Hello,

I could really do with some advice from fellow ESl teachers.

I am currently teaching in Seoul, South korea in a school with students aged 7 - 17. I taught for a year in Daejeon with similiar ages, ejoyed my time and would like to think l had a good relationship with the children. I had good students, not so good students, classes l loved, classes l wasn't so keen on etc..... All in all it was an interesting experience and l decided that l would like to teach at a hagwon for a second year.

This story is not so positive, however. I have been pretty miserable for the past 4/5 months at the hagwon l am currently teaching at. My boss pays me on time, but the kids behaviour is very bad.

When l say bad l mean refusing to do activities, sometimes hitting me and swearing a lot in my lessons. In my first week at the school l would walk into certain lessons and the students would completely ingnore me, shouting a conversation over the classroom for the 50 minute period. I have really struggled to get them to listen or take interest in what l am trying hard to do infront of the classroom. They are (this school is 80 percent boys by the way) quite hostile towards me and l am ashamed to say that l have resorted to shouting and marker throwing as a means of getting their attention and as some kind of discipline. Not good.

Anyway l go to school at least an hour early to prepare for the lessons and make materials, so it's not that l don't prepare or don't care. I have tried to talk to my boss, but he just gives them candy all the time because it is his way of "handling the children". I know an unhappy teacher, angry teacher etc... is a bad teacher, but l don't know what l have done wrong or why l can't get through to these children.

I just don't understand why l have gone from being quite a happy, easy going person in the classroom, to an angry miserable punchbag for little children. They don't have much respect for my boss either and shout at him if they don't get "candy" ( the word candy will haunt me forever). The kids also draw on the walls in marker pen and are allowed to play games on the teacher's computers ( we have a desk each with a flat screen) I have tried all kinds of things to teach them, but nothing seems to work. I am running out of steam. The boys (well they do make up 80 percent of the school) are getting more hostile, especially as summers are very hot out here and uncomfortable.

Any advice or any response at all would be really welcome.

LC