RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

The attitudes of about half of my students from every grade have become "somber" in my classes because I've had to be a monster for the last half of this semester.

There are fewer serious problem students in my main school this year than there were last year, mostly because the more serious problem students have all been expelled, but the student body overall has been more disruptive and less focused (my guess -- this behavior is a remnant of disrespect leftover from watching how the teachers dealt with the more serious problem students earlier in the year). They're more likely to ignore the teacher and pretend that they don't hear her [they only do this to the female teachers], to avoid doing their work, to try to **** around in class instead of doing their assignments or paying attention, and etc. Nothing really bad or outside of the norm of what would be typical classroom misbehavior, really, but it's become almost constant. Basically, they've been testing the teachers and pushing boundaries more.

And I've been tackling it all with zero tolerance. While I am never mean, I never sugarcoat anything, either, and I go from 0 to 60 almost on a dime.
 
And I suddenly realized today that I'm basically my old high school choir instructor.

These kids turned me into a choir teacher. ****** hell.

4 - Bonus. I decided to re-watch the Harry Potter movies this weekend, my wife loves them. I love Fantasy, but every time I watch Harry Potter, I keep thinking it's because I'm not paying attention that I find the plot is thoroughly confusing,full of holes, painfully cringey acting and  a confused mess. Well, I've been about 90% sure, but now I'm 100%. The entire Harry Potter series, aside from maybe the first movie, is sh*t. What screwed everything was money. Make no mistake, the books are for kids. The first movie was a kid's movie, end of story, that's not to say I can't appreciate a kid's movie.

The problem came when it was discovered that adults who forgot to grow up made up a large part of the audience. So,
Rowling and the directors tried to make the new moveis cater to the younger and older audiences. They really should've taken a few notes from Pixar, who know how to do this. This becomes nothing but an absolute cringefest, filled with plot holes, camp acting which is necessary for younger audience but painful for most adults to watch.

As Harry Potter went on (and as I grew older) I became less and less interested in the movies. Personally, it peaked for me at Goblet of Fire and I couldn't really say I enjoyed any movie after that.

And I suddenly realized today that I'm basically my old high school choir instructor.

These kids turned me into a choir teacher. ****** hell.

This is what I'm afraid of... All of my closest friends will tell you they've never seen me angry. Just this year alone would make you think that's not the case. I'm sorry your classes are so rough

I enjoy being here, but today was just one of those days were Korea pissed me right off.

1 - While teaching, there's been this persistent banging noise for the past few weeks, coming from the next class every minute or so. It's heard as well as felt and is infuriating. I asked my CT to speak to the HR teacher next do and the HR teacher apparently told her that "she tried to get the students to settle down, but they wouldn't" Again it happened and I marched to her class and discovered that there are a row of cabinets against the back wall of her classroom, which is on the other side of the front of the English room. Students go to these cabinets to get whatever they need and seem to enjoy slamming it closed as hard as possible. I don't like undermining another teacher, but seeing as she has no authority to undermine, I didn't feel bad about walking into her ruckus/class and letting her know to stop this sh*t.

2 - One class of 5th graders, while not disrespectful, has an attention span of ZERO. I gave them an activity called rolling papers (not those kind of papers). Their only instruction was to write their name, in Korean, in the space provided. Even with a thorough explanation in English and Korean, they still screwed it up. My CT and both exchanged looks which said "These are some thick motherf*ckers". I 100% blame the parents for giving a 9yr old unrestricted access to a smartphone and let them zone out on mindless television all day.

3 - There are multiple special needs kids in our school. Most of them cause disruptions, do nothing but absorb oxygen or can't keep up. One boy obviously looks completely bored, but totally in his own world in our class. He's done nothing but draw pictures  for 2yrs. My CT informed me that there is a special needs school, just 5km away, but most of the parents refuse to send their kids there. Apparently, the best interest of their child is less important than the gossip of their acquaintances.
     

