RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Nambu bus terminal subway exit 4... What a long and lonely walk, only to find that I should have gone out exit 3.

☹️

Hotels, lodges and holiday websites THAT DO NOT GIVE PRICES. Instead they want you to contact them for a quote.

Come off it guys! All i want is a basic idea ballpark figure of how much it will cost! Is it really too much to ask that I have to "contact you" personally so you can jack up the price depending on how much you think i'll pay?

Yesterday, right before I started day 1 of my 3 day camp, my CT casually informs me that she hasn’t bought any of the materials for the Rube Goldberg machine I had planned for the students. I had no time to be pissed and hastily switched to my day 3 plan, which was still a mess as I didn’t bring all the materials from home. Class started 20min late, while I was rushing to setup the activities. At the end of the day I expressly told my CT to inform me beforehand if there were any change in plans, apparently she was “so busy” last week, she had no time to send a Kakao message.

Today, not only did she fail to bring the materials, AGAIN! She also screwed up the simple procedure of copying a few pictures from 2 student’s phones and saving it to the PC. The students are now upset that they didn’t get points they were supposed to. They were excited about the Rube Goldberg machine and now she’s teaching “Art Day”, where they colour in famous paintings. The students are pretty bored and there’s zero reason for me to be here... Who says professionalism doesn’t exist in Korea?

on my final ever camp i was given no budget, and absolutely no materials. i was even limited on how much paper i could use (which was very little). i put in as much effort as the school cared about the camp - absolutely none. i also found out the students had to pay to join, so where was that money going? straight into the principal's pocket, i imagine...

don't worry about it. just show movies, or something

Yeah, these 2 weeks of camp have been the longest 2 weeks of the term, the futility of it all, the lack of professionalism the 'Klogic', it all just unloaded on me.

Today, the "Klogic", window-dressing culture, hypocrisy and outright ridiculousness (everything I can't stand about Korean culture) manifested itself.

1 - It was slightly over 40 degrees outside, yesterday at 11AM, when my CT informed me that the students really wanted to
     have a water balloon fight outside. She was adamant, but I convinced her to postpone it for 9AM today. She was completely
     oblivious to the fact that a kid running around in 40 degree heat was likely to get heatstroke and the liability would fall on
     us.

2 - This morning, we did the balloon fight. After we filled about 100 balloons, I told her to designate the students into 2 teams
     and make a mini dodgeball style court and they could toss balloons. This way, they don't simply waste balloons as they
     chase each other around the field and miss 95% of their shots... more importantly, we won't have to PICK UP A HUNDRED
     BALLOON PIECES ALL OVER A MASSIVE DIRT SOCCER PITCH... Of course, she forgot to mention and yes, we spent nearly
     half an hour looking for balloon pieces in sweltering heat. Oh, did I mention everyone including my CT kept their indoor
     shoes on the entire time.

3 - Cleanup time, the class is cleaning everything. Everything except the bin overflowing beyond critical mass, everyone
     including the CT is just piling things on top of the pile. Next to the bin is another 3 compartment bin for recyclables,
     nowhere near as full. I tell me CT leaving that bin as it is, is ridiculous. I take the bag out and start stuffing everything
     that's spilled out into the bag, which is just about as full as you can get it. My CT protests, telling me we can't throw out the
     bag till it's absolutely full, as in full to the point that it's ripping at the sides. She goes on to tell me that plastic bags are
     expensive and it's to protect the environment by filling the bag (I've heard Korean teachers say this BS before).
     This moron then goes on to take recyclables out the other bin to stuff it in the waste bin so she can fill the bag beyond
     capacity.

     ... you try to save the environment by putting recyclables into a plastic bag designated for waste.
   
Window dressing - Koreans only care about recycling or the environment when people are watching them.
                         - Indoor shoes only inside, unless nobody is watching.
                         
KLOGIC - CT switches off fan and AC in the class while we're out doing the water balloon fight. After picking said balloon pieces
              in a scorching dirt patch, we enter a classroom that's hotter and stuffier than Sauron's ass crack.
            - We do movie day and my CT asks me to teach them the script of ordering a movie ticket and popcorn. Then they're
              supposed to practice the script with me. The script includes asking for popcorn (we have no popcorn) and one ticket
              for the Lion King (we're playing a different movie)... I actually had to argue to change the script to what they were
              actually eating and watching.

Seriously, how are Koreans not committing suicide by the droves as a result of this ridiculous culture... oh wait.

