RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Okay so I just want to share today's experience:

I love my school and my co-teachers they are amazing and sometimes they can be a bit over the top about looking out for me. Anyway today I felt a little bit under the weather, I'm at my desk and I can't keep my eyes open and so I just close them for a while and put my head in my hands. My co teacher suddenly wakes me up saying she's worried about me and I should take a rest. I said okay il go into my classroom and just rest in there rather than the office. This is where it gets interesting she says why don't you go into the new rest room we have set up. I'm a bit hesitant I would rather go into my own classroom but I thought ah she's being nice il go along with it.

As she was finding the key to the room one of my other co teachers walks past and I explain I'm going in the "rest room" to which he replies "what for the ladies". Me being a lad this already starts to ring alarm bells. Anyway walking towards the building I mention the lady room comment to my co teacher and I said what does he mean. Turns out the room is especially for women teachers who are on their period. At this point I'm already in the room and she's sitting me down in some electric massage sofa machine that the female staff use for relaxation when it's that time of the month, so embarrassing! But it's gets better yet!! The sofa doesn't work for some reason so she rings up the office and a couple staff from the admin office come out to the building to try and get it working whilst probably thinking "what the hell is this guy doing in the lady rest room".

So here I am writing this message here in the massage chair not feeling all too comfy haha!

Lol sorry to hear it man, but I must say that sounds like something right out of a sitcom. Now all you need is a random female teacher to walk in, wanting to use the room as well.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RANT

So my CT decides to leave the classroom about 2 minutes before the next class. Suddenly, I hear a loud BANG and look up to see the usual trouble maker crying and throwing his pencils across the room with his desk knocked over onto the floor. I immediately got up and had to break up a fight between him and another boy while the rest of the students were yelling at them to stop. After breaking up the fight and separating them, I run out into the hallway to see if I can spot my CT, but she's nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a different boy decides to rile up the desk-throwing kid, causing a second fight which I then have to break up. Desk-throwing kid gets hurt from running into his desk, so he lies on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs and sobbing. Sobbing like, there was a puddle on the floor from his tears. I'm immediately panicking and thinking WTF? while seeing if he's okay. Finally my CT comes in and the students go ahead and tell her what happened. While she goes to console desk-throwing kid, the homeroom teacher appears.....either some student went to go get her or she heard all the screaming from her classroom. She yells at them, the kids calm down, everything goes back to normal.

At the end of the class, my CT decides to give all 3 boys, including desk-throwing kid, a "good behavior" stamp at the end of class as part of the rewards system. I told her I was very shocked and surprised at both the students' behavior and how nothing was done about the situation. She said, "yes, the one boy is a very low level student. He always acts like that, so we can't do anything. We have to understand him."

These are 3rd grade elementary schoolers, by the way.

 

I hope she doesn't have kids.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RANT:
[rantrantrantrantobnoxiouschildrenrantrant]

I hope she doesn't have kids.

I hope she *does* have kids (but that I'm safely out of Korea by the time they reach school age)!

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RANT:
[rantrantrantrantobnoxiouschildrenrantrant]

I hope she doesn't have kids.

I hope she *does* have kids (but that I'm safely out of Korea by the time they reach school age)!

She does, they're preschool age if I remember correctly.

Today at lunch my elem. coT touched my food with her chopsticks  while gesturing and asking me if I knew what something was. Get your sticks away from my food, woman! I even obviously pulled my lunch tray away from her and she was totally nonplussed and kept gesticulating with wild abandon.

Most people concern themselves with what/how to best pack when taking a trip, though often fail to realize that it is actually the expectations they "pack" with them that will have the greatest impact on the "success" of their journey.

The OP clearly stated that they had "expectations" of how it would go, which was/is the problem.

I don't know why anyone would "expect" to have a co-teacher take them around and buy them stuff or shop with them.  That's idiocy.

Feeling lonely?  If you were able to get on the airplane to travel here, you are just as able to hop on the next plane out if you don't have the strength or resolve to "enjoy" the personal struggles and triumphs of going it alone.

It's not like you are blazing some new trail, hundreds of thousands, millions have come before you long before there was the Internet at your fingertips; which is to say that some millennials suffer today from bad parenting via entitlement/narcissistic tendencies.

OP, if you were able to get wifi at PB to make your post, surely you are capable of much more.

I would highly recommend leavin your phone at home and going out and getting lost in the streets of Korea, to explore.

No matter where you go, there you are!  You can't run from yourself.

This journey isn't a mere discovery of the outside world, but of the inner journey of getting to know yourself.

Only you know what you are capable of, but I hope you don't give up too easily.

