Fighting

[jeonjubibimbap]

So I saw my first fight today but it was between a boy and the one of the nicest and prettiest girl in class. They were arguing and he got up and threw her pencil case and then punched her. I was surprised to see it and I boiled up and starting screaming at the boy to stop and told him "Never punch a girl!" First of all, all students were surprised that this voice came from me. I was ready to tackle him. Secondly, he started crying like a baby. I guess he was scared as to what was going to happen to him since he punched another student and it was a girl. I took him into the "English Teacher's Lunge" and told him to sit there where no one could see him cry with my regular voice.
Anyway, I found out that he likes her and she always dismisses him. The DRAMA!!
 They were middle school students.  Anyway, I was surprised that nothing came of it bc in America he would have been sent to the principal's office and would most likely have been arrested and suspended from school.
What are your thought?  (Still urks me that he punched a girl...)

[Mr. S]

i'm in an elementary school and teacher don't do much in stopping students from hitting each other even when its boys and girls.... I found this very surprising... The only time i ever see teacher step in is if it is a hard hit or they seem like they are getting mad about it... I find kids in Korea are very physical with each other and it is very cultural.. If parents and teachers aren't stopping it regularly then the kids will do it... I always feel like i'm a lone worrier lol because i'm always getting on them about hitting.. There was only one fight that i saw between a boy and a girl but when i told them to stop they did.... so it didn't go further... I'm also a male so it might have something to do with ... As much as Korean pride themselves on respect in there culture they disrespect women in a lot of ways...

I would have a talk with them as a class about violence and that it will not be tolerated and that it is never acceptable to hit each other especially a man on a woman ......

Hope it will be resolved well... all the best

[jgribble57]

There is definitely a lot more hitting in class here than I'm used to.  Usually its not the really violent type, but maybe playful, maybe mean, but usually not too painful.  I've tried to understand the cultural differences and not interpret their behavior from my American way of seeing things, but I have a no fighting policy in my class so I'll tell them not to do it.  I haven't ran accross any extreme examples though- sounds like you communicated you don't approve pretty clearly. 

[lupin3]

I've only seen my elementary school kids hitting each other (girls and boys) but I've yet to see it in my middle or high school. 

To the OP: You said you were ready to tackle the boy and told him "never punch a girl" but would you have done the same if it was the other way around? If the girl punched him? Just curious as I'm not sure what I would do in that situation.  On balance it would seem fair to treat the boys and girls equally, but I'm not sure that would happen and girls would be treated with a lighter reaction. 

I imagine if I shout "NEVER PUNCH A BOY" and tackle a girl in class because she punched a boy I would be considered a mentalist.

[ouphs]

I work at an all boys middle school. I don't know how I would react if I saw a boy hitting a girl but the boys at my school pound on each other all the time. They do it in front of the Korean teachers but I guess they've seen so much of it that they don't bother anymore. I've also taken this passive approach. Maybe I'll do a lesson on bullying

[jeonjubibimbap]

You know I probably would have done the same thing if the boy was smaller than the other boy. The boy who did the punching was quite big and bigger than I. He really put force into the hit which was surprising. Usually, the boys push girls but it was the first time that I saw a boy punch with force and his face was quite violent and didn't want it to escalate.
Personally, I like to see the underdogs win, so if a much smaller boy punched a much bigger boy...I'm okay with that. Sorry hypocritical.

[canuck22]

I've broken up a couple of fights myself. chair throwing, slipper slapping, tae kwon do.  But yeah I am also interested in knowing if you would have stopped the girl if she was hitting a boy. Not always are the boys in the wrong.

its natural for a boy to tease the girl he likes. but yeah, just watch out for verbal cues and facial expressions from students. i usually find that the girls provoke the boys publicly to their friends and they all laugh together. so sometimes u have to talk to that one individual.

alot of their games involve pain such as, kawi bawi bo, the losing soccer team get the ball kicked at them, flicking, etc. they all go to tae kwon do, their chant is "fighting" - i think its alot deeper than just the class room as well.

i will stop rambling cause even i dont know wat im saying