Teaching Problems

Date: 11/24/2010

So...I'm very proud to be in my school.  I love the teachers and for the most part the kids are pretty good.  A little crazy, and loud, but overall, they are good kids.

But now that I've had all the classes a couple times, the bad eggs really start to stick out.  And the flaws in the Korean education system become apparent.  I don't want to be critical--I do not have a degree in teacher, nor do I fully understand the system that makes up the rules behind the schools.  But there are obvious differences between the American school system and the Korean.  I'm not saying that either are better, just different.

For example, I am extremely proud that my school is going the length they are to enroll a couple psychically disabled children.  From my understanding, most schools shuffle the disabled kids through the system.  Our school has two full classrooms devoted the helping and teaching the students.  They are installing an elevator and handrails so that the students will be able to walk in our school.  One of my favorite teachers, Wisdom, teaches the students.  I remarked that her name should mean Patience because of her choice.  She laughed at this.

For me, teaching 40 kids presents a very big problem; I am still getting use to just getting blank stares of incomprehension and trying to figure out how to get across a language barrier.  But when a disabled student (mentally or emotionally) is also in the classroom, it is not only distracting to me, but also the students.  There is nothing really I can do about the kid in my classroom.  Half the time the just stand in a corner, facing the wall.  The other half of the time, though, they are provoking the other students.  I have had to step inbetween a couple students so that they wouldn't gang up on the disabled kid.

Remember, I can't understand what the students are saying, so all I really see is two kids standing up, and threateningly walking towards the kid in the corner.  Usually just a hand on the shoulder will get the kids to sit back down.  I have gotten into the habit of saying, "Not in my classroom."  The boys seem to like that, and after class, they usually "escort" the disabled kid the room.

I know it might be wrong of me to allow this.  But, I don't really know what to do.  I am following the Korean teacher's lead.  She usually doesn't mind students pounding away on each other, or before class, putting each other in choke holds.  And, after class, the English teachers will commiserate with me about some of the trouble students.  One teacher (no names today) told me that she hated one of the boys.

I totally understand why she would say this.  I probably go cursed out for the first time today.

I handed out a worksheet on the Wonders of the World today and told the class they needed 5 words to leave the class.  This is a trick another teacher has used and had good success with.  Half the time, most of the students don't realize I am serious and joke off for the rest of class--until they realize I am serious.  I stand in front of the door and after I deny the first student who hasn't completed the requirements gets told "No." the kids usually all scramble to copy answers and figure out how to get out.

But there are some kinds, like (let's call him Johnny) Johnny who completely refused to do the worksheet.  He kept trying to sneak by me, and when I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "No paper, no pass." He flipped out.  He started yelling at me in Korean, which the Korean teacher told me to just ignore and took him aside.  She instructed him to fill out the sheet.  He stared at it for about five seconds, until the Korean teacher went to go help someone else, then he shot off his seat and started talking to me again.  He kept sticking his index finger on top of his head and saying the same word over and over again.  I think he was calling me a devil teacher.  Which was slightly ironic because I was thinking, "you're a devil child."  Finally, he was the last student and I gave him one of the completed worksheets so that ALL HE HAD TO DO was COPY the answers.  Not hard.  But he sat and fretted, and complained, and moaned, and hit his head on the table, and angrily mutter in Korean.  I told him the quicker he stopped and just finished, the quicker he could leave.   I should note that my Korean teacher totally approved of this tactic--the "you don't leave until I say so" plan.  She also liked that I was actually sticking by my guns.  She said I cannot let the children whine or bully their way out of class.  She told me that this boy, Johnny, has classic ADHD and most of the teachers just ignore him.  By showing him that I am serious and treating him just like ever other student, I will reinforce to him that I am serious and that he will not get special treatment from me.

Note: I am not saying that I totally agree with this method.  I know this system is not perfect and there are probably a million other better ways of me dealing with this situation.  But I am following what my Korean co-teacher is telling me.  I'm not hurting Johnny and I'm not putting him under any undo stress.  He literally just has to copy five circled words in a word search and he can go.