Seriously, how are Koreans not committing suicide by the droves as a result of this ridiculous culture... oh wait.

I know this is the ranting/venting thread but... my dude... are you okay?

Yesterday, right before I started day 1 of my 3 day camp, my CT casually informs me that she hasn’t bought any of the materials for the Rube Goldberg machine I had planned for the students. I had no time to be pissed and hastily switched to my day 3 plan, which was still a mess as I didn’t bring all the materials from home. Class started 20min late, while I was rushing to setup the activities. At the end of the day I expressly told my CT to inform me beforehand if there were any change in plans, apparently she was “so busy” last week, she had no time to send a Kakao message.

Today, not only did she fail to bring the materials, AGAIN! She also screwed up the simple procedure of copying a few pictures from 2 student’s phones and saving it to the PC. The students are now upset that they didn’t get points they were supposed to. They were excited about the Rube Goldberg machine and now she’s teaching “Art Day”, where they colour in famous paintings. The students are pretty bored and there’s zero reason for me to be here... Who says professionalism doesn’t exist in Korea?

on my final ever camp i was given no budget, and absolutely no materials. i was even limited on how much paper i could use (which was very little). i put in as much effort as the school cared about the camp - absolutely none. i also found out the students had to pay to join, so where was that money going? straight into the principal's pocket, i imagine...

don't worry about it. just show movies, or something

Call me a shit starter, if you must... but I would have flatly refused. I've tried working in those types of confines in the past, and I'm beyond over it. Now, when they come to me and tell me that they want a camp but basically tell me I have no budget and have a limit on what office materials I can use, I simply tell them, "...if you don't have budget for materials, then you don't have a budget for camp... in which case, I simply can't do the camp. These things don't come together out of thin air." Sometimes, I've even had them tell me that I had to provide my own materials. That one I shut down immediately. Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

Granted, I've also found that when I employ these tactics, typically, a budget will magically appear. So I've never had to worry too much.

It was my last 2 weeks teaching at a public school. I had an F visa by then, principal was a massive ****. I showed movies or let the kids do whatever they wanted, and left straight away. I had completely checked out and couldn't be bothered to even argue about it (i guess picking battles - I had a huge disagreement about getting time off for my honeymoon a couple weeks prior)

My first 2 years the that school were amazing, but a new shit bag of a principal came and made everyone's life hell. Not just me, every teacher hated him. I'm still amazed at how much power principals in Korea have, and how there's no system in place to file a complaint or make sure they do a good job

Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

I don't think that professionalism is really the point.

You are an employee. Employees are provided with what they need to do their job.

If you were a contractor* then the discussion would start with an RFP, answered by your proposal, including your rate. Your proposal would make it clear who is responsible for what.

Could you imagine working in burger shop and being told that you had to provide the ketchup?

*for more than just tax purposes.

Yep. At my after school program (which is the shittest job ive ever had, I think) the company manager said he won't be providing any board markers or paper when I run out. Can you imagine that? Hmm, guess I won't be getting much teaching —or really much of anything - done then.

Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

I don't think that professionalism is really the point.

You are an employee. Employees are provided with what they need to do their job.

If you were a contractor* then the discussion would start with an RFP, answered by your proposal, including your rate. Your proposal would make it clear who is responsible for what.

Could you imagine working in burger shop and being told that you had to provide the ketchup?

*for more than just tax purposes.

Agreed. It's always been crazy to me (and no, this isn't just an "in Korea" thing) how schools seem to think teachers should buy their own supplies. Like, if you don't have the supplies necessary to teach students, are you really a school?

Seriously, how are Koreans not committing suicide by the droves as a result of this ridiculous culture... oh wait.

I know this is the ranting/venting thread but... my dude... are you okay?

Seriously, dude is going on about 40 degree whether at 11AM (which a simple weather report debunks) and kids getting heat stroke (seriously, if there's one group of people who can run endlessly in the heat and be fine- it's kids.)

And oh my goodness, the kids wanted to RUN AROUND during their water balloon fight. The horrors! (although picking up water balloon bits does suck)

He does have a point on the garbage bags. Those things are like 1,000 won. Who cares? Go get another one.

Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

I don't think that professionalism is really the point.

You are an employee. Employees are provided with what they need to do their job.

If you were a contractor* then the discussion would start with an RFP, answered by your proposal, including your rate. Your proposal would make it clear who is responsible for what.

Could you imagine working in burger shop and being told that you had to provide the ketchup?

*for more than just tax purposes.

