Well damn.
Strike at the top because shit rolls downhill.
Get ready for the world's longest post talking about what's gone on the last week.
Monday - Got hit. Told the MT, she just ended up defending him and acted like it wasn't really a big deal.
Tuesday - Holiday. Lamented my nonworking back but just downed painkillers and did fuck all.
Wednesday - MT came in for all of about 2 minutes and talked to the kid who hit me. He said he didn't hit me, she believed him and left. I had to go to her after school and show her the bruise on my back, she still defended him and spoke for him. She tried to tell me not to go to the hospital and go to the school nurse instead. That night I couldn't lift my leg more than 2 or 3 inches off the ground, I knew I had to get help.
Thursday - Woke up super early and went to the hospital as soon as it opened. No fracture, but had a spinal injury. Given 2 weeks bed rest and a ton of medication. Apparently I also have an ulcer. Didn't have one when I left America so that's....interesting I guess. Explained the stomach pains I'd been having. Went to school to give them the documents, stupid I know, and ended up working. Called the PoE and got them involved. They called the school.
Soon after that, I had a girl I'd never seen before bust into my classroom, sst down on top of my desk and start interrogating me in Korean. She got frustrated I didn't understand so I brought up Google Translate. She was asking me why I was in Korea, why was I at this school. She called me a bitter worker and asked if I was happy here, and then said something like, "don't you want to go back to your country?" I was completely shocked but just pretended to not understand still. She got frustrated and left after that. My MT's student came into class after and kept interrupting my lesson asking me if I liked Korea.
I left and went home and just wanted to die, my back hurt so much. I got a message from my PoE asking to request a day off and report back immediately what they said. Within seconds of reading that, I got a message from my MT with a lot of ~'s asking how I was. I requested the day off and got it. I ignored all other messages and went to bed.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - I laid in bed most of the day and did almost nothing else but eat, watch movies and sleep. I got a message saying my MT finally believed me because she spoke to the class and they corroborated what I had told her and that the kid was a terror. Great. In the end the only reason they were on my side is because I had students who were willing to defend me. What a world. Taking the word of a 9 year old over your god damn coworker. Small victory I guess.
Monday - Yesterday - I got to school early because I knew I had to prep materials and clean my classroom for the open class I couldn't skip the next day. While I was cleaning I had another random, unknown student come into my room and start interrogating me in Korean while she moved chairs around and opened cabinets. I knew to just ignore it. While she was doing that, two boys had apparently been busy ripping the bathroom sign off the wall. They threw it into my room like they were trying out for the national Frisbee golf team. I walked over and saw a bloody tissue on the floor from someone's apparent nosebleed. Okay I guess? Fuck sake. The girl left once I threw the sign into the hall and closed the doors to my room. She got the hint I wasn't going to talk.
All of the 3rd grade class came in and asked me if I was okay and seemed upset on my behalf. The kid who hit me was apparently supposed to come in and apologize and give me a letter? But he just came in, tried to fly his drone around my room for a few minutes and then left when I told him off.
My Vice Principal came in and we had a conversation in which she apologized a dozen times about the kid and my salary being late. I told her it wasn't her fault, she's as new to this school as I am. I told her the salary has been late the last year as well and I wasn't going to stand for it. It was a contractual obligation and they needed to follow it. She said she heard about me being hit on Thursday, and was told it happened on Wednesday. I laughed and said it happened on Monday, she was surprised and got a look on her face like "oh, really then?" and left shortly after.
Right after she hit the door, one of my 5th graders asked me in a very calm voice, "Teacher... hit?" And was balling his fists up. This kid is brilliant and basically conversational, he doesn't know as much vocabulary as he likes but he can get the gist of almost any conversation. Since he'd heard the whole story I said that I was indeed hit by a 3rd grader. I'll never in my entire life forget what he said next, mainly because I genuinely had no clue he knew this phrase. In a quiet voice he said "...that son of a bitch." and instantly followed it up with "Oh, sorry teacher!"
I almost died from trying to hold in a laugh, and we spent the next few minutes on google translate with another student explaining the situation and getting "call the police" and "I will kill him" as responses. God bless those kids. Honestly my 5ths and 6ths are the only things keeping me here anymore. I love them so much.
After classes were over, I had a talk with my MT and told her about the bathroom sign thing, she chalked it up to curiosity of students. Right... She went on to say that the school was for below level students and that's why the behavior is bad. Again, right... I went home after that and played Stardew Valley.
And that brings us to yesterday, Tuesday. - Open class day. All dressed up, materials prepped, lesson plan memorized. Spent all morning hoping that more than 3 kids show up or my plan is going to burn into embers.
My MT and Head Teacher came in to set up chairs, I was nervous but was excited. Well, that is until my only two kids who bothered to come to class sheepishly whispered that they had to go to Academy today and couldn't stay in class longer than 10 minutes. We got their two friends to play stand-in students and had one more show up last minute. After 15 minutes passed, 4 of the 5 stood up and left. It was an unmitigated disaster. I had to get volunteers to play the games with me and ended 15 minutes early.
But the good news out of that situation is that I was able to explain that this happens all the time, and with 80 minute blocks of class I end up struggling to teach 1 student after everyone leaves. They all discussed it and after it was all said and done, my MT told me that I was going to be a curriculum teacher instead of forcing myself through 80 minute blocks after school all week!
We discussed a few other things and as it turns out, it is in fact the principal who is late on paying salaries. I don't think it's just me. It was like this last year and seems like everyone is getting this treatment.
If I can pull myself out of this after school nightmare, I can handle more within the school. The isolation and harassment by kids was killing me inside. I'm willing to push through this and see how the rest of the year turns out.
Thanks for reading everyone. And my back is feeling immensely better.
