RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

So I grew a back bone and confronted my MT about why she needed photos of the kids.
I asked if it was mandatory and she said no. I told her I wouldn't do it, and that the kids expressed it was a violation of their rights.

She surprises me in the middle of class with "we need to discuss your vacation days."
Okay? Now? Fine. I tell her the days I'm taking, she asks where I'm going. I said back home to visit my grandparents.

She tells me that I can't leave Korea? And says she has to ask for permission from the principal and the Provincial Office and acts like it's a hassle and therefore I can't/shouldn't go.

Asked someone who's been in the program longer than I have and travels around, because it sounded like a lie.

It was.

I'm so fecking tired of being treated like I've got a marble rolling around in my skull. I just want to switch schools and never come back.

She's full of shit and is trying to bully you.

Basically, a school can technically tell you you're not allowed to leave the country during school (non-red day holidays that schools may grant off) and national holidays (red days). I don't remember the reasons why, but I think it has to do with insurance or whatever. Most of them won't, though, although most NETs won't divulge their travel plans, just in case.

However, schools have absolutely no say whatsoever on where you can go during your vacation periods. But keep in mind that red days or school holidays can and do often get spliced in in the middle of many NETs' vacation periods, and a school can demand that you're in the country on THOSE days. This is another reason why you should keep your travel plans a secret, no matter how persistent your school is about it. It's none of their business.

There are no hoops for the schools to jump through in either case, too. She's absolutely just trying to bullshit you because you pissed her off.

In the future, don't divulge any of your travel plans to them. Or any personal details in general. Lie. Tell them you haven't decided, yet. If they persist, it's really none of their business. Remember, you don't know, you haven't decided yet.

As for your current situation, regardless of what your POE says, no one can prevent you from traveling out of the country, and I would just do it without saying anything about it. They honestly won't ever know unless you tell them. They don't have access to flight information or anything like that. Just lie if the subject ever comes up. Your POE should back you up on this, though. Does TALK not provide any coordinators?

In any case, this lady has blatantly lied to you several times, and not over little things, and this latest development shows that she may be out to get you. She's not to be trusted, and you really need to start secretly recording your conversations with her (it's legal in Korea to secretly record as long as you're part of that conversation and can also be heard on the recording). Keep any emails or texts she sends to you, and try to get her to repeat things she says through email. Get as many things in writing as possible. Don't be surprised that she's lying about you to the principal and other KTs. This is why you need to start collecting evidence against her, in case she tries anything underhanded to effect your job position. Once you have evidence, you need to be proactive and start filing complaints.

Try going to the principal first and presenting him or her with the evidence. If he or she is unhelpful, at that point reach out to the POE (or TALK coordinator first, if they do have those).

As for growing a backbone, good for you, but choose your battles carefully. Put your foot down on things like your pay or getting hauled off for some stupid photoshoot while you're trying to get work done (you're not a prop for her to use to boost her own resume), but realize that teachers taking pictures of students while they work is common and normal here (I don't agree with it, either, but it's common practice in Korea and the students are used to it, even if they don't like it). You can insist that you remain out of those pictures, but it would be best for you to respect this particular cultural norm, as long as it's not causing any harm to the kids.

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this, but just remember that it's only temporary, and your MT will get what's coming to her (because she's honestly not being very smart about it, probably because she thinks you're that dumb). Tread carefully for now and don't reveal ANY personal info that you don't need to (not even what you did over the weekend). Always be vague, or just flatout lie.

I hate being sneaky which is why I hadn't bothered recording anything before but I did learn my lesson. And yeah, you are right. I know I can't fight everything with her but my only issue with the photo thing is she asked for me to submit them with my attendance sheets etc because she mentioned before it was required for my paycheck. Once she said it wasn't mandatory and only a favor for her, something for her portfolio, I put my foot down. I'm really not interested in furthering someone else's career when I'm not getting any help with my own.

I did email my coordinator of the PoE and I'm waiting on a response, I know it's probably foolish but I want to confront her. The vacation days in question are actual holidays I'm supposed to take, not red days or a school holiday so I'm all set there.

I learned a while ago to pick my battles but some of these things are important enough for me. I've been here 2 months and each day is getting more out of control. I've already gone over her head a few times to a higher-up to get help with my classes, and oddly enough she was shit talking them to me the other day like I should agree with her. It's definitely starting to feel like one of those "loose lips sink ships" deals, so I'm careful about every person I interact with and every word I say. Guess it speaks volumes about the environment I'm in when I'm paranoid about saying more than "hello" to people.

