I wanted my last week of teaching to be fun and seamless. My students didn’t share my ambition. They were belligerent, rude and disrespectful. In other words, it was business as usual teaching middle school students in Korea.
In my first class of the day, I kicked one student out because he was being a jackass. I told him to go stand by the counter with his hands raised (a typical discipline practice). Not five minutes later, he returned (without permission) to my class demanding to know why he was out in the hall. Once again I sent him out and told him to remain there until I fetched him. This was my mistake because the door to my office was wide open.
A few minutes later, I dashed into my office to print something only to find that all the files on the computer desktop were deleted, and the recycled bin emptied.
Now you probably think it is wrong of me to accuse a 14-year-old boy of wrong doing but I have my reasons. As much as I would like to think a student wouldn’t deliberately delete a teacher’s files, someone had to do it. You do remember a few months ago my electronic dictionary and cellphone were stolen by scheming students. Some children just have no sense of right and wrong.
I asked the boy if he went into my office and of course he said no. So there’s nothing else I could have done. Without proof, I couldn’t accuse him or call his parents. I just have to let it go and forget about it. Once again it was my mistake for leaving my office door open.
My last class of the day is conversation with “high level” middle school students. Usually I have no problems with this class. It’s probably because I ignore the fact that they are never prepared for class and they never do their homework.
I asked the students one simple question. Actually it was a homework question but I was feeling generous so I gave them five minutes to prepare their response. I called on one girl. She just stared at her book. I waited. I waited another five minutes. I asked the question again. I waited. By now 10 minutes had gone by and the other students are just glaring at her and looking at me. I asked the question again. No response.
I was annoyed that she wouldn’t respond with I don’t know, I need more time, I don’t understand the question etc.
Then I opened the door and I told the student she was wasting the class’s time and she could answer me or leave. She looked up at me and said, “No”.
So I said fine, I will leave then. Fifteen minutes before my class ended, I picked up my books and left my stunned students sitting there.