It seems the H1N1 virus is being brought back into the spotlight. WHO announced it is a “pandemic.” I suppose the common cold is pandemic, but does anyone care? This may be a little more serious than that, but given what I saw in the quarantine with people getting over it in a matter of hours, not that much more for people with decent health.
I’ve received a couple of e-mails from folks about continued concern from schools. One said her school is requiring her to undergo a nine day quarantine after she returns from a trip to the US in July.
Another said that her school is having a break, and all foriegn teachers are being asked to come home from their vacations 10 days early in order to insure they are not sick. Take ten days out of their once a year trip to visit old friends, family, deal with paperwork from home, and stock up on favorite supplies. Not take ten days out of a full school year, but ten days out of precious vacation time. None of the Korean teachers got the same memo. She said they have agreed not to come home early amoungst themselves, and the school can take it or leave it.
On another note, I witnessed for the first time the use of corporal punishment. A math teacher borrowing one of the rooms from our school had kids lined up and was giving them wacks across the butt or hands. It was pretty scary. I went to one of our Korean teachers and asked since our school is very strict on not using corporal punishment, if we could demand that teacher not use it as well when in our building. She said not really.
I thought this had been made illegal this year!? (Another side note to home that it is unbelievable that hitting kids in school has only been illegal here since January.) I almost said something to the teacher myself, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t speak any English, and I’m sure calling out another teacher in front of students would probably get me fired.
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Ruby Ramblings 
Shanna, They just started this again about the pandemic on the news but there are only a few cases in the US. Please be careful tho, it is out there. Sorry we missed your birthday but Happy belated birthday. Grandma & Grandpa L.
Comment by JEAN LANDENBURG June 18, 2009 @ 1:17 amThanks!
Comment by therubycanary June 18, 2009 @ 3:17 amIt may be a new law but that doesn’t mean someone is watching over making sure it isn’t being acted out.
Certainly is a tough site for us westerners.
Comment by Joy June 18, 2009 @ 5:31 amCorporal punishment is still common ACROSS THE COUNTRY. If cameras were secretly put into every classroom in Korea the real epidemic of violence against children would finally come out. Teachers are not prosecuted nor fired when they get caught, and this is why it continues with the unspoken support of parents, administrators, and the police and government . . .
I openly told the Korean teachers I work with when I arrived that they didn’t want to hit a student in front of me–that I’d stop them. I’m pretty sure that I just got lucky with their reactions cause I didn’t have any problems. Other people might run into cultural difference problems if they said and did the same thing . . .
Anyways, there are videos on youtube and other places of Korean teachers outright beating kids . . . it’s something that Roboseyo is trying to stop through collecting shaming evidence too.
Comment by Jason June 21, 2009 @ 12:56 am