I hate being sneaky which is why I hadn't bothered recording anything before but I did learn my lesson. And yeah, you are right. I know I can't fight everything with her but my only issue with the photo thing is she asked for me to submit them with my attendance sheets etc because she mentioned before it was required for my paycheck. Once she said it wasn't mandatory and only a favor for her, something for her portfolio, I put my foot down. I'm really not interested in furthering someone else's career when I'm not getting any help with my own.

I did email my coordinator of the PoE and I'm waiting on a response, I know it's probably foolish but I want to confront her. The vacation days in question are actual holidays I'm supposed to take, not red days or a school holiday so I'm all set there.

I learned a while ago to pick my battles but some of these things are important enough for me. I've been here 2 months and each day is getting more out of control. I've already gone over her head a few times to a higher-up to get help with my classes, and oddly enough she was shit talking them to me the other day like I should agree with her. It's definitely starting to feel like one of those "loose lips sink ships" deals, so I'm careful about every person I interact with and every word I say. Guess it speaks volumes about the environment I'm in when I'm paranoid about saying more than "hello" to people.

You're absolutely right for declining to take pictures for her, then. If she wants pictures, she needs to take them herself, especially if it's a daily thing. That goes double in this case since she's clearly just trying to get you to do her work for her and is using lies to make that happen. At this point I'm pretty sure that it was no accident you got paid late before -- it was either gross negligence or malice. She probably observed how you'd react to it, about how much you would let it slide, and thought that she could use it as leverage against you to get you to do whatever she wanted. As far as I know, there is no special paperwork required for you to get your standard salary. Since TALK is a little different from EPIK, though, and since you're in an after-school type setting, I'd get clarification from your coordinator on this process as well. It's possible that they'd want attendance sheets, but you'll want to confirm that they're needed in order to process your pay (and whether or not it's actually supposed to be your responsibility or if this is something that your MT is supposed to be doing). With EPIK, for example (or any standard public school NET), the salary is supposed to be remitted automatically on payday, and your CT (or MT, in your case) isn't supposed to have any control over that. The schools receive your pay from the education office well in advance, and it's just a matter of the administrator remembering to wire it into your account on payday. So if you don't get paid on time, it's the school's fault (like if an EPIK teacher gets paid late, it's usually because the administrator forgot to wire it or soemthing). If you can confirm that your pay process is the same as the above, then you can be better prepared to handle the issue if your pay turns up late again (and, consequently, have another opportunity to record your MT in the act of lying to you). It's also possible, although I'm thinking that this is unlikely, that the school (or school principal) has made it a requirement outside of the education office's knowledge or consent. If this is the case, the education office will need to contact the school and tell them to cut that shit out as that's not their decision to make.

A lot of what she's been saying and doing are actually quite serious, and I would definitely take her down for that, but you'll have to gather evidence so it doesn't become a your word vs. her word (or get excused as a "misunderstanding"). I know what you mean about not wanting to be sneaky, but some people kind of leave you with no other choice. It's not enough to confront HER about it, she knows what she's doing and she doesn't care. You'll need to bring in a higher authority to put her in her place and shut her down, and to hopefully get someone else to replace her as your MT. At this point, I would gather evidence against her for that specific purpose. She's blatantly lied to you, has tried to manipulate you, has prevented you from getting paid on time -- I would make it the case that she does not have your best interest in mind and that you are not comfortable working with her.

In all honesty, I'll bet this woman has a bad reputation with the other KTs, too. She's just... she clearly has some major issues, and I seriously doubt that it's only surfaced with you. This is someone who likes to take advantage of people in general and has no moral qualms about it. She probably makes it a habit to overstep boundaries with everyone, especially since you say she's been shit-talking about the other KTs as well (keep in mind that this might also be a manipulation attempt to prevent you from getting too friendly with the other KTs and potentially revealing her bullshit to the world). I'd record all of that, too.