4 - Bonus. I decided to re-watch the Harry Potter movies this weekend, my wife loves them. I love Fantasy, but every time I watch Harry Potter, I keep thinking it's because I'm not paying attention that I find the plot is thoroughly confusing,full of holes, painfully cringey acting and  a confused mess. Well, I've been about 90% sure, but now I'm 100%. The entire Harry Potter series, aside from maybe the first movie, is sh*t. What screwed everything was money. Make no mistake, the books are for kids. The first movie was a kid's movie, end of story, that's not to say I can't appreciate a kid's movie.

The problem came when it was discovered that adults who forgot to grow up made up a large part of the audience. So,
Rowling and the directors tried to make the new moveis cater to the younger and older audiences. They really should've taken a few notes from Pixar, who know how to do this. This becomes nothing but an absolute cringefest, filled with plot holes, camp acting which is necessary for younger audience but painful for most adults to watch.

The most ridiculous moment was this scene, in the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's sitting on a swing and Dudley and his crew come along to taunt him. Harry gets upset rushes up to Dudley and were one might expect Harry to throw a right hook. Harry furiously pulls out his little paintbrush and puts it at Dudley's throat. Dudley's friends erupt into guffaw and whenever I see this scene, I too can't contain my laughter. 

I'm sure #4 happens in the book too but, I've only read the books once, and a many years ago, and have seen the movies more
So, chances are I'm remembering wrong because of it

Harry Potter=Halloween. The older you are, the less you should care about it until at some point you need to gracefully hand it over to the next generation to enjoy and help facilitate their fun.

Yeah, I only really like the first two films. After that the directors try too hard to illustrate a shift in the characters' maturity levels (to be reflected in the tones of the later films) but it's all too sudden and doesn't match up with what the movie series had established before then. I agree that there were too many visions getting crammed into the films, but they didn't really have the time to iron out the wrinkles to make it all fit better, either. That's the problem working with child actors, unfortunately.

But I still love the first two films. Third film is the worst, imo.

And I suddenly realized today that I'm basically my old high school choir instructor.

These kids turned me into a choir teacher. ****** hell.

This is what I'm afraid of... All of my closest friends will tell you they've never seen me angry. Just this year alone would make you think that's not the case. I'm sorry your classes are so rough

Kids are great at getting under people's skin, lol. It's only normal for teachers to feel the frustration when they're having to deal with hundreds of them on a regular basis.

And this is why we need vacations. The burnout is real.

In my own case it's not really the kids I'm frustrated with but how other teachers are dealing with student misbehavior, and just the overall attitude that many of them have about what they feel they're not responsible for. There's not much of a unified front here, everyone is on his or her own, and the kids know that and take full advantage.

I've culled the rebellion in my own classes because I've been very aggressive about it, but the result has been a lot of pouting. So like half the class is engaged while the other half is still busy sulking over the fact that I make them do their work and am not intimidated by any of their tantrums. And I don't expect this to improve, not when the students are still free to repeat their behavior in other classes. They'll just bide their time and attempt to test me again later, especially now that the end of the school year is approaching.

How have you been dealing?

Harry Potter=Halloween. The older you are, the less you should care about it until at some point you need to gracefully hand it over to the next generation to enjoy and help facilitate their fun.

halloween stopped being fun when i was about 10 (as did harry potter). north americans go nuts go it though, which i find it hard to get my head around

also, did anyone go to itaewon on saturday night? heard it was a shit show

also, did anyone go to itaewon on saturday night? heard it was a shit show

I got dragged there by friends last year, it was a shit fest then, too. Itaewon is always shit during major holiday events.

Never again.

So Starbucks is playing christmas music already..  can't even relax and have coffee without hearing "giddy up giddup let's go... bla bla in the snow bla bla sleigh ride together with you...  Not even November.  So two more months of this.  Time to find a new coffee shop.  Anywhere else have good normal drip coffee?

And I suddenly realized today that I'm basically my old high school choir instructor.

These kids turned me into a choir teacher. ****** hell.

This is what I'm afraid of... All of my closest friends will tell you they've never seen me angry. Just this year alone would make you think that's not the case. I'm sorry your classes are so rough

Kids are great at getting under people's skin, lol. It's only normal for teachers to feel the frustration when they're having to deal with hundreds of them on a regular basis.