As for those making side commentary, I'm well aware that I don't have the best bedside-manner., so what?  I do my best to give it straight.

In (most) of our contracts, partially furnished accomodation is expected from our employer. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that from partial we would get the necessities: Bed / sheets / blankets, washing machine, etc. While stuff we may not end up with being things like: Toaster, microwave, rice cooker, various other appliances that aren't as needed

I hope you are joking...that would be gross.

I would never use the bedding and linens from the previous teacher.  Besides, things like bedding and linens are very personal.  BYOB!

It has been mentioned for the past 20+ years online, so no surprises, really.

You should have seen what qualified as a "bath towel" here in 1995.

18"x8" :)

More like a washcloth.

I hope you are joking...that would be gross.

I would never use the bedding and linens from the previous teacher.  Besides, things like bedding and linens are very personal.  BYOB!

It has been mentioned for the past 20+ years online, so no surprises, really.

You should have seen what qualified as a "bath towel" here in 1995.

18"x8" :)

More like a washcloth.

I have no problem using linen and blankets from someone previous, it doesn't take much to give them a wash before using them. If you don't have time, wash them in the morning and have a shower. I don't see what the big deal is. (unless they look disgusting, mine looked very clean and folded.

Some folks are particular about bedding fabric, thread count, pillows, etc.

I brought over old bedsheets which was fortunate because I ended up hella rural and would have been a week w/o if I had not. (I can only make it to the city on weekends)

I don't mind using old towels but I washed them before doing so and just use them for drying my hands/dishes. However it wasn't long before I was gifted brand new small towels from random events and teachers who didn't want extra ones 

I can't understand why anyone, ANYONE but ESPECIALLY complete strangers, would think that they can be an asshole to a person one day and expect that person to find them attractive on the next.

Lol sorry to hear it man, but I must say that sounds like something right out of a sitcom. Now all you need is a random female teacher to walk in, wanting to use the room as well.
[/quote]

It really was like something from a comedy. So awkward and cringe worthy, I was sitting there just praying no one came in. I lasted about 15 minutes and had to leave haha.

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RANT

So my CT decides to leave the classroom about 2 minutes before the next class. Suddenly, I hear a loud BANG and look up to see the usual trouble maker crying and throwing his pencils across the room with his desk knocked over onto the floor. I immediately got up and had to break up a fight between him and another boy while the rest of the students were yelling at them to stop. After breaking up the fight and separating them, I run out into the hallway to see if I can spot my CT, but she's nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a different boy decides to rile up the desk-throwing kid, causing a second fight which I then have to break up. Desk-throwing kid gets hurt from running into his desk, so he lies on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs and sobbing. Sobbing like, there was a puddle on the floor from his tears. I'm immediately panicking and thinking WTF? while seeing if he's okay. Finally my CT comes in and the students go ahead and tell her what happened. While she goes to console desk-throwing kid, the homeroom teacher appears.....either some student went to go get her or she heard all the screaming from her classroom. She yells at them, the kids calm down, everything goes back to normal.

At the end of the class, my CT decides to give all 3 boys, including desk-throwing kid, a "good behavior" stamp at the end of class as part of the rewards system. I told her I was very shocked and surprised at both the students' behavior and how nothing was done about the situation. She said, "yes, the one boy is a very low level student. He always acts like that, so we can't do anything. We have to understand him."

These are 3rd grade elementary schoolers, by the way.

 

 

Welcome to Korea. The land where bad behavior is rewarded and usually guised under the "sneaky smart" moniker. Be prepared to be outraged quite a bit during your year long stint. This is only the beginning.

I hope you are joking...that would be gross.

I would never use the bedding and linens from the previous teacher.  Besides, things like bedding and linens are very personal.  BYOB!

It has been mentioned for the past 20+ years online, so no surprises, really.

You should have seen what qualified as a "bath towel" here in 1995.

18"x8" :)
 

Yes, your highness, I see that you've been pampered throughout your life. Never have had to live hard, have you? That's okay. Just be thankful that you haven't experienced hardship(s) in your life and hope that you never will. Do you eat meat? If so, just remember that it was inside of an animal. Now, now...guess you'll dismiss that little gem, won't you. Tsk tsk.
More like a washcloth.

https://m.facebook.com/events/611810612323372?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A98%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&aref=98&__tn__=q

No, sorry.  The world is vegan ing.

I recommend for you to check out this upcoming festival.  Just avoid Jack's Bean, as they served non-vegan friendly food at the last Vegan Festival (they should be banned from this event, IMHO).

