Hierarchy at school

Earlier this week one of my classes did not pitch to my lesson. There was no fore warning, they just didn’t arrive. Not being informed of things is a pet hate of mine. I expect my coteachers to inform me when a group of students are not going to attend my lesson. I have often spoken to the coteacher, whose students did not arrive to class, about the need for communication but he continues to fail to inform me. I’ve pleaded and reasoned with the teacher in question, I’ve even refused to attend a school event once when I received notice of it extremely late; all too little effect.

Not being informed of things irritates me, but I try to bear in mind that I am not at home – I am in Korea and the two cultures are markedly different.

At home if important information is withheld, it’s acceptable to be peeved off. Unfortunately for me, Korea is a strictly ordered society. I don’t fit into the ordering well since I have only a very rudimentary understanding of the culture and I am not Korean, but this is not to say that aspects of Korean culture aren’t applied to me. In Korea it is acceptable for more senior people to not pass on information to junior people, and so I am not informed about changes in class schedule.

Similarly junior people are not involved in discussions about decisions which affect them. For example I submitted my request for my winter vacation yesterday, and I was told by my coteacher that the other teachers had discussed my request and that it is likely to be approved. I thanked my coteacher, but I must admit my immediate instinctual feeling was irritation since I couldn’t help but feel that my leave request concerns the schools senior administrator and myself; and nobody else. Unfortunately my feelings don’t match reality – instead of my leave request being a simple matter between two people it has to go through several people; which is why my coteacher could not give me an immediate answer event though my requested dates are in the middle of the vacation. My leave request is likely to land on the desks of - the senior English teachers, the head of English, the 3^rd in charge at school, a senior administrator, the teacher in charge of leave, the vice-principal and finally the principal.

Hierarchical relations are all pervasive in Korea, and are strictly applied; even to the layout of the teacher’s office. The vice principal’s desk is against the windows at the back. The most senior teacher’s desks form a line with the vice-principals, with the second most and third most important men in the room seated on the left and right side of the vice-principal. These senior teacher’s desks are arranged in relation to the importance of their subject. The more important the desk, the closer it is to the vice-principal. Sport is the least important of the subjects, so although the head of sport sits with the most senior teachers his desk is the furthest from the vice-principal. Oh, and the most senior teachers are all men.

The rest of the desks are organized in perpendicular rows to the vice principal’s desk. Desks are assigned according to the teacher’s age and the subject’s importance. So for example, sport is not a very important subject; but one of the sports teachers is an older man so he sits closer to the vice-principal than a younger sports teacher would. My coteacher is a woman and in her mid thirties, but she has a relatively well positioned desk. This is probably because she plays a pivotal role in English education at school; as English is an important subject this warrants her current desk. I’m young and I am one the most junior teachers so I sit at the furthest end of my row from the vice-principal. Although my current desk is situated marginally closer to the vice-principal than when I first arrived, it is next to a basin which makes it an unpopular spot.

Generally the more senior teachers sit closer to the vice principal, the only exception being a group of senior teachers that get to sit with their backs towards cupboards which affords them a bit more privacy.

Finally the least important person – the office assistant, who is a young woman, sits the furthest away from the vice-principal.

At the beginning of the year just about everyone move desks. This was a huge task, both books and desks were pushed around the teachers office. At the time I did not understand why the teachers were prepared to come into school during the vacation to undertake the massive move; but now I understand that the move was important and must take place every year. As the teaching staff changes slightly, the teacher’s office has to be rearranged in order to maintain the hierarchy.