Anytime she makes a claim, get her to put it writing, either via email, text or on written paper. Secretly record her anytime she speaks to you about anything, if you can. She'll most likely be hesitant about getting anything she says in writing because she'll know it can be used as evidence against her, but insist that you'll need it in writing for your own reference to make sure you understand everything. You can also be sneaky about it and send her an email asking her to repeat what she told you before via email because you don't remember the details. Like as a follow-up or as a clarification request. Might have success using that method. If she continues to refuse, that's fine -- at worst, you'll have a pretty good clue about when she's bullshitting, but at best you'll have gotten her on recording making the claims and refusing to confirm the info in writing (can serve as evidence that she knew she was giving false info and that she didn't just "misunderstand" the info). Then you can take it to the principal or (in cases where the principal is unhelpful, part of the problem, or doesn't speak English) your coordinator (I'm guessing TALK doesn't have its own coordinators and that you get assigned to a POE coordinator instead). Begin filing complaints against her, and try to push for a different MT.

Let us know what your coordinator tells you later.

I hate being sneaky which is why I hadn't bothered recording anything before but I did learn my lesson. And yeah, you are right. I know I can't fight everything with her but my only issue with the photo thing is she asked for me to submit them with my attendance sheets etc because she mentioned before it was required for my paycheck. Once she said it wasn't mandatory and only a favor for her, something for her portfolio, I put my foot down. I'm really not interested in furthering someone else's career when I'm not getting any help with my own.

I did email my coordinator of the PoE and I'm waiting on a response, I know it's probably foolish but I want to confront her. The vacation days in question are actual holidays I'm supposed to take, not red days or a school holiday so I'm all set there.

I learned a while ago to pick my battles but some of these things are important enough for me. I've been here 2 months and each day is getting more out of control. I've already gone over her head a few times to a higher-up to get help with my classes, and oddly enough she was shit talking them to me the other day like I should agree with her. It's definitely starting to feel like one of those "loose lips sink ships" deals, so I'm careful about every person I interact with and every word I say. Guess it speaks volumes about the environment I'm in when I'm paranoid about saying more than "hello" to people.

You're absolutely right for declining to take pictures for her, then. If she wants pictures, she needs to take them herself, especially if it's a daily thing. That goes double in this case since she's clearly just trying to get you to do her work for her and is using lies to make that happen. At this point I'm pretty sure that it was no accident you got paid late before -- it was either gross negligence or malice. She probably observed how you'd react to it, about how much you would let it slide, and thought that she could use it as leverage against you to get you to do whatever she wanted. As far as I know, there is no special paperwork required for you to get your standard salary. Since TALK is a little different from EPIK, though, and since you're in an after-school type setting, I'd get clarification from your coordinator on this process as well. It's possible that they'd want attendance sheets, but you'll want to confirm that they're needed in order to process your pay (and whether or not it's actually supposed to be your responsibility or if this is something that your MT is supposed to be doing). With EPIK, for example (or any standard public school NET), the salary is supposed to be remitted automatically on payday, and your CT (or MT, in your case) isn't supposed to have any control over that. The schools receive your pay from the education office well in advance, and it's just a matter of the administrator remembering to wire it into your account on payday. So if you don't get paid on time, it's the school's fault (like if an EPIK teacher gets paid late, it's usually because the administrator forgot to wire it or soemthing). If you can confirm that your pay process is the same as the above, then you can be better prepared to handle the issue if your pay turns up late again (and, consequently, have another opportunity to record your MT in the act of lying to you). It's also possible, although I'm thinking that this is unlikely, that the school (or school principal) has made it a requirement outside of the education office's knowledge or consent. If this is the case, the education office will need to contact the school and tell them to cut that shit out as that's not their decision to make.

A lot of what she's been saying and doing are actually quite serious, and I would definitely take her down for that, but you'll have to gather evidence so it doesn't become a your word vs. her word (or get excused as a "misunderstanding"). I know what you mean about not wanting to be sneaky, but some people kind of leave you with no other choice. It's not enough to confront HER about it, she knows what she's doing and she doesn't care. You'll need to bring in a higher authority to put her in her place and shut her down, and to hopefully get someone else to replace her as your MT. At this point, I would gather evidence against her for that specific purpose. She's blatantly lied to you, has tried to manipulate you, has prevented you from getting paid on time -- I would make it the case that she does not have your best interest in mind and that you are not comfortable working with her.

In all honesty, I'll bet this woman has a bad reputation with the other KTs, too. She's just... she clearly has some major issues, and I seriously doubt that it's only surfaced with you. This is someone who likes to take advantage of people in general and has no moral qualms about it. She probably makes it a habit to overstep boundaries with everyone, especially since you say she's been shit-talking about the other KTs as well (keep in mind that this might also be a manipulation attempt to prevent you from getting too friendly with the other KTs and potentially revealing her bullshit to the world). I'd record all of that, too.