As soon as he completes this, he shoves the paper at me.  I take an actual look at it and then say, "Hey." He looks up, all pouty and red-in-the-face.  "Good job." I tell him, and hold out my hand for a high five. He eyes me suspiciously, then quickly taps my hand.  I laugh, say, "No." and hold my hand up again.  He  quizzingly puts his hand up and I, with super enthusiasm, give him a HUGE high five.  "YAH!...Like that!" I say.  He looks at me like I'm crazy, but smiles and then leaves.

My Korea teacher then takes about five minutes to tell me about the disabled students.  It is quiet obvious that the Korean Education system does not really have knowledge/resources/abilities/ability to help kids who have special needs*.  So, with children like Johnny, most teachers basically "put up with him" and pass him along.  I'm not saying this is right--just different.

*Note:  I might be using politically incorrect terminology.  I apologize if I offend anyone, not my intention.  I am using words that are common here.

If Johnny is a problem though, I have a real issue with some of the students who have more severe disabilities.  There is a boy here, we're going to call him Eugene, who is probably 14 or 15 but acts like a 4 year old.  (I've named him Eugene because his name actually sounds like his American name.  His name is Yu-jin or Yang-jean, or Yen-joohn.  I am soooo bad at Korean names).  I've had him in class and he literally will go up to a Big Boy student, hit him over the head, and then run back to his corner, giggling.  This is the boy who I have repeatedly stopped from getting attacked.  In my classroom, he is safe from beatings--but outside I am not sure*.

*Remember, I have very little authority. I may be a teacher, but none of the material I teach is really tested.  And how do you chastile a child in a foreign language besides saying, "No. Bad word!"  It is quiet difficult.

So basically, I just make sure that the kids aren't pulverizing each other.  I stop the fights before they start and break up fights that do happen.  It is not like I am in a gang city--it is just "friendly" beatings.  These kids have known each other for 2 years, and are in all their classes together.  (The teachers change classes in Korea, not the students).  That means they all know each other really well.  Yes, there is bullying, but it is very different from America--and really, as a guest in their country, what I am suppose to do?  My reach is very short.  I try to do what I can, and acknowledge that I can't change the system, and just try to make my part of the school safe.  Plus, can you remember back to middle school?  Children can be very visicous.

Another story: I was teaching comparatives yesterday.  You know:  "I am taller than Sally."  Comparing one thing to something else.  Changing TALL into TALLER.  Well, I used the example "fat" to practice doubling the consonant and adding -er.  I didn't think anything about it.  But, when the students were going around doing an activity, I noticed one of the boys was crying in a corner.

I pointed him out to my Korean co-teacher and she went over and consoled him.  He had a couple male friends with him, and they seemed to generally be supporting him.  After class, my co-teacher told me that the boy's name was...err...Ralph and that he was the leader of the class.  A smart boy and very popular, good personality.  But he is larger than most Koreans--not fat, but larger.  Anyway, when I had used the example "fat" apparently many of the kids had started calling his name, and during the activity (where they go up to a student and find out if he wants to do X activity, and why) about half the class had gone up to him and asked him if he wanted to exercise because he was fat.  The co-teacher told me that Ralph bottles up emotions and today he erupted.

So, remember middle school children are not always nice.

Anyway, so after Johnny had a good time calling me a Devil Teacher, I didn't think I'd see him again.  But then, in walk Johnny and Eugene.  Anyway, Eugene was provoking Johnny. Johnny performed some tae-kwon-do on Eugene.  I said, in my best teacher voice, "No!  Out!  Not in my classroom!"  And Johnny left.  I go over to Eugene and pat his arm.

Okay, so if you think teaching a bunch of students English is difficult, it is a totally new degree of difficulty to try to consol a student who is disabled.  I hate to say this, but maybe I should just stay away from them. Because....well, let me continue the story.

So, Eugene's sleeve is very dirty.  I try to wipe it off, and it works a little bit.  But, not really well.  So, I grab the toilet paper roll (for blowing a students nose) in my class, and unwind a little bit.  I had been walking out the door, so I set all my books and papers on the table to get the tissue.  When I return, Eugene has picked up all my papers.  I don't really need these papers, it's about 5 left over word searches (the one that Johnny threw a fit over), but I would like to keep at least one copy.  So I reach to grab the top copy.  Eugene ducks and shakes his head, and starts to hit himself with the papers (trying to get the dust off).  I simply try to grab the paper, but because Eugene is Eugene, he does not like this.  He bolts.  I should have just let him go, but all I wanted was a paper.  I try to tell him this...and I block the doorway into the hall, extending my hand to ask for the paper.  Eugene swats my hand out of the way and barrels past me, knocking me into the door frame.