And this is why we need vacations. The burnout is real.

In my own case it's not really the kids I'm frustrated with but how other teachers are dealing with student misbehavior, and just the overall attitude that many of them have about what they feel they're not responsible for. There's not much of a unified front here, everyone is on his or her own, and the kids know that and take full advantage.

I've culled the rebellion in my own classes because I've been very aggressive about it, but the result has been a lot of pouting. So like half the class is engaged while the other half is still busy sulking over the fact that I make them do their work and am not intimidated by any of their tantrums. And I don't expect this to improve, not when the students are still free to repeat their behavior in other classes. They'll just bide their time and attempt to test me again later, especially now that the end of the school year is approaching.

How have you been dealing?

Trying my best not to explode. It's gonna sound bad, but I've given up on some of the kids at my main school. I'm moving to a new school next semester and it's not worth trying to correct their behavior at this point. (Is it just me or are kids in the metropolitan areas far worse than the ones in the countryside?) I'm just looking forward to starting over again. I'm still learning here, and it'll be much easier to apply these new ideas once I'm at a new school with students who are unfamiliar with me.

Can't confidently say I'm going to stay in Korea after next semester (things could change), but I'll give it my best at the end.

I lost my f*cking flashdrive. I've been procrastinating to back it up for months and now I've lost it. Years worth of lesson materials and lesson plans gone.

I lost my f*cking flashdrive. I've been procrastinating to back it up for months and now I've lost it. Years worth of lesson materials and lesson plans gone.

Time to purchase a waygook.org subscription. 

also, did anyone go to itaewon on saturday night? heard it was a shit show

I got dragged there by friends last year, it was a shit fest then, too. Itaewon is always shit during major holiday events.

Never again.

Halloween in Itaewon is... definitely something.

Yeah, I only really like the first two films. After that the directors try too hard to illustrate a shift in the characters' maturity levels (to be reflected in the tones of the later films) but it's all too sudden and doesn't match up with what the movie series had established before then. I agree that there were too many visions getting crammed into the films, but they didn't really have the time to iron out the wrinkles to make it all fit better, either. That's the problem working with child actors, unfortunately.

But I still love the first two films. Third film is the worst, imo.

Waygook.org user Chinguetti, I'm going to reply to this message in two parts: first, Harry Potter movies. I remember when I first saw the first two movies, I thought they sucked. But that was like a really long time ago. Then, I randomly came across a HP marathon on TV here, and it just happened to be after I'd watched Star Wars Episode XIII. And something to do with the contrast between how awful SW was and how much I remembered disliking the first HP movies, I remember watching Chamber of Secrets and thinking, "Okay, this movie is really decent, especially considering it relies on child actors. Because like, it has an actual narrative going on and I kind of care what happens to the characters. Okay. Decent movie!" [disclaimer: reasons for not liking SW Ep. 8 have nothing to do with the characters or what they do. It has to do with it just being a terribly written and paced movie.]

That said - I still think 3 and 4 are the best Harry Potter movies. They did go a little hard on the grimdark spooky factor, but I think they really have the most coherent stories, and the kids have a lot more acting experience under their belts, too. And then once you're into Order of the Phoenix, the movies just turn into hot trash because there's no way to cram that much book into a single movie. But, I digress. HP 1 and 2 do hold up really well.

I lost my f*cking flashdrive. I've been procrastinating to back it up for months and now I've lost it. Years worth of lesson materials and lesson plans gone.

ooooooh!  Dang!  I'm so sorry!  It hurt just reading it! 

And I suddenly realized today that I'm basically my old high school choir instructor.

These kids turned me into a choir teacher. ****** hell.

This is what I'm afraid of... All of my closest friends will tell you they've never seen me angry. Just this year alone would make you think that's not the case. I'm sorry your classes are so rough

Kids are great at getting under people's skin, lol. It's only normal for teachers to feel the frustration when they're having to deal with hundreds of them on a regular basis.

And this is why we need vacations. The burnout is real.