Anytime she makes a claim, get her to put it writing, either via email, text or on written paper. Secretly record her anytime she speaks to you about anything, if you can. She'll most likely be hesitant about getting anything she says in writing because she'll know it can be used as evidence against her, but insist that you'll need it in writing for your own reference to make sure you understand everything. You can also be sneaky about it and send her an email asking her to repeat what she told you before via email because you don't remember the details. Like as a follow-up or as a clarification request. Might have success using that method. If she continues to refuse, that's fine -- at worst, you'll have a pretty good clue about when she's bullshitting, but at best you'll have gotten her on recording making the claims and refusing to confirm the info in writing (can serve as evidence that she knew she was giving false info and that she didn't just "misunderstand" the info). Then you can take it to the principal or (in cases where the principal is unhelpful, part of the problem, or doesn't speak English) your coordinator (I'm guessing TALK doesn't have its own coordinators and that you get assigned to a POE coordinator instead). Begin filing complaints against her, and try to push for a different MT.

Let us know what your coordinator tells you later.

We're with you Bingsu! I gotta know how this ends!

Kek

I'm sure they know it's me and are watching the thread/site. I'll say I've been getting conflicting info from PoE and MT on who we have to report to but rn I'm just thinking that someone's reading what's been said here since I got an email about something relating to what was said.

Kek

I'm sure they know it's me and are watching the thread/site. I'll say I've been getting conflicting info from PoE and MT on who we have to report to but rn I'm just thinking that someone's reading what's been said here since I got an email about something relating to what was said.

For all that Koreans want to impress westerners with their 'wonderful' country, they certainly haven't been very endearing towards you.

Seriously, your co-teacher is a massive b*tch with some serious mental health issues. I hope she reads this message.

So I get up super early this morning to go for an extra long jog, right? Need to take advantage of this clean air while I can. And I take my usual route through the nicer parts of town where there is flat stone and pavement for a safer run. I'm making good time, really enjoying myself, and while the sun is still breaking the horizon I start heading back home. I make the turnaround, and I see this guy dressed in black a short distance away. Has his face and neck covered with a scarf. He sees me and heads into an alley. I don't think anything of it at first, I see lots of guys in the morning all covered up and heading to work, usually for garbage or cleanup or something like that. So I keep the course, whatever, until I'm about ten feet from that same alleyway the guy dipped into. And he suddenly jumps out at me. Doesn't try to grab me or anything, he just leapt out in my way, and it takes me a second to realize that he's just jerking away.

Has his pants down to his knees, and I mean he is going at it. I swear to gawd that he was trying to rip his penis off so that he could throw it at me, it was the most violent thing I've seen in years. I give him a look and tell him to "**** off", but that just gets him off even more and his fist is like a blur. So I start looking around for something to throw at him and he finally shuffles off.

This isn't my first surprise dick, but it's been a long time since I've had one of these.

finally shuffles off

 

So I get up super early this morning to go for an extra long jog, right? Need to take advantage of this clean air while I can. And I take my usual route through the nicer parts of town where there is flat stone and pavement for a safer run. I'm making good time, really enjoying myself, and while the sun is still breaking the horizon I start heading back home. I make the turnaround, and I see this guy dressed in black a short distance away. Has his face and neck covered with a scarf. He sees me and heads into an alley. I don't think anything of it at first, I see lots of guys in the morning all covered up and heading to work, usually for garbage or cleanup or something like that. So I keep the course, whatever, until I'm about ten feet from that same alleyway the guy dipped into. And he suddenly jumps out at me. Doesn't try to grab me or anything, he just leapt out in my way, and it takes me a second to realize that he's just jerking away.

Has his pants down to his knees, and I mean he is going at it. I swear to gawd that he was trying to rip his penis off so that he could throw it at me, it was the most violent thing I've seen in years. I give him a look and tell him to "**** off", but that just gets him off even more and his fist is like a blur. So I start looking around for something to throw at him and he finally shuffles off.

