God I can't wait until I'm done with this. Jerk boss just accosted me about some work I was never told to do asking why it wasn't done. They had apparently wanted me to write questions for 28 stories from this story book, but I had initially been told - very specifically - to only write questions for 10. I showed them those, and they said that it wasn't enough questions. These are super simple stories like the tortoise and the hare, and I'd only been able to think up 5-6 questions for each because they're just so simple.

For once in her entire life she actually gave some helpful suggestions on how to write more ridiculously simple questions for these simple stories but... ugh. They way she tells me to do anything is super abrasive and confrontational and it puts me on edge.

And apparently I have to make an English newspaper by the end of winter camp, yay.

: Hey, I know you wanted to see my camp materials, but since you wanted me to focus on speaking, it's not really using a lot of powerpoints
  : I agree, since it is speaking it doesn't need powerpoint
  : So, I wrote out my camp plan to show you
  : But I already wrote the camp plan...
  : I mean the plan for my section of the camp
  : Oh ok
  : (showing the plan) So, on the first day first thing I want to ask them if there's anything they want to learn about
  : I don't think that's a good idea
  : ??
  : They are first graders
  : I know they might not have anything they want to learn about, but I want to ask them just in case, to make it fun for them
  : But there is not enough time to make a lesson
  : Oh, well I wouldn't change the whole camp for that. Maybe just one lesson. I'd have enough time for that
  : But you are the teacher. You should have already planned all the lessons
  : I... I did already plan all the lessons. I'm showing you my plan right now

Seriously, what?

 

I see what you're going for there, but I can get your coteacher's reaction, too. Back when I first started teaching here, I thought I'd try the whole 'self-motivated / choose your own lesson' thing, and it was poorly received by coworkers and students. In another educational environment, it might work well, but here it comes across as confusing and ill-prepared. Not your fault - like I said, I tried it, too.

I'm just like baffled by her insinuation that I didn't have a plan, because the plan was literally right in front of her and I was running through it.

I like to give my students choices, but I've learned that if it's super open ended then they sometimes have more difficulty. If you have a small selection of options for them to see if they learn more toward one or another, I think that can work fairly well.

I usually use a healthy cereal, like toasted muesli, however, I haven't been able to find it here, so I get the blueberry special K

I usually buy my muesli from a local store here, but I am positive I've seen it being sold in the cereal aisles in either Emart or Homeplus (could have been both, but definitely one of them).

Some bakeries will also have it, but not most -- this much seems really random, honestly.

Otherwise, there's always coupang or gmarket. xD

It's not in the homeplus in my town. I look everytime I go there, which is almost every day haha.

Man I am about ready to give up on this hospital business.

I finally got my MRI yesterday, nothing was amiss. After discussing the results with me the neurologist just went on again like "hmmmmm I don't know" and then told me I should go to a university hospital.

It's really hard to focus when you constantly feel like your head is spinning and like you're going to vomit. But I don't have that much work to do anymore, and the semester is almost over. Even if I feel sick I can just lump around or take a nap without worrying. But they told me this all needs to get done within a week. So....?????

Have you gone to see a dentist? I spent a year in agony going from doctor to doctor, to specialist to specialist and getting scan after scan done. Each referral took me closer and closer to Seoul and to bigger and bigger hospitals. The university hospital I went to put me on epilepsy medicine with the diagnosis being possible TM Neuralgia because nothing else came close to matching. That medicine was something else and then some. I decided I wanted my mommy before I stabbed myself in the head to stop the pain and flew home. Went to the dentist while I was there and found out I needed a root canal and had 7 additional holes.

Hmm that's possible. I'm a little worried about going to the dentist in Korea bc I've heard some horror stories about unanesthetized surgeries, but I'm due for a cleaning and it's cheaper than back home...

@kimchimandu - thanks, I'll try calling them

I've been to the dentist 3 times in my time here. All were very good, but they didn't look at the problem I went in about. I took my co-teacher all 3 times, he understood what I wanted, but they still didn't look at what I went in for. :\