Maple Bear woes

I've heard from the grape vine that Maple Bear is declining fast, like North Korea's food supply! Morale is low and new management, after John the American director was canned, wants the ESL teacher's to meet Korean parents, one-on-one, and be a part of the planning for Western style holidays and such. Enrollment is low and some teachers have had their schedules reduced. My old IEP3 class was canceled. All is not well in Suwon.

Although conditions in Korea can be funky and uncomfortable at times for foreign teachers, there are so many benefits that make me appreciate the time I've lived in Korea. For example, the general feeling of safety at night. You can walk or ride your bike without the worry of harassment or impending mugging. The easy hours of work that enable you to often stay up late and socialize with friends or wake up early to experience the "land of the morning calm." To understand the latter, you need to be there and feel it. The lack of stress of owning a car or getting around to your destinations. Korea has excellent and very affordable transportation. The way that Korean people like to eat, drink and share their food with you. Imagine being on a public bus and being offered food or snacks. Never here on the bus here in America! Forgettabout it. The grass is always greener, I suppose, in hindsight.

My last week at this Canadian Maple Leaf Hogwan

Well, the school in its management brilliance has asked me to work two days before I leave next week. It seems that the two new teachers, a married couple, don't arrive until August 17th and the Director needs to figure out how to cover or combine different level classes with three teachers leaving and one new teacher here. I told him that I will work next Monday (possibly) and Tuesday (definitely) and leave Suwon on Wednesday (you bet I will) for Los Angelez. Reminds me of that Arlo Guthrie song: "Coming into Los Angeleez, bringin in a couple of keys...don't touch my bag, if you please, Mr. Customs man..." Yes, blog reader I am going to smuggle in two kilos of kim chi through customs. Watch me, now!

Of course I get paid for my time working. I am helping them out because they need me and I feel okay about doing that. Plus, I get to see my favorite class one last time. Oh, those stinky little kids! By helping the school out, I am also helping Bernard and others who may be asked to work more hours and since I was planning on spending money in Seoul for two days shopping, I figure I could save some cash, earn some cash and help out my fellow prisoners!

All the teachers and teacher assistants, who are Korean, filled out these anonymous surveys two months ago and sent them to HQ. This hogwan is a Canadian franchise, BTW. Did they ever read the complaints and comments about management? I talked to a lot of teachers here and they unloaded on paper a host of things that should make HQ raise their eyebrows and take some action!

Cute Kids Cute Talk?

Hello from the hot and humid side of Suwon, South Korea. It's Palmer in Korea again reporting this time on kid's language acquisition abilities. In other words, the things they say in the classroom.

There's a colleague who got upset about the new and fun way some students are talking in my school. It seems that one of her/his students likes to go around in the classroom and say in English, "Very Sexy!" (the female student pronounces it as: "Very Shasexy") I'm not sure if she learned it from another student or if it's the same student that my other colleague, Bernard, teaches. Some teachers have the same student in different classes during the day. In any case, my colleague was very upset last week and shook a disapproving finger in Bernard's direction. From what I've heard he/she is one of the teacher's currently looking for work elsewhere.

There's another few students who now go around and use the satan like head-banger hand sign you would see in the audience of an AC/DC show. The colleague noticed that too. He/she says this upsets the routine of students. When students need to settle down, the teachers sometimes say, "Show me two fingers...who's quiet?" The students then hold up their right hands and make a "peace" sign and hopefully settle down. Now, it's all shot to hell with satan's handy-work!

If you are cringing blog reader, this will really grab ya! Yesterday I talked to Bernard, he's a bi-lingual Canadian Korean. He told me that that last week one of his young students grabbed her breast and said to him, in Korean, "suck suck" or "milk me." WTF?! She's younger than twelve!

I have a eight year old student who ran up to me at the beginning of class a few weeks ago and said that she wants to be "my lover!" I told her no, I am your teacher. Where do kids model or see this behavior? It's crazy teaching English at a hogwan.