I'm starting to hear more and more--from other teachers--and to read, in the news, about a trend in Korea: students being rude. Apparently, public school teachers, especially for middle schools, are taking early retirement in large numbers due to dissatisfaction with teaching. They feel that they are not able to manage students' behavior, and the consensus is that things are only going to get worse.
We are seeing some of this at the private academy where I teach. Overall our students are nice and well-behaved, in part because we have small classes (10 students max.), so they receive more individual attention (vs. public schools, where the class sizes are usually 30-40 students). Clearly, it is also harder to "get away" with something in a smaller class, such as using a cell phone.
Having said that, in the past month or so I have had two cases where students have told me "No" when asked to do something, which is quite shocking for Korea, at least in a traditional sense. Also, last week, perhaps for the first time in my entire teaching career, a student yelled at me. In all cases I took the students out of the classroom and to the office for a bit of counselling.
Unfortunately, some of my co-teachers are also experiencing rudeness in the classroom, and, while it originates from a small minority of students, one worry is that it will affect other students' behavior (or "infect"). I have zero tolerance for such behavior, since I firmly believe that no single student has the right to disrupt the learning experience of other students.
I am strict with new classes/students, but, once they learn rules of conduct (no shouting, always say "please" and "thank you", do your homework, etc.), my students find they can have a lot of fun in class, such as joking around with English and playing games.
Since I have heard and read that public school classes often lack order, I asked some students of mine about what goes on in their elementary and middle schools. (Let me make it clear here that I teach at an "after-school" private English academy, or "hagwon". All of my students attend public schools. They come to our academy in the afternoon or evening for English instruction.)
The students told me that often only a few students listen to the teacher; most chat or use their cell phones in class.
One student asked me what school is like in America, and I said that I thought students in many schools learned more than Korean students do, but, because of that, most American kids do not attend academies. I have come to realize that the reason most Korean kids attend academies after school--some for 4-5 hours--is that they do not learn much in their public schools, so the knowledge has to be retaught, which has a huge societal and economic impact.
That thought is just the tip of an iceberg, as Korea is beginning to realize it has to change its educational system. I read last month that the government proposed putting two teachers in every middle school classroom (vs. 1), but that is clearly placing a bandage on a sore instead of addressing the cause of the infection.
I'm sure I will post more about this topic in the future.
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