RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

This is supposed to be the easiest day on my schedule and I was looking forward to it, but I forgot that a few classes had been rescheduled for today as a makeup for canceled classes last week.

It's over now, but I'm pretty sure I've suffered some brain damage.

Did those re-scheduled classes put you over your weekly 22 hours? They tried to pull that crap with me, and I told them "I don't think I can teach those classes without being paid overtime." Not defensive, just casually. They insisted I teach them without overtime pay. I insisted I'd have to contact the school board to see if it was OK for me to teach over my hours without being paid overtime. Classes canceled.

Yeah, I look out for that, too, and luckily I've never had to make that argument with my schools. They've always known that I must be paid overtime for any classes that puts me over my 22 hours... so they always reschedule them to take place during weeks when other classes have been canceled. xD

It's an endless cycle of makeup.

This explains a lot:

http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170412000835#cb

1 in 4 Koreans have mental illness

PE teacher at my main school is the head teacher so he's usually pretty busy and often stays late.

I was told head teachers, vice prinicpals, and principals are paid much more than regular teachers...but I'm not sure by how much. I heard 6 or 7 million a month, but that was just from one source so I'm not sure if that's correct. Anyone know the median salary for each?

I saw this...but so old it's probably more than a bit higher now:



And saw for an elementary school teacher the median is 47.23 million a year, which would be 3.94 million a month...but that infomation might be outdated, too.

It takes a while for teachers to get to that though. They've got to be a few years in. They start out low.

Teachers end up making a lot of money in Toronto. They also start off relatively low.

Ordered something off qoo10 last week. It's been hung up in customs asking me to pay a clearance fee. I've paid it twice to my knowledge.

I can't reach anyone in English to help me out and its pissing me off, grr.

This explains a lot:
http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170412000835#cb
1 in 4 Koreans have mental illness

How does one have schizophrenia just once in their lifetime?? I didn't think that's how the illness worked.

Yeah, that threw me as well. I also sincerely doubt that the average incidence of schizophrenia in Korea is nearly 3x the global average...

That, along with the source, makes me wonder if the article is worth the time it took to read it. 

This explains a lot:
http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170412000835#cb
1 in 4 Koreans have mental illness

How does one have schizophrenia just once in their lifetime?? I didn't think that's how the illness worked.

Yeah, that threw me as well. I also sincerely doubt that the average incidence of schizophrenia in Korea is nearly 3x the global average...

That, along with the source, makes me wonder if the article is worth the time it took to read it. 

The include episodes of depression in that number.

Everyone has low points in their lives... hard to tabulate undiagnosed clinical depression.

Ordered something off qoo10 last week. It's been hung up in customs asking me to pay a clearance fee. I've paid it twice to my knowledge.

I can't reach anyone in English to help me out and its pissing me off, grr.

my god i hate customs. i've also had a package help up recently, got my korean GF to try and call them. she's phoned about 5 separate times and tried 3 different numbers listed online and can never get through. they never answer the damn phone, and the one time she managed to get through they told her to call another department, and gave her a number - which they never answer! urgh!

and i always have the same problem as you - no-one there speaks english. i mean, it's a department that deals with INTERNATIIONAL packages, and there's not a single person there to help people in the international language of english? how do they even read the addresses on the packages?

My whole school smells like pig shit. I've thrown up, I can barely breath, and the kids and teachers that live here smell nothing!

It's like bloody Didymus from the Labyrinth that works in the bog of eternal stench. No one else can smell it, while I'm here nearly dead.

Ordered something off qoo10 last week. It's been hung up in customs asking me to pay a clearance fee. I've paid it twice to my knowledge.

I can't reach anyone in English to help me out and its pissing me off, grr.

my god i hate customs. i've also had a package help up recently, got my korean GF to try and call them. she's phoned about 5 separate times and tried 3 different numbers listed online and can never get through. they never answer the damn phone, and the one time she managed to get through they told her to call another department, and gave her a number - which they never answer! urgh!

and i always have the same problem as you - no-one there speaks english. i mean, it's a department that deals with INTERNATIIONAL packages, and there's not a single person there to help people in the international language of english? how do they even read the addresses on the packages?