In my own case it's not really the kids I'm frustrated with but how other teachers are dealing with student misbehavior, and just the overall attitude that many of them have about what they feel they're not responsible for. There's not much of a unified front here, everyone is on his or her own, and the kids know that and take full advantage.

I've culled the rebellion in my own classes because I've been very aggressive about it, but the result has been a lot of pouting. So like half the class is engaged while the other half is still busy sulking over the fact that I make them do their work and am not intimidated by any of their tantrums. And I don't expect this to improve, not when the students are still free to repeat their behavior in other classes. They'll just bide their time and attempt to test me again later, especially now that the end of the school year is approaching.

How have you been dealing?

Second:
I'm lucky enough that at my school, my coworkers and I are all on the same page as far as discipline and expectations for respectful behaviour in the classroom go. So, there's a lot of good cop, bad cop, but we do alternate so the students a) don't get used to it and b) don't build up a strong hatred of one or the other.

But the thing that burns me out is just how completely people don't care about learning. Like. At all. Anything. Like, some students - despite being developmentally typical - just actively refuse to learn, like we talked about in the other thread. It's Sisyphean (wow look I'm fancy big words). But it's impossible not to get disheartened when you see that you're doing this thing, and even though you're getting paid for it, it's really just kind of... not contributing anything. To anyone.

Getting angry isn't helpful, though. Back in the day, in my first year or two of teaching, I remember occasionally getting really heated and angry at a few students / classes. But these days, it's just not worth the effort. I just mentally throw my hands up and phone it in super hard when that happens.

But it's impossible not to get disheartened when you see that you're doing this thing, and even though you're getting paid for it, it's really just kind of... not contributing anything. To anyone.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you get through to at least ONE kid, you're doing something right. 

Let's remember what it's like to be 12-17.  Only thing you or I cared about was hanging out with our friends.  School sucked, teachers sucked.  Your hormones were all OVER THE PLACE!  You had the attention span of a Golden Retriever.  So you can't give the kids too much sh*t, ya know? 

I have plenty of students that actually pay attention in my classes.  Those are the ones I focus on.  If the others want to pick at their notebooks or sleep, let em'.  They're only hurting themselves.  I refuse to take it personally only because they're 12 - 17 yr old.

One of the few times I need to use the toilet at work to take a dump and both toilets on the first floor are absolutely blown out. Bowl is filled to the brim with brown shit water and turds. Both toilets. Run upstairs.....both toilets blown out. One has overflowed. It must have been the same person going around each toilet after he blocked the other ones up. How is this possible? Tempted to use the ladies facilities.

There is no one at my place of work under the age of 18.

Harry Potter=Halloween. The older you are, the less you should care about it until at some point you need to gracefully hand it over to the next generation to enjoy and help facilitate their fun.

  Wrong!

  Adult Hallowe'en parties can be absolute blasts if they are planned and executed PROPERLY... My mates and I (right up and into our 40's) used to throw legendary Hallowe'en parties back in my city in Canada - even made the local media. And, our events were private - held in our old house which was an old late Victorian style place with 3 floors, so there was lots of room.

  Proper attention to detail, ticketing (we charged a flat $20 per head which covered everything...), costumes required, a serious mix/assortment of people, prizes for best/weirdest costumes, great music, food (ours were catered by a local restaurant), kegs of local craft beer (15), security, and enough toilets, all contributed to a fantastic soiree. These parties cost around $4000 to put on, so the entry fee helped us break even; any extra was used to take the people who came over the next day to help us clean up out for a big dinner.

  We held these parties every year for 13 years, and attendance was always around 150-200 people each time; the record attendance was our 6th bash which had 230 people show up to our house. Never had ANY hassles with the cops, or agro of any kind among the guests - everyone was too busy having a tremendous time.

  So spare me the 'Hallowe'en is only a children's thing' bullshit... Perhaps you've never been to a real adult Hallowe'en party...? If  that's the case, maybe you should give it a go. If you have been to one, and it wasn't great, maybe you just went to/go to lame parties...!

That's what Mardi Gras, New Years, Cinco de Drinko, and St. Paddy's are for.

As I said, Halloween once every 4 years or so when you're over 30.

At least you did it right and kept it private.