Agreed. It's always been crazy to me (and no, this isn't just an "in Korea" thing) how schools seem to think teachers should buy their own supplies. Like, if you don't have the supplies necessary to teach students, are you really a school?

I don’t think teachers should have to buy stuff unless they want to buy it. Things like stickers or stamps for younger children. That being said I remember when I was in school and a teacher said I PAID FOR THIS WITH MY OWN MONEY like we were supposed to congratulate her. I always thought that she should not have bought it and not lectured us. If I had known about slow claps I would have slow clapped at any moment I heard that.

Teachers in Toronto are not paid like teachers in West Virginia.

Seriously, dude is going on about 40 degree whether at 11AM (which a simple weather report debunks) and kids getting heat stroke (seriously, if there's one group of people who can run endlessly in the heat and be fine- it's kids.)

   We had record highs in the Daegu area -- highest recorded since records began in 1907 (so possibly they were the highest temperatures ever in Korea, for all we know!). 
   Temps were up at 40.7 Celcius at one o' clock in the afternoon. I assume Aristocrat's rant was referring to one of the days during this heat wave.

Seoul also had temps hovering around 40.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/south-korea-sets-all-time-record-high-temperature-amid-deadly-heat-wave/70005657

Nonstop talking over the PA.

I have no idea what they're saying, but I doubt anyone is actually listening.

It's been going for the last 15 minutes now.

   We had record highs in the Daegu area -- highest recorded since records began in 1907 (so possibly they were the highest temperatures ever in Korea, for all we know!). 
   Temps were up at 40.7 Celcius at one o' clock in the afternoon.

I recently learned from a Korean co-worker that Daegu is apparently the hottest part of Korea during the summer, and as such, Koreans have nicknamed Daegu "Dafrica." Haha.

   We had record highs in the Daegu area -- highest recorded since records began in 1907 (so possibly they were the highest temperatures ever in Korea, for all we know!). 
   Temps were up at 40.7 Celcius at one o' clock in the afternoon.

I recently learned from a Korean co-worker that Daegu is apparently the hottest part of Korea during the summer, and as such, Koreans have nicknamed Daegu "Dafrica." Haha.

I think this is supposed to be the main reason why the Daegu area is used for growing those expensive gift apples. It has the perfect "tropical" climate for growing them.

Before anyways says it, yes, I'm aware that I chose to live in Korea and I should expect this.

So why the heck are vegetables always spicy??? Unless they're serving salad, the veggie side dishes are always red, and just looking at it is threatening to me.

Not trying to complain but my low-tolerance for spicy food makes it hard to enjoy school lunch sometimes. My second school especially, which is situated in the the countryside. Today was bulgogi, spicy fish cake soup, kimchi (of course), and some other veggie covered in red. The bulgogi was bearable, but everything else wasn't. I just wanna eat healthy, but they make it way more difficult 

So why the heck are vegetables always spicy??? Unless they're serving salad, the veggie side dishes are always red, and just looking at it is threatening to me.

I like spicy food a lot, but I don't want all of my food to be spicy all the time.

Before anyways says it, yes, I'm aware that I chose to live in Korea and I should expect this.

So why the heck are vegetables always spicy??? Unless they're serving salad, the veggie side dishes are always red, and just looking at it is threatening to me.

Not trying to complain but my low-tolerance for spicy food makes it hard to enjoy school lunch sometimes. My second school especially, which is situated in the the countryside. Today was bulgogi, spicy fish cake soup, kimchi (of course), and some other veggie covered in red. The bulgogi was bearable, but everything else wasn't. I just wanna eat healthy, but they make it way more difficult 

Why not make a healthy lunch and take it with you? It's what I do.

Before anyways says it, yes, I'm aware that I chose to live in Korea and I should expect this.

So why the heck are vegetables always spicy??? Unless they're serving salad, the veggie side dishes are always red, and just looking at it is threatening to me.

Not trying to complain but my low-tolerance for spicy food makes it hard to enjoy school lunch sometimes. My second school especially, which is situated in the the countryside. Today was bulgogi, spicy fish cake soup, kimchi (of course), and some other veggie covered in red. The bulgogi was bearable, but everything else wasn't. I just wanna eat healthy, but they make it way more difficult 

Why not make a healthy lunch and take it with you? It's what I do.

1. I'm clueless when it comes to preparing affordable, tasty "healthy" food. (What's cheap and healthy at the grocery store?)

2. I'm paying $4 a meal, I'd like to get my money's worth