I try to use DHL whenever I can.

It sometimes costs a bit more (but sometimes less); they do the customs brokerage for you.

I had an issue that would violate immigration law if I followed through with what the VP wanted. Informed the VP of this. He said he checked on his end (which means he didn't do anything) and said that it was okay. Knowing full well he was wrong I went to MOE to get their advice on what to do with the situation. They said they would handle it. I am now on my VP's s*** list for the rest of the year because I don't want to get in trouble and possible deportation from Korea. fun times ahead. 

I had an issue that would violate immigration law if I followed through with what the VP wanted. Informed the VP of this. He said he checked on his end (which means he didn't do anything) and said that it was okay. Knowing full well he was wrong I went to MOE to get their advice on what to do with the situation. They said they would handle it. I am now on my VP's s*** list for the rest of the year because I don't want to get in trouble and possible deportation from Korea. fun times ahead. 

Out of boredom and looking for something to read, what was the situation? :o

I had an issue that would violate immigration law if I followed through with what the VP wanted. Informed the VP of this. He said he checked on his end (which means he didn't do anything) and said that it was okay. Knowing full well he was wrong I went to MOE to get their advice on what to do with the situation. They said they would handle it. I am now on my VP's s*** list for the rest of the year because I don't want to get in trouble and possible deportation from Korea. fun times ahead. 

You did the right thing. * The police.

I had an issue that would violate immigration law if I followed through with what the VP wanted. Informed the VP of this. He said he checked on his end (which means he didn't do anything) and said that it was okay. Knowing full well he was wrong I went to MOE to get their advice on what to do with the situation. They said they would handle it. I am now on my VP's s*** list for the rest of the year because I don't want to get in trouble and possible deportation from Korea. fun times ahead. 

What's up with the power trippyness of VPs? Not that I have a huge sample size but many seem to be a bog of misery.

Not yet principal so working hard to be promoted.

Can I ask for help in here? How do you discipline grade 1 and 2 students? I have 3 grade 1 kids and 3 grade 2 kids who are monsters. They run around and make it impossible to teach. My co-t just watches as they run everywhere and jump on chairs/desks. When I stop the lesson I can control them, but then I stop teaching.

Today's installment of Things That Bother Me A Great Deal But Really Shouldn't:

When I see someone take a paper cup, fill it with a sip of water, then promptly throw it away. 

Can I ask for help in here? How do you discipline grade 1 and 2 students? I have 3 grade 1 kids and 3 grade 2 kids who are monsters. They run around and make it impossible to teach. My co-t just watches as they run everywhere and jump on chairs/desks. When I stop the lesson I can control them, but then I stop teaching.

You stop the lesson and get control of the kids. That's ridiculous. Raise your voice if you have to and have the Korean teacher explain what is expected of them. Write game on the board in big letters. Everytime they act up, erase a letter. They might not be able to read game but they know it's bad when a letter disappears. They'll start to behave. I guarantee it.

Can I ask for help in here? How do you discipline grade 1 and 2 students? I have 3 grade 1 kids and 3 grade 2 kids who are monsters. They run around and make it impossible to teach. My co-t just watches as they run everywhere and jump on chairs/desks. When I stop the lesson I can control them, but then I stop teaching.

You stop the lesson and get control of the kids. That's ridiculous. Raise your voice if you have to and have the Korean teacher explain what is expected of them. Write game on the board in big letters. Everytime they act up, erase a letter. They might not be able to read game but they know it's bad when a letter disappears. They'll start to behave. I guarantee it.

I've done this exact method and the trouble makers don't stop. I've made the class skip a game, which punishes the good kids, but the bad kids love it. I've also tried to make them sit out, but the co-t doesn't keep them out and she's useless when it comes to playing games. She literally only sits there and escorts them out of the class when the bell rings.

I am also limited in how severe I can act since this is an after school program and numbers = money.

This is more of just a "huh" moment than a rant, but I have one student who does nothing. He was held back last year because he failed almost all of his classes, and he is right on track to be held back again (if they can do that?). I had to proctor a test for this class today, because their test was scheduled during my normal class time with them. He showed up 40 minutes late to class and then just doodled on the test, not writing a single answer.