Maintaining classroom discipline in schools in Korea is very different than back home. There have been a couple of incidents that I think are illustrative of the disciplinary style here and will be of interest to readers in other countries.
At my boys' middle school, it's always a challenge to keep students on task and from disrupting the lesson. One day last week, I told the students in this first-grade class that they needed their textbooks, notebooks, and a pencil for the lesson. The Korean teacher repeated the instructions so all the students could understand.
One boy was stalling and wasting time at his cubby at the back of the classroom. The teacher admonished him because he was wasting time and we needed to start the lesson. There was some back and forth between the teacher and student, and I could tell by the tone the student was using that he was talking back and arguing with the teacher. He finally found his books and proceed to toss them across the room towards his desk. The books flopped onto the floor.
The teacher called him out to the hallway, effectively removing him from the classroom. I had never witnessed this before from the teacher. It is very rare for teachers here since they subscribe to the interpretation of law that students "cannot be denied their education", therefore removing them from the class is not normally permitted.
However, on this occasion, the disrespect had crossed a line and the teacher took the student to the faculty office. She asked me to proceed with the class, and I didn't see her until the class was about to end. The rude boy did not return to class at all.
Later, the teacher asked me if I was surprised to see her so angry since she has never shown anger like that in class before. I told her to get even angrier in the future if she wanted. Sometimes the kids push things too far. But she's not likely to do that in the future. She said it "wouldn't be pretty."
The next day, the offending student is at the teacher's desk bright and early to receive his punishment. And this punishment was truly novel. He had to stand in the faculty office holding a sign, written in Korean, that he promises to respect teachers and the school rules and not misbehave any more. He stood there before classes, had to return for some of his breaks and part of the lunch hour. It combined embarrassment, which I'm not sure he felt, plus the pain of missing his free time at school. The teacher told me later that the parents had signed off on this punishment. Knowing this student, I highly doubt that this or any punishment will be effective, but it's nice to see some measure of discipline for poor behaviour.
Imagine my surprise when I return to the school one week later and the student is still standing with the sign in the faculty office! How long is this punishment? I think the other teachers took one look at that kid and thought, "yes, now that's a punishment!" because by the time lunch rolls around, there are three other kids standing there with their respective signs announcing to the school the wrongs that they've committed and how they'll follow the rules from now on. One student held a sign about how he will always wear his mask from now on.
All the teachers at my boys' middle school have trouble with class 3-1. They're a rowdy bunch, rarely play attention or participate, and only quiet down when they decide to take a nap at their desks. It was clear that the Korean teacher was tired of dealing with them, so she announced to me that she wasn't going to wake up the sleepers this week. She'd just let them sleep during my Halloween lesson. It was easier for everyone. Pick your battles.
Finally, at the same school, there was a fight amongst two boys in grade 1. I wasn't there to witness it, but I learned of it when I saw a student in my class with ugly looking, bloody scratches on his throat and a small cut on his face. Yet, strangely, he was in a good mood and participating in the class much more than usual. That is, he never participates but now he seemed to be having fun, if not goofing around in the class.
When class ended, I brought it to the attention of the Korean teacher. She inquired about the student's injuries and told me later about the fight. Apparently, it was resolved by the other teachers. Resolved, at least, in a way that had a scratched-up, bloody student in my class rather than sent home.
I'll never understand how they do things here.
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