RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I think it is mostly due to population density.

If the number of asshats is evenly distributed (like, say, 1 in 100 people is true asshat), you will encounter more of them per square-kilometre in a higher density city.

Why do I get these in my twitter feed?

I feel like Tobias Fünke.

I don't understand these really narrow roads that they allow cars to drive two ways on?

Where I come from, any road that isn't big enough to fit two cars gets labeled as a 1way road. People generally follow the rules, no traffic congestion, honking, no people basically trying to drive up the side of a building to get around other cars. It's so much easier than having to wait while a car drives down a road before you can go & hoping no one else tries to drive at the same time as you. It seems like common sense...

Driving through Gwangju is infuriating, because of the poorly planned roads you're constantly switching lanes. Let's say your destination is 3km straight (as the crow flies) and you're driving in the middle lane. After 500m, that middle lane becomes left turn only, then you switch to the left lane and 500m later the left lane becomes a right turn only! Every 500m, you're switching lanes, and this causes traffic and accidents!

What do the scholars of city planning do? Wider roads? Oh no, more lanes. More lanes equals less space on the road which equals slower driving which leads to... Traffic!

Japan has exactly the same issues with space, but of course, they've done thing cleverly.
Let's not mention the affinity for Koreans to buy massive 4X4s to drive around narrow roads.

Some days I feel like anything beyond teaching my kids in Korean is too hard for them. They're extremely low level. I have 6th graders that barely know the alphabet. Even the homeroom teachers (there are no KETs at the school) barely speak English. I never know what lesson we're on. Even the simplest lesson I can come up (I've gotten to the point of just drilling the vocab and "erase the alphabet" games) with is still met with blank stares and post-class comments from the homeroom teacher of "too hard for them". They don't know crap, and they aren't improving. The books are too hard for them, but I still have to follow them to a T. Except when I'm not, but I'm magically supposed to know when that is. The teachers insist on moving forward even though the kids aren't ready, which leads to even more confusion and frustration for everyone involved. I'm not allowed to speak Korean at school (incredibly limited as it is), and even saying the page number in Korean results simply in gasps and shocked looks from the students rather than actually turning to that page because "OMG Teacher is speaking Korean."

I've had it with this school and I've got 9 more months on my contract. I dread going to school. I feel completely incompetent. The lack of communication from the school, the lack of ability to communicate with the other teachers, the expectation that the kids will just magically "know" English when they get 40 minutes a week with a NET they can't understand and 40-80 minutes with a crappy CD played by a homeroom teacher who can't speak English, is ridiculous.

These are probably fairly common complaints, but Jesus, it's driving me up a wall.

It's 2 AM and I can't sleep for the third night in a row despite being exhausted as all hell.

Tomorrow is gonna be a slog, ugh.

on one hand, extratorrent has just been killed
on the other hand, just found another awesome site

I'm not allowed to speak Korean at school (incredibly limited as it is), and even saying the page number in Korean results simply in gasps and shocked looks from the students rather than actually turning to that page because "OMG Teacher is speaking Korean."

I've had it with this school and I've got 9 more months on my contract. I dread going to school. I feel completely incompetent. The lack of communication from the school, the lack of ability to communicate with the other teachers, the expectation that the kids will just magically "know" English when they get 40 minutes a week with a NET they can't understand and 40-80 minutes with a crappy CD played by a homeroom teacher who can't speak English, is ridiculous.

You're right. It's ridiculous. They're not going to learn through immersion if they're only being 'immersed' in the language for 40 minutes a week, so you might as well use Korean so that you can actually communicate with them. 'No Korean' rules are incredibly stupid.

You can be 10 mins early for 3 months and if you're 2 mins late, "You are late."

Yeah, I know, don't be late, but cut me some frigging slack.

xxxxxxxf[.t xxfup;g ,u gpj fuoblty hyp, ujt ;zzzzz;omr gtormfd frss;u/ zzzzzzzzzzzzomrrf yp di[rth;ir yjr, fpem/

That was brought to you by someone trying to "multitask" but is also too tired to notice that she doesn't have her fingers in the right positions over the keyboard.

