RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

So I finally got tired of not knowing my students names and faces after 8 months of trying. But I only see them once a week and they're always wearing masks so I get confused. Plus I'm horrible with that kind of things anyway. I decided to ask my CT for a student list so I can finally get a handle on this nonsense. The following is the conversation we had:

Me: Can I please have the student list for all the classes? I'd like to start paying attention to each student.
CT: I don't know... we've never done that.
Me: It would really help me keep track of the students.
CT: That's private information.
Me: Oh, I just want the class roster that all the other teachers have, with the students names and pictures.
CT: That's private information. Only teachers should have that.
Me: ...I am a teacher?
CT: That's private information. We've never done that.
Me: So is it not allowed?
CT: ...You don't need their names or to know what they look like to teach the lessons.
Me: I guess not, but I think it would help me teach better.
CT: That information is only for teachers.
Me: But I am a... oh never mind.

So I finally got tired of not knowing my students names and faces after 8 months of trying. But I only see them once a week and they're always wearing masks so I get confused. Plus I'm horrible with that kind of things anyway. I decided to ask my CT for a student list so I can finally get a handle on this nonsense. The following is the conversation we had:

Me: Can I please have the student list for all the classes? I'd like to start paying attention to each student.
CT: I don't know... we've never done that.
Me: It would really help me keep track of the students.
CT: That's private information.
Me: Oh, I just want the class roster that all the other teachers have, with the students names and pictures.
CT: That's private information. Only teachers should have that.
Me: ...I am a teacher?
CT: That's private information. We've never done that.
Me: So is it not allowed?
CT: ...You don't need their names or to know what they look like to teach the lessons.
Me: I guess not, but I think it would help me teach better.
CT: That information is only for teachers.
Me: But I am a... oh never mind.

I went through that too. The first year I asked I got the names and pictures and phone numbers with no problem. The second year someone must have taken issue with it and I couldn't get a copy. The irony was that other teachers left their copy out on their desks. Several times I witnessed 2nd and 3rd year students flipping through the first grade pictures and making fun of them. The teachers didn't have a problem with that.      

I laminated for the first time yesterday and was feeling all  for figuring out another machine in Korean but somehow I fed something through and it spiraled into the machine and now someone has to come fix it because I am a dumb foreigner. 

Back during my hagwon daze, we didn't have an actual laminator -- we had packing tape and scissors. Basically, we would laminate cards, pictures and posters by very carefully layering packing tape over it. I became *really* good at that considering all the room decorating I did. Managed it so that each strip of tape only overlapped the previous by a few millimeters.

LDEstrada,

Sorry, but you don't need the phone numbers of your students.  IMHO, that is  an odd request.

Suggestion:

Make a seating chart stencil and simply assign responsibility to each class captain for getting it filled out and updated when need be (this keeps your coteacher out of the loop).

Then you will be able to address them by their given names from then on.

LDEstrada,

Sorry, but you don't need the phone numbers of your students.  IMHO, that is  an odd request.

Suggestion:

Make a seating chart stencil and simply assign responsibility to each class captain for getting it filled out and updated when need be (this keeps your coteacher out of the loop).

Then you will be able to address them by their given names from then on.

I didn't see anywhere in his post that he was requesting phone numbers....

But your idea of getting the class captain to do it is a good one.

Anyhoo, my handler at each school I teach at gave me the relevant files with photos and names for each grade so that I can call students by their names. It was not an issue at all. I also teach alone so it really helped in the beginning to identify trouble makers and problem students and discuss the issues directly with the home room teachers.

Pecan, if you read my post you'll see that I requested the basic student list that all the teachers have that only has the students names and associated picture. No phone numbers were mentioned by me at all.

The first year I asked I got the names and pictures and phone numbers with no problem.

Pecan, if you read my post you'll see that I requested the basic student list that all the teachers have that only has the students names and associated picture. No phone numbers were mentioned by me at all.