This isn't my first surprise dick, but it's been a long time since I've had one of these.

people are so fcuking weird

People are very strange these days

So I get up super early this morning to go for an extra long jog, right? Need to take advantage of this clean air while I can. And I take my usual route through the nicer parts of town where there is flat stone and pavement for a safer run. I'm making good time, really enjoying myself, and while the sun is still breaking the horizon I start heading back home. I make the turnaround, and I see this guy dressed in black a short distance away. Has his face and neck covered with a scarf. He sees me and heads into an alley. I don't think anything of it at first, I see lots of guys in the morning all covered up and heading to work, usually for garbage or cleanup or something like that. So I keep the course, whatever, until I'm about ten feet from that same alleyway the guy dipped into. And he suddenly jumps out at me. Doesn't try to grab me or anything, he just leapt out in my way, and it takes me a second to realize that he's just jerking away.

Has his pants down to his knees, and I mean he is going at it. I swear to gawd that he was trying to rip his penis off so that he could throw it at me, it was the most violent thing I've seen in years. I give him a look and tell him to "**** off", but that just gets him off even more and his fist is like a blur. So I start looking around for something to throw at him and he finally shuffles off.

This isn't my first surprise dick, but it's been a long time since I've had one of these.

Jesus Christ. Not to be all "you gotta protect yourself when you're alone!!" but can you get pepper spray here?
If not in the face, I'd suspect that getting some of that to the dick would probably teach him a much harder lesson (lel)

Has his pants down to his knees, and I mean he is going at it. I swear to gawd that he was trying to rip his penis off so that he could throw it at me, it was the most violent thing I've seen in years. I give him a look and tell him to "**** off", but that just gets him off even more and his fist is like a blur. So I start looking around for something to throw at him and he finally shuffles off.

 

I'm so sorry that happened to you. Darn creeps...

Yeah, this sort of thing doesn't catch me off guard anymore, so I found it more funny (albeit disgusting) than anything else. You really had to see this guy's "fervor" to fully appreciate the joke. It was so unreal, like he was having one last go before his dick falls off.

Jesus Christ. Not to be all "you gotta protect yourself when you're alone!!" but can you get pepper spray here?
If not in the face, I'd suspect that getting some of that to the dick would probably teach him a much harder lesson (lel)

You can order pepper spray online, but I've never seen them in any stores. I've got pepper spray at home but I didn't take it with me on my run because it's expired, lol. Although I don't know about the legalities behind using pepper spray in Korea, it's definitely available, or it was the last time I checked.

Bear mace would be great.

Yeah, this sort of thing doesn't catch me off guard anymore, so I found it more funny (albeit disgusting) than anything else. You really had to see this guy's "fervor" to fully appreciate the joke. It was so unreal, like he was having one last go before his dick would fall off.

Jesus Christ. Not to be all "you gotta protect yourself when you're alone!!" but can you get pepper spray here?
If not in the face, I'd suspect that getting some of that to the dick would probably teach him a much harder lesson (lel)

You can order pepper spray online, but I've never seen them in any stores. I've got pepper spray at home but I didn't take it with me on my run because it's expired, lol.

Bear mace would be great.

Bear mace to the dick would be a great lesson to learn tbh. As you can see, I am an advocate for hitting them where it hurts.

People are very strange these days

Oh hai Mark!

The belief that white people in Korea are helpless children is so annoying.

I sometimes eat poison the school lunch at my country school because it's a 25 minute drive from home. Today, they served bibimbap. The teachers were given bowls and trusted with the incredibly strenuous task of mixing their own, whereas students were given pre-mixed bibimbap. I, being a dumb foreigner, clearly must not be capable of mixing my own rice and rotten vegetables despite having lived in Korea for several f*****g years, so I was given the same pre-mixed pig food served to the kids. The Chinese teacher was also given the pre-mixed version, although he said he was asked which he preferred.

I told the other teachers that it was insulting to treat the foreign teacher like a child who couldn't mix his own food, much to their embarrassment. The 5th grade teacher told the lunch ladies not to do it again.

Korea is not especially unique, nor are Koreans especially competent. They really need to stop acting like western teachers are incapable of every little task.

The belief that white people in Korea are helpless children is so annoying.

I sometimes eat poison the school lunch at my country school because it's a 25 minute drive from home. Today, they served bibimbap. The teachers were given bowls and trusted with the incredibly strenuous task of mixing their own, whereas students were given pre-mixed bibimbap. I, being a dumb foreigner, clearly must not be capable of mixing my own rice and rotten vegetables despite having lived in Korea for several f*****g years, so I was given the same pre-mixed pig food served to the kids. The Chinese teacher was also given the pre-mixed version, although he said he was asked which he preferred.

