Today was no exception. But 6:30 AM was DARK. 8:00 AM looked like 6:30 usually does. Today is going to require a LOT of coffee.
Tomorrow is the last day of our Winter Intensive classes. None of my classes are horrible, they all have some good students. But one is FAR FAR better than the others. Everyone does their homework. They all TALK. They ask questions. The class breezes by so quickly because of that. So I am going to surprise them with pizza today. (One of them won't be there tomorrow.) My way of thanking them for being great students.
I also feel sorry for them. When kids here have vacation it means EXTRA private schooling. Oh joy! No life for them but more work for me.
The reason one student won't be there tomorrow probably makes most Westerners shake their head. She has to go to school for 1 day ... to clean. All the students come in and clean their school. They don't have janitors?
Every school here does this. The party line is that it helps them feel closer to their school and responsible for keeping it clean. Odds are it is a way of the Principal pocketing the money that should have been spent on janitors.
Some of you might think that is harsh but I have heard a lot from friends who have worked in public schools about funding that vanishes. Happens at the University level too. I worked a Summer Camp at a University in 2005. We ended up being paid 2.25 million won for 3 weeks work. Which isn't bad. BUT I found out from some pissed off co-workers that it was supposed to be 3 million won. The head of the English department (also Director of the Summer Camp) pocketed the extra money. There were 10 foreign teachers which means the guy made 7.5 million on top of his wages off of us NOT to mention the money he skimmed off of the Korean teachers. Nice job if you can get it. ;)
Students do a horrible job at keeping the school clean. Basically, they use a dirty mop and even dirtier water to spread the grime evenly across the floor. The bathrooms have rekindled my fear of public washrooms. I feel like I might vomit everytime I enter the washroom and wonder why no one has contracted some form of diptheria yet.
ReplyDeleteJesus, the students clean the school by themselves? Isn't it against the law to make the kids work?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I forget when I am.
At least your students clean the classroom. At my school they make us teachers do it :(
ReplyDeleteAdam ... sound like the bathrooms in the building my hakwon is in. Every floor has public bathrooms that are maintained by the building. I think they clean once a week, even when you complain.
ReplyDeleteThey reek of urine on a good day. I actually hope people will smoke in there to block out the nastier odours.
In the summer some was kind enough to puke all over a stall. It took a WEEK to get it cleaned. You didn't dare go in the bathroom.
Adam ... I also forgot ... a dirty mop is the least of your worries. If they are anything like my 1st hagwon, and a lot of places I know of, they use TOILET water to clean the floors. They just ram the mop in the toilet, often without cleaning, and then mop the floors.
ReplyDeleteMr. B heh :) Can you imagine being told to clean your school when you were in high School? Elementary I would have listened. Middle not so much. High School would have ignored them.
ReplyDeleteCowgirl Damn. I refer to my previous statement about High School. I was not hired as a cleaner. It costs extra. :)
ReplyDeleteu hate korea so much fucking leave loser
ReplyDelete