Western society has reformed many of its policies and procedures revolving around disciplining children and adolescents over the course of the last two decades. However, you may be in for a rude awakening if you expect such changes to exist cross culturally!
Gone are the days when you feared having your hands strapped or hit with a ruler because you were talking during class. A trip to the principal's office would often be enough to drive the average child to burst into tears, let alone the student who faced humiliation by being placed in a corner facing the wall in front of his or her class.
Corporal punishment in North America has all but become extinct. Thus, it may be somewhat of a shock for the average westerner coming to teach in South Korea for the first time to see capital punishment in full practice. Having students stand in a corner while "reaching for the air"; hitting the palms of students hands with a stick intended to be used for playing drums; in some cases yelling (usually in Korean); and in extreme cases pinching of cheeks and twisting of ears are usually the methods used by hagwons to maintain order.
Infractions include pretty much what one would find in western society, including not doing your homework to talking in class while you are trying to teach. Corporal punishment is always undertaken by a Korean staff, be it a Korean teacher or the director/principal of the school. It is generally understood that western teachers are not expected to undertake such disciplining and taking it upon yourself to do so just because it seems to be the general practice could land you and the school into a lot of trouble. Thus double standards do exist, a relief for anyone who feels that these methods of disciplining shouldn't exist at all.
The purpose of bringing this to your attention is certainly not to villainies an entire culture. Rather, an approach towards cultural relativity must be undertaken by anyone thinking of leaving the safety and understanding of their own country to work and live in another society. Whether we agree or not with corporal punishment matters little. For whether one likes it or not, as ESL teachers we are guests in South Korea and just as we would dislike having our own country critiqued for the way with which we raise and discipline our children, South Koreans are no exception.
Rather the point here is to familiarize anyone who is contemplating a career in ESL about the cultural differences that may clash with one's own beliefs and morals. Despite the use of corporal punishment I can genuinely say that I have never visited a country where children are more loved and adored. Seeing fathers especially taking an active role in their child's development on weekend excursions is quite common. Being spoiled in many ways, Korean children are not lacking in anything when it comes to love and respect. If anything, corporal punishment seems to ensure that this generation of youth especially don't allow the materialistic rewards to ruin their sense of respect towards each other and their elders, including western teachers.
Whether you are living in South Korea, Dubai, Turkey or Mexico cultural ideas about how to discipline and raise children and adolescents will forever be present. Whether you thrive in a particular environment or not will depend greatly on your ability to overcome your own prejudices against another way of life, even with regards to something seemingly so small but that may shock or disgust you such as corporal punishment.
Thus, my advice to anyone is to be inquisitive during your interview as to what the policies and procedures are regarding not only disciplining children at a particular school, but as well, what is expected of you and so forth. Being informed beforehand about conditions such as the ones mentioned here can only serve to help you make a better decision not only for yourself, but for your potential employer as well, regardless of where you choose to go and teach ESL.
Copyright © 2006, Mario R. J. Corbin and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