I know this is unacceptable in Korean standards.  While kids can bang on each other as much as they want, it does not mean that they are at all allowed to smart back or raise a hand to a teacher.  But Eugene is not a simple student.  And, probably for once, I was by myself.  My Korean co-teacher had gone back to the classroom and there was only one student at the end of the hall--who had his back turned.

I see Eugene headed off to the bathroom, running in his happy way, giggling the whole time, a skip every once and a while.  I let him go, knowing that I cannot do anything.  He doesn't understand me, and I don't think he understands Korean either.

I know he wasn't trying to be mean or rude by this--his mind set is just different than other students.  He is disabled.

But that doesn't mean that it didn't shock the hell out of me.  I have never really been pushed around before, nor my hand smacked out of the way. It was just jarring.  And a little unsettling.

I basically came back to my desk in the teacher's room, and ate some mentos (which were left over from my breakfast this morning--breakfast of champions prt 2: Mentos, Snickers bar (Dark chocolate) and a Korean Coffee drink called Coffee Bean--yah I woke up late this morning!).

I have told Ms Kim of this incident.  She said that even if Eugene is disabled, he has broken basic etiquette that he knows is wrong.  She said he has done this to other teachers and that this behavior is not allowed.  She is going to talk to Eugene's teacher now.  I told her that I understand Eugene is disabled and what that entails.  She said that even if he is disabled it doesn't mean that he can treat people like that.  I said I don't want to create a big problem, but she assured me that if Eugene did this to any other teacher they would talk to Eugene's teacher.

But this is the tricky thing...I don't know if I just got Eugene in a boat load of trouble.  I have seen the punishment style of the Korean education system and every once and a while, you hear of stories.

For a very long time, corporeal punishment was standard in Korea.  Just last year, the Seoul Education office outlawed the practice.  But, according to my lovely translating co-teacher Ms Kim, because the "rod" was the one and only means of punishment for so long, there really is not another method of punishment that is effective against students.  (Please read and understand this through a set of cultural lenses different than your own.  Once again, I am not saying the Korean method is right or wrong, just different).  It's not like the children are beaten--I'm not saying it doesn't happen--as a foreign teacher you do tend to hear the "worst of..." stories--corporeal punishment is/was more often than not a smack on the hand or the back of the thigh with a stick (drumstick, 1x2x24 in piece of wood).  Without this, there is very little you can do to actually punish a child here in Korea.  Please do not imagine that the teachers are viscously swatting children, with giant wooden paddles.  That is not the case.

But this is a different culture.  Different ways of life.  Different guide lines.  Different social rules.  I'm not saying right or wrong...just different.  It is truly not my place to judge.  Do I personally agree with some of the practices I have listed above (corporeal punishment, just passing a child through the education system, allowing fights): no, not really.  But it is not my place to try and change it.  I am just going to do what I can to make sure that my classroom is a learning environment.

Anyway, so I was worried that I had just gotten Eugene into a hitting of his life.  The Korean teachers really like me here and I could just imagine them standing up for me.  But, after Ms Kim came back, I talked to her about my fear of Eugene getting punished "too severally" because of my telling her.   Ms Kim assured me that he would not be hurt.  I confessed that I was nervous to tell her about the incident with Eugene because in America, we have a very different mindset about punishment and dealing with children.  I love Ms Kim because she is pretty Westernized in her thinking.  She agrees me with about the corporeal punishment not being acceptable.  But she is Korean so not only does she have a nice mix of Westernization, but she is Korea enough to understand and explain to me the details behind the cultural traditions.  It might not make everything better in my head why there is a certain type of punishment, but it certainly does help me come to terms with what I am seeing around me.

OK: that was a tramatic posting for me to write.  Just remember something I keep telling myself every day:  cultural differences.

On a bit of good news: I'm off to go see a movie tonight.  The facebook movie--500,000,000 Friends or whatnot.  Going with Jessica--the girl I went to Seoul with over the weekend.  Good fun.  Should also be catching some dinner.

And tomorrow I'm headed off to Seoul for an EPIK Orientation.  I get to go learn how to actually teach my classes!  Yah!