In other news, someone stole the Frodo sticker from one of my posters. Whoever it was very carefully and meticulously peeled it off so that, I guess, it could be re-used. On the upside, though, they did no damage to the poster as a result. Mysteriously, Ryan and Neo remain untouched.

I'm going to superglue the replacement down.

xxxxxxxf[.t xxfup;g ,u gpj fuoblty hyp, ujt ;zzzzz;omr gtormfd frss;u/ zzzzzzzzzzzzomrrf yp di[rth;ir yjr, fpem/

That was brought to you by someone trying to "multitask" but is also too tired to notice that she doesn't have her fingers in the right positions over the keyboard.

In other news, someone stole the Frodo sticker from one of my posters. Whoever it was very carefully and meticulously peeled it off so that, I guess, it could be re-used. On the upside, though, they did no damage to the poster as a result. Mysteriously, Ryan and Neo remain untouched.

I'm going to superglue the replacement down.

You can be 10 mins early for 3 months and if you're 2 mins late, "You are late."

Yeah, I know, don't be late, but cut me some frigging slack.

Hah, I am either 20 minutes early or 1 minute late each and every week. It has to do with how inconsistent the buses and traffic tend to be around here. Not my fault, and I'm not going to get to school an hour early just to avoid being 1 minute late.

They never say anything to me, thankfully, but I still get thrown looks from certain people from time to time. Nevermind the fact that I periodically walk in with other teachers who are also 1 minute late. But I'm the only one who gets the looks. Yeah, **** you very much.

Halloween costume idea: Frodo cosplaying Frodo, with a partner dressed as Neo cosplaying Sam. NO ONE STEAL THAT, IT'S MINE

You can be 10 mins early for 3 months and if you're 2 mins late, "You are late."

Yeah, I know, don't be late, but cut me some frigging slack.

I got this from my country school that was a 45 minute drive away. Literally two minutes late after being five-ten early for months and the principal was all over me. Thankfully that principal has moved on. The new one seems completely unconcerned with my arrival time.

You can be 10 mins early for 3 months and if you're 2 mins late, "You are late."

Yeah, I know, don't be late, but cut me some frigging slack.

I got this from my country school that was a 45 minute drive away. Literally two minutes late after being five-ten early for months and the principal was all over me. Thankfully that principal has moved on. The new one seems completely unconcerned with my arrival time.

I had this at a former employer in Canada.  They treated their professional staff the same way they treated unionised labourers - poorly.

one of the reasons i quit public school was that we got a new principal who was, honestly, a complete and utter cunt

all the teachers hated him with a passion, and he tried his best to make everyone's life a living hell. he used to belittle the women teachers and make sexist remarks. i'm almost positive he hated children, too

it's incredible one person can hold so much power in a school, and there is nothing anyone can do, apart from bow and scrape and do exactly what he says

Just had the most hellish class. First grade middle school of course. I need to have an arsenal of punishments - I hate being that guy but my god it was miserable.

Was driving to work this morning and in the middle of my right turn, into the road to school, the oblivious school bus driver, on the other side of the stop street, decides to turn left into my turning arc. I hoot and he stops mid turn and avoids a collision.

I get to school and my CT tells me that the school bus driver saw my car pull into the school and called the school to "complain". Apparently, he's very angry... He admits that he's old and has terrible eyesight, but he's upset that I hooted at him... He's upset that I hooted at him and prevented a potentially horrific accident, involving myself, him and a busload of kids.

Just had the most hellish class. First grade middle school of course. I need to have an arsenal of punishments - I hate being that guy but my god it was miserable.

Arsenal of punishments. I like that!
Here're some of mine:

Minor:
- Stand up and read the next question from the book. Or answer a random question of mine.
- The Glare.
- Rolled eyes and a heavy sigh. Possibly followed by the shaking of my head.
- 10 jumping jacks (I'll often do them with the student. Keeps me limber.)
- Write a target vocabulary sentence on the board. If very unlucky, I will lead the rest of the class in a thorough critique in hand-writing, spelling, and grammar.