Also, my classes don't have assigned seating. They're well behaved and don't need it. It has been made clear to me that I am only to assign seats if my students misbehave. And in the case of my school I agree. I have no trouble controlling them so assigning a seating chart would be unnecessary rule making just for the sake of rule making.  Besides, that wouldn't help nearly as much as having their school pictures, (like all the other teachers do) when it comes to being able to associate faces with names. Although I appreciate the idea.

Pecan, if you read my post you'll see that I requested the basic student list that all the teachers have that only has the students names and associated picture. No phone numbers were mentioned by me at all.

That was insulimted who wrote that.

Wow,  I have never been in a classroom with "free" seating.

That would be interesting.

Best of luck.

The first year I asked I got the names and pictures and phone numbers with no problem.

That was me. I said that. I didn't ask for the phone numbers but that is part of the document that they produce and give to all the other teachers. I suspect that is why they consider it private information.

Right.  Yes, I know that was you.

I don't see why any teacher in their right mind would be opposed to providing the names and pictures only.

As you stated, it is the phone numbers that are contained within that file that are the issue regarding privacy.

When I first arrived I got student lists with their names and grades. 

The next year the print out "didn't exist" at my elementary schools so I took a group photo of the new 3rd grade classes.  Then printed it out and wrote their names next to their faces. 

This year the picture lists supposedly haven't been made again so I took pictures of the photos of the new 3rd graders that are on the walls of the school. 

One of my travel coTs made a point of telling me twice that we wouldn't have classes one day in May due to that school's birthday.

Just texted me that we actually will have classes that day. 

One of my travel coTs made a point of telling me twice that we wouldn't have classes one day in May due to that school's birthday.

Just texted me that we actually will have classes that day. 

You want a deskwarming website? The genius that is The Perry Bible Fellowship.

http://pbfcomics.com/

I only see each grade once a week at my schools. There are no English teachers, only home room teachers who do their best, which on a whole is pretty okay...

except..

for one of my grade 3 classes. They are shockingly bad. Their HR teacher is an older woman, (I'm 40 and I would say she is about a year from retirement) and she speaks no English. Which I understand, but she has English classes and it is clear nothing is getting done. The books are basically blank. They still can't answer "Howzit going?" They cant identify Aa let alone any of the rest of the alphabet.

The difference between the two Grade 3 classes is HHHUUUUUUUUGGGEEE.

I feel so bad for these poor kids who are clearly just going to get left behind in English before they have even really started.

From my previous school:

I also wanted a student list so I could get to know the students. I asked my co-teacher a few times and she kept forgetting.(She wasn't being polite she is so forgetful, we are pretty good friends now)
I had only just met her so I felt so awkward about asking her again. Each time I reminded her she was so weird and overly sorry.

I went on the school website, each class has a homepage and they usually have pictures of the whole class. I then wrote the names on the picture (Usually with the help of other students from that class haha)

Saved me the awkwardness, I had the students names....then I moved schools 

Right.  Yes, I know that was you.

I don't see why any teacher in their right mind would be opposed to providing the names and pictures only.

As you stated, it is the phone numbers that are contained within that file that are the issue regarding privacy.

The reason why is that the phone numbers are on that document. If they were going to give the document to a foreigner, who would inevitably turn around and sell the numbers to a North Korean spy, they would have delete all the phone numbers first, and that would be a pain in the ass. 

Right.  Yes, I know that was you.

I don't see why any teacher in their right mind would be opposed to providing the names and pictures only.

As you stated, it is the phone numbers that are contained within that file that are the issue regarding privacy.

The reason why is that the phone numbers are on that document. If they were going to give the document to a foreigner, who would inevitably turn around and sell the numbers to a North Korean spy, they would have delete all the phone numbers first, and that would be a pain in the ass.

You want a deskwarming website? The genius that is The Perry Bible Fellowship.

PBF is great and all, but some of them are very NSFW.