Get ready for the world's longest post talking about what's gone on the last week.
Monday - Got hit. Told the MT, she just ended up defending him and acted like it wasn't really a big deal.
Tuesday - Holiday. Lamented my nonworking back but just downed painkillers and did fuck all.
Wednesday - MT came in for all of about 2 minutes and talked to the kid who hit me. He said he didn't hit me, she believed him and left. I had to go to her after school and show her the bruise on my back, she still defended him and spoke for him. She tried to tell me not to go to the hospital and go to the school nurse instead. That night I couldn't lift my leg more than 2 or 3 inches off the ground, I knew I had to get help.
Thursday - Woke up super early and went to the hospital as soon as it opened. No fracture, but had a spinal injury. Given 2 weeks bed rest and a ton of medication. Apparently I also have an ulcer. Didn't have one when I left America so that's....interesting I guess. Explained the stomach pains I'd been having. Went to school to give them the documents, stupid I know, and ended up working. Called the PoE and got them involved. They called the school.
Soon after that, I had a girl I'd never seen before bust into my classroom, sst down on top of my desk and start interrogating me in Korean. She got frustrated I didn't understand so I brought up Google Translate. She was asking me why I was in Korea, why was I at this school. She called me a bitter worker and asked if I was happy here, and then said something like, "don't you want to go back to your country?" I was completely shocked but just pretended to not understand still. She got frustrated and left after that. My MT's student came into class after and kept interrupting my lesson asking me if I liked Korea.
I left and went home and just wanted to die, my back hurt so much. I got a message from my PoE asking to request a day off and report back immediately what they said. Within seconds of reading that, I got a message from my MT with a lot of ~'s asking how I was. I requested the day off and got it. I ignored all other messages and went to bed.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - I laid in bed most of the day and did almost nothing else but eat, watch movies and sleep. I got a message saying my MT finally believed me because she spoke to the class and they corroborated what I had told her and that the kid was a terror. Great. In the end the only reason they were on my side is because I had students who were willing to defend me. What a world. Taking the word of a 9 year old over your god damn coworker. Small victory I guess.
Monday - Yesterday - I got to school early because I knew I had to prep materials and clean my classroom for the open class I couldn't skip the next day. While I was cleaning I had another random, unknown student come into my room and start interrogating me in Korean while she moved chairs around and opened cabinets. I knew to just ignore it. While she was doing that, two boys had apparently been busy ripping the bathroom sign off the wall. They threw it into my room like they were trying out for the national Frisbee golf team. I walked over and saw a bloody tissue on the floor from someone's apparent nosebleed. Okay I guess? Fuck sake. The girl left once I threw the sign into the hall and closed the doors to my room. She got the hint I wasn't going to talk.
All of the 3rd grade class came in and asked me if I was okay and seemed upset on my behalf. The kid who hit me was apparently supposed to come in and apologize and give me a letter? But he just came in, tried to fly his drone around my room for a few minutes and then left when I told him off.
My Vice Principal came in and we had a conversation in which she apologized a dozen times about the kid and my salary being late. I told her it wasn't her fault, she's as new to this school as I am. I told her the salary has been late the last year as well and I wasn't going to stand for it. It was a contractual obligation and they needed to follow it. She said she heard about me being hit on Thursday, and was told it happened on Wednesday. I laughed and said it happened on Monday, she was surprised and got a look on her face like "oh, really then?" and left shortly after.
Right after she hit the door, one of my 5th graders asked me in a very calm voice, "Teacher... hit?" And was balling his fists up. This kid is brilliant and basically conversational, he doesn't know as much vocabulary as he likes but he can get the gist of almost any conversation. Since he'd heard the whole story I said that I was indeed hit by a 3rd grader. I'll never in my entire life forget what he said next, mainly because I genuinely had no clue he knew this phrase. In a quiet voice he said "...that son of a bitch." and instantly followed it up with "Oh, sorry teacher!"
I almost died from trying to hold in a laugh, and we spent the next few minutes on google translate with another student explaining the situation and getting "call the police" and "I will kill him" as responses. God bless those kids. Honestly my 5ths and 6ths are the only things keeping me here anymore. I love them so much.
After classes were over, I had a talk with my MT and told her about the bathroom sign thing, she chalked it up to curiosity of students. Right... She went on to say that the school was for below level students and that's why the behavior is bad. Again, right... I went home after that and played Stardew Valley.
And that brings us to yesterday, Tuesday. - Open class day. All dressed up, materials prepped, lesson plan memorized. Spent all morning hoping that more than 3 kids show up or my plan is going to burn into embers.
My MT and Head Teacher came in to set up chairs, I was nervous but was excited. Well, that is until my only two kids who bothered to come to class sheepishly whispered that they had to go to Academy today and couldn't stay in class longer than 10 minutes. We got their two friends to play stand-in students and had one more show up last minute. After 15 minutes passed, 4 of the 5 stood up and left. It was an unmitigated disaster. I had to get volunteers to play the games with me and ended 15 minutes early.
But the good news out of that situation is that I was able to explain that this happens all the time, and with 80 minute blocks of class I end up struggling to teach 1 student after everyone leaves. They all discussed it and after it was all said and done, my MT told me that I was going to be a curriculum teacher instead of forcing myself through 80 minute blocks after school all week!
We discussed a few other things and as it turns out, it is in fact the principal who is late on paying salaries. I don't think it's just me. It was like this last year and seems like everyone is getting this treatment.
If I can pull myself out of this after school nightmare, I can handle more within the school. The isolation and harassment by kids was killing me inside. I'm willing to push through this and see how the rest of the year turns out.
Thanks for reading everyone. And my back is feeling immensely better.
Comments
Post a Comment