Medium:
- Stand up and apologize. In English.
- Stop class to explain infraction. Lecture using the Voice of Disappointment.
- Stop activity and do easier-to-manage book work.
- Have coworker have a little chat with student.
- Stand at their desk for a handful of minutes / confiscate chair.
- Shorten game time / video reward.
- Offending team will have to repeat repetition drills an extra time for the rest of the class to critique.

Major:
- Class puts heads down and sits in utter silence for 60 seconds. Reset clock for any noises.
- Have coworker yell at the little monsters.
- Have student talk with coworker, myself, and homeroom teacher.
- Written apology (several sentences minimum).
- Have student leave class room if unbearably disruptive. Quiet chat after class.
- Extend class-time into break by 3 or 4 minutes.

Just had the most hellish class. First grade middle school of course. I need to have an arsenal of punishments - I hate being that guy but my god it was miserable.

Arsenal of punishments. I like that!
Here're some of mine:

Minor:
- Stand up and read the next question from the book. Or answer a random question of mine.
- The Glare.
- Rolled eyes and a heavy sigh. Possibly followed by the shaking of my head.
- 10 jumping jacks (I'll often do them with the student. Keeps me limber.)
- Write a target vocabulary sentence on the board. If very unlucky, I will lead the rest of the class in a thorough critique in hand-writing, spelling, and grammar.

Medium:
- Stand up and apologize. In English.
- Stop class to explain infraction. Lecture using the Voice of Disappointment.
- Stop activity and do easier-to-manage book work.
- Have coworker have a little chat with student.
- Stand at their desk for a handful of minutes / confiscate chair.
- Shorten game time / video reward.
- Offending team will have to repeat repetition drills an extra time for the rest of the class to critique.

Major:
- Class puts heads down and sits in utter silence for 60 seconds. Reset clock for any noises.
- Have coworker yell at the little monsters.
- Have student talk with coworker, myself, and homeroom teacher.
- Written apology (several sentences minimum).
- Have student leave class room if unbearably disruptive. Quiet chat after class.
- Extend class-time into break by 3 or 4 minutes.

I would disregard most, if not all of the above.  They aren't "best" practices, so adopting them might not end well.

Considering you noted the issue was the whole class, perhaps you could develop better "hooks" or introductory sets to motivate and focus the students before you begin with the new information.

Also, what attention signals do you use?  If you don't use any, I highly recommend you develop a healthy variety to add to your teaching repertoire to reduce the frequency of these situations and to better solve them when they do.

If these students are coming to you after lunch, recess, P.E., and the like, doing some breathing techniques from yoga (eyes closed)/ "deep breathing" can do wonders.

Best of luck.

Considering you noted the issue was the whole class, perhaps you could develop better "hooks" or introductory sets to motivate and focus the students before you begin with the new information.

Also, what attention signals do you use?  If you don't use any, I highly recommend you develop a healthy variety to add to your teaching repertoire to reduce the frequency of these situations and to better solve them when they do.

If these students are coming to you after lunch, recess, P.E., and the like, doing some breathing techniques from yoga (eyes closed)/ "deep breathing" can do wonders.

Best of luck.

    These are all proactive approaches which *of course* should be used before anything else. By all means, encourage your students to breathe and stuff.

    But if you're walking into a classroom and the kids are straight-up watching porn on the classroom computer, or some kid is tossing chairs out the windows, then clearly there's a discipline issue that needs to be addressed (I've experienced both of these things). Not addressing the issue is begging for it to be repeated.

I would disregard most, if not all of the above.  They aren't "best" practices, so adopting them might not end well.

Considering you noted the issue was the whole class, perhaps you could develop better "hooks" or introductory sets to motivate and focus the students before you begin with the new information.

Also, what attention signals do you use?  If you don't use any, I highly recommend you develop a healthy variety to add to your teaching repertoire to reduce the frequency of these situations and to better solve them when they do.

If these students are coming to you after lunch, recess, P.E., and the like, doing some breathing techniques from yoga (eyes closed)/ "deep breathing" can do wonders.

Best of luck,

Camden