I told the other teachers that it was insulting to treat the foreign teacher like a child who couldn't mix his own food, much to their embarrassment. The 5th grade teacher told the lunch ladies not to do it again.

Korea is not especially unique, nor are Koreans especially competent. They really need to stop acting like western teachers are incapable of every little task.

This is the rant thread so you do you.

My rant is I can't stand people who can't deal with shit like this. You sound like a prick.

 ( You being...general people  Obviously )

Another rant because I'm tired and irritable today. It's small and petty but idc.

One of my newer and younger coTs is always asking me loaded questions for the purpose of being contrary because she feels some misguided need to put the foreigner in her place. She always comes at me from a passive-aggressive "you don't really understand Korea, any Korean, or life in general" angle, even when it doesn't make any sense with the topic (also shows that she does NOT know my family or history lmao). She never even probes for more info or clarification on anything I say. Once she hears what she thinks she hears, she immediately tries to provide me with some shallow insight that fails to consider a lot of variables but that would make total sense to someone with a xenophobic inferiority complex.  So I find a lot of her opinions very short-sighted and limited, but whatever, I'm not trying to make friends with her, and I only see her once a week.

I've mostly ignored this habit because she was honestly helpful last year, and it didn't happen that often. This year, however, it's suddenly become a weekly thing, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with her coworkers. One in particular, actually.

She's friendly enough on the surface, and I honestly believe that she's a decent person, but she's a sheep, and I think she's been listening to too much jealous prattle coming from her snobby friends (there's a long story behind that that I won't get into, but yes, it's 100% jealousy) so that she feels like she needs to "enlighten" me, to show me just how "ignorant" I am because I'm not Korean and therefore cannot possibly understand normal human things on the same level as them. Clearly, I don't know what hard work is or what it means to be a "leader" (omg I would love to tell you guys about this but I'm pretty sure she gets on this site so  ).

While I've been really good about not providing her with any ammo and just generally ignoring her little scratch game, my patience is about out. Maybe I'm just feeling it today because I'm kind of pissy right now, but I don't know, I feel like I may end up chomping down on a finger.

The belief that white people in Korea are helpless children is so annoying.

I sometimes eat poison the school lunch at my country school because it's a 25 minute drive from home. Today, they served bibimbap. The teachers were given bowls and trusted with the incredibly strenuous task of mixing their own, whereas students were given pre-mixed bibimbap. I, being a dumb foreigner, clearly must not be capable of mixing my own rice and rotten vegetables despite having lived in Korea for several f*****g years, so I was given the same pre-mixed pig food served to the kids. The Chinese teacher was also given the pre-mixed version, although he said he was asked which he preferred.

I told the other teachers that it was insulting to treat the foreign teacher like a child who couldn't mix his own food, much to their embarrassment. The 5th grade teacher told the lunch ladies not to do it again.

Korea is not especially unique, nor are Koreans especially competent. They really need to stop acting like western teachers are incapable of every little task.

This is the rant thread so you do you.

My rant is I can't stand people who can't deal with shit like this. You sound like a prick.

 ( You being...general people  Obviously )

If you don't make a stand over smaller issues in your work environment, people will take advantage of you. Read Bingsu's posts about how her school treats her. You have to stand up for yourself in the Korean workplace, even it means that you look like a dick.

Do you want a pork? 

He's right you know. Since I made the choice to actively put my foot down about everything, even the small stuff, the kids don't run over me nearly as much.

They did today though, running in here like a storm and shoving my bookshelves around, throwing food, screaming at the top of their lungs...

Instead of letting it go I just calmly brought up Google translate and told them how disrespectful they were being and if I was a Korean teacher they'd never think to do it. If this were a Korean classroom, they wouldn't dare. I told them I was tired of it and I wanted respect like any other teacher and if they couldn't do that then they need to leave.

They "apologized" but stuck around until I made them leave, so tomorrow they will mysteriously find the English room locked until it's time for class to start. No more lounging around after lunch, f*cking with the English teacher.

It might seem petty to stand up for every little thing, you're supposed to pick your battles wisely and all that jazz, but any hint of being a pushover or being a little too nice and they'll sink their teeth into you before you can blink.