STUDENT BEHAVIOR RANT

So my CT decides to leave the classroom about 2 minutes before the next class. Suddenly, I hear a loud BANG and look up to see the usual trouble maker crying and throwing his pencils across the room with his desk knocked over onto the floor. I immediately got up and had to break up a fight between him and another boy while the rest of the students were yelling at them to stop. After breaking up the fight and separating them, I run out into the hallway to see if I can spot my CT, but she's nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a different boy decides to rile up the desk-throwing kid, causing a second fight which I then have to break up. Desk-throwing kid gets hurt from running into his desk, so he lies on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs and sobbing. Sobbing like, there was a puddle on the floor from his tears. I'm immediately panicking and thinking WTF? while seeing if he's okay. Finally my CT comes in and the students go ahead and tell her what happened. While she goes to console desk-throwing kid, the homeroom teacher appears.....either some student went to go get her or she heard all the screaming from her classroom. She yells at them, the kids calm down, everything goes back to normal.

At the end of the class, my CT decides to give all 3 boys, including desk-throwing kid, a "good behavior" stamp at the end of class as part of the rewards system. I told her I was very shocked and surprised at both the students' behavior and how nothing was done about the situation. She said, "yes, the one boy is a very low level student. He always acts like that, so we can't do anything. We have to understand him."

These are 3rd grade elementary schoolers, by the way.

 

 

Welcome to Korea. The land where bad behavior is rewarded and usually guised under the "sneaky smart" moniker. Be prepared to be outraged quite a bit during your year long stint. This is only the beginning.

Well said. In the old days, behavior like this resulted in physical punishment, often brutal. I saw it myself. The kids misbehaved because that's what they do. But they got some severe punishment to get them in line. And it worked. It was the same M.O. they had done for decades. It got them in line. I'm an older guy who grew up in the 80s in the states. At that time, we got paddled...hard. I remember in our cafeteria, there was a stage with steps leading up to it. It was also the performance room. Whenever somebody misbehaved during lunch, and there were many, we were told to sit on those steps. When the principal was ready, they would guide us into his office, where he was told what we did. He would talk to us individually about what we did. Then, we had to assume the position.Then, our parents got a call from the principal to them what happened.  It was organized. But what I saw from teachers here in Korea at that time, it was random assaults on students due to the teacher's emotional outburst. Of course, there was some organized discipline as well. But, it seemed like the teachers could hit any student they wanted whenever they felt like it. Hence, the new law where teachers can't hit students. Then, what was the plan for discipline?  Nada. Zero. It took a complete 180 in favor of no punishment at all. Instead of altering the plan, they just threw it out. Now, we are left with the emotional approach, which is what Korea has used for years amongst adults. Even the police. I'm all in favor of trying to be understanding to somebody in certain situations. In fact, I think that is the better way. But South Korea needs to stop seeing things in black and white, and get a little complex when it comes to discipline.

Edit: I know parents pressure the teachers. They are to blame as well. But, things would be so much easier if parents and teachers could agree on a plan for discipline. What the hell are politicians for?

Okay so I just want to share today's experience:

I love my school and my co-teachers they are amazing and sometimes they can be a bit over the top about looking out for me. Anyway today I felt a little bit under the weather, I'm at my desk and I can't keep my eyes open and so I just close them for a while and put my head in my hands. My co teacher suddenly wakes me up saying she's worried about me and I should take a rest. I said okay il go into my classroom and just rest in there rather than the office. This is where it gets interesting she says why don't you go into the new rest room we have set up. I'm a bit hesitant I would rather go into my own classroom but I thought ah she's being nice il go along with it.

As she was finding the key to the room one of my other co teachers walks past and I explain I'm going in the "rest room" to which he replies "what for the ladies". Me being a lad this already starts to ring alarm bells. Anyway walking towards the building I mention the lady room comment to my co teacher and I said what does he mean. Turns out the room is especially for women teachers who are on their period. At this point I'm already in the room and she's sitting me down in some electric massage sofa machine that the female staff use for relaxation when it's that time of the month, so embarrassing! But it's gets better yet!! The sofa doesn't work for some reason so she rings up the office and a couple staff from the admin office come out to the building to try and get it working whilst probably thinking "what the hell is this guy doing in the lady rest room".

So here I am writing this message here in the massage chair not feeling all too comfy haha!

Omg, why can't my school have a menstruation room.

Yeah, super jealous about that one.

My ct is nuts about having me listen to this listening test that's being broadcast today and answering the questions.  I can't answer 17 out of 20 of them because they're entirely in Korean.  We went through this shit last semester too.

That blasted listening test means I don't get to see my favorite class for very long today 

Apparently it means I don't get to see them at all 

But that might mean I won't see tomorrow's difficult class at all...

Still. This blows. They're usually all excited to see me too