Perspective

I just talked to a woman who works the support phone line for online tax software. Her birthday is tax day. I expressed my sympathies.

In other news: Middle and High School aged children all over Korea are preparing for mid-term exams. Most of our TOEFL students are not in this week and we won't be teaching any TOEFL classes next week. Because only two students have shown up to any given TOEFL course I scrapped the lessons scheduled for the week and spent more time talking to the students. Things I have been told by the students:

*That kid who was tied to a tree was probably receiving standard birthday abuse.

*Regardless of the laws of physics or limits of reality all students are held to the exact same standards in physical education. For example: Students must meet a distance/second standard and they take mandatory speed tests during the year. Regardless of such issues as illness or short legs students who do not meet the established value lose points and receive a lower grade.

*At at least one school students are required to learn to somersault backwards and are tested on this ability. Seriously, one of my students can't look to the left because she is a class leader and had to show each of 35 students how to somersault through one-on-one demonstration for their upcoming somersault test.

*Teachers hit students.

*Teachers will cut students' hair should they decide a student's hair is too long.

I have come to terms with the fact that I'm judgmental so I'll say it: grading children on their ability to somersault backwards is fucking stupid. Hitting children is stupid. Ignore issues of 'what is abuse' and just focus on the fact that positive reinforcement works better. Also, smacking a child in the head has an almost 0% chance of making your child smarter, faster, or better than ever. Proof that positive reinforcement works? I tell my students that if they all complete their computer based, self-directed quizzes I will give the whole class stickers (local currency for the hagwon). Coworker threatens them with extra homework. On any given day only 1 or 2 of my students miss their quizzes. In his class: about half. Anecdotal, I'll grant, but just one of many examples.

OK, off to dream about chasing down the Sutro Tower.