For those of you who have never seen a Korean 1 000 won bill, I thought while we’re at it I might as well include it in the picture.
Same size as the twenties back home so it gives you an idea how small is the ipod. That thing will come in handy at the gym cauz you can clip it on and it weighs almost nothing.
That was my materialistic moment of the day. I'm ashamed but what can I say...? I'm living in the kingdom of technology!
Oh and another news is that Ben, a new teacher, arrived yesterday. So last night they put him in my classroom to observe while I’m teaching. I was told by one of the staff that it’s because I’m a really good teacher. It certainly made my day!
Tonight Chris and I went for samgyeopsal after work and it was good. But damn, eating fat pork at 9pm is not such a good idea…
I was feeling really down today and still now… it’s hard for me to explain why.
In my Shining Star class Billy hadn’t rewritten his diary. It was the fourth one and I had warned him many times. So that was it – I told him I was calling his mom.
After the break I found him with his head in his arms, crying like a baby. The other students had no idea what was wrong with him and he wouldn’t tell me either. So he spent 40 minutes crying… hardcore!
When the bell rang, he didn’t move. But he did talk to me.
He said that he was afraid because his mom would hit him if she found out he hadn’t done his homework. He wouldn’t stop crying. And you know how I feel about that stuff… I had no idea how to deal with that.
Finally, I gave up. I told him that I wouldn’t call his mom but that he MUST show me all the diaries on Friday. He agreed and went home, still crying.
After that I went to my Janie and told her not to call the mom.
The students in the next class asked why Billy was crying (he cried so hard that the table was all wet!) and I told them the whole story. They said it’s his responsibility and that I shouldn’t feel bad or guilty.
But then, they went on about how parents and teachers punish them. They described the actual methods and stuff. I was speechless.
Especially when they said that they believe they need corporal punishment to ensure good behaviour and outstanding achievement at school. They don’t like it, but they think it’s necessary.
During the break I spoke with my VP. She actually thought this was pretty funny. She said that children usually exaggerate because they know that foreigners react strongly to corporal punishment.
The way she talked about it, it’s more like a “love punishment” and both the teacher/parent and child know it. She said there’s no way would a mom actually “hurt” her child.
She said that we should actually call Billy’s mother because otherwise, if she finds out, she will complain you know? She’ll say that I don’t check homework and I don’t care about the kids. Ironic, I know.
After work I went to Janie and Ashley. They’re both Korean so I figured they might help me calm down with a rational explanation. Young Ha, the school’s president, was also there.
Both Ashley and Janie didn’t really believe that Billy’s mom might hit him. They think I overreacted, that I’m too sensitive.
Young Ha, on the other hand, explained to me that it’s part of Korean tradition and it’s not as bad as it used to be. According to her, maybe 0.01% of the parents actually hit their kids in an irrational way. But most parents and teachers do it in a “loving and consequent” way.
But then, I asked, how do you know if the kid’s mom isn’t one of the 0.01%? I don’t want him getting hurt.
We never actually solved the issue. I left work feeling really depressed.
Why do I care so much anyway? It’s really weird. I never thought of myself as such an emotional person. Honestly, I almost feel pain when I look at those kids and try to imagine them getting hurt.
But I refuse to believe that the Korean society is a violent one.
Thus corporal punishment is probably not as excessive as I believe it is…?
Nevertheless, it was shocking to realize how the Korean staff at school minimizes the issue. They said they’ve all been hit with the “love stick” when they were younger and it didn’t kill them. Well, everyone except Young Ha actually.
Maybe I feel terrible because I overly criticised their culture? Maybe I would be a better person if my parents and teachers would have hit me when I was a kid? Actually according to Korean culture anyone family member could have punished me. Like my aunt for example.
At school they could have
1. made me stand in a chair position, without a chair, arms in front of me, for about 40 minutes
2. put my hands and feet on the ground, butt in the air, while they’d hit behind my legs with a stick
3. plunged their elbow in the hollow of my shoulder
4. pinched me
5. hit me with a book on the head
6. made me hit my forehead outside the classroom during recess time so other children could make fun of me
I guess I just don’t know whom to believe. Yeah… it’s probably not as bad as I think. And the Korean staff is right, kids tend to over dramatize. I know I certainly did when I was younger.
Wow. I feel like I was really… weak today. The good thing is that at least I’m definitely not a cold-hearted bitch. But some Koreans might say my love is not strong enough if I’m not willing to inflict a little pain in order to ensure greater joy in the future.
I am so confused.
