[quote=“pukwai”]I’m so tired of being sexually harrassed by my male students (elementary and junior high). My loaban’s view: “Oh, you should see it as a compliment. They think you are very sexy. That’s why you are so popular.” I don’t want to be popular because I am sexy. I want to be popular because I’m a good and committed teacher. I have blondish hair and green eyes, but I don’t consider myself as a looker and I never wear tight clothes.
After three years and three months of teaching in Taiwan, I have had it. The male students always try to touch my butt and breasts. They make suggestive sounds, they show how big (not really big) my breasts are. I have to hear about “lampa”, “LP (ELLOPEE)”, “boo-boo’s”, “I want to fuck you” in my classes daily.
Yesterday I complained to my “loaban” again. He took the student outside and took the rod with him. The student came back all smiles into the classroom. After class my loaban asked me what’s the big deal?
But what will it help if I change schools? Are they all the same? It feels for me if I’m teaching a bunch of sexually frustrated hooligans here in the South. My school is in a small poor village in Tainan County. How about the other female teachers? Do you have the same experiences?
What are the laws for sexual harrassment in Taiwan? Can anyone please give me some advice on how I should handle this situation. I’m fed up.[/quote]
pukwai,
You’re kidding, right?
If not, they must be paying you a fortune to take shit like this! My God!!
I’m not a teacher meself, but I know there are hundreds of teaching jobs available right now all over the island. So my advice to you: Get out… now…
And don’t expect anything from your laoban. The majority are spineless, greedy arses who think money is the beginning and end to all problems.
Of course your laoban would take the the tried and tested Taiwanese route to solving a problem: If you ignore it long enough it will go away.
pukwai wrote [quote]
I’m so tired of being sexually harrassed by my male students (elementary and junior high). My loaban’s view: “Oh, you should see it as a compliment. They think you are very sexy. That’s why you are so popular.” I don’t want to be popular because I am sexy. I want to be popular because I’m a good and committed teacher. I have blondish hair and green eyes, but I don’t consider myself as a looker and I never wear tight clothes.
After three years and three months of teaching in Taiwan, I have had it. The male students always try to touch my butt and breasts. They make suggestive sounds, they show how big (not really big) my breasts are. I have to hear about “lampa”, “LP (ELLOPEE)”, “boo-boo’s”, “I want to fuck you” in my classes daily.
Yesterday I complained to my “loaban” again. He took the student outside and took the rod with him. The student came back all smiles into the classroom. After class my loaban asked me what’s the big deal?
But what will it help if I change schools? Are they all the same? It feels for me if I’m teaching a bunch of sexually frustrated hooligans here in the South. My school is in a small poor village in Tainan County. How about the other female teachers? Do you have the same experiences?
What are the laws for sexual harrassment in Taiwan? Can anyone please give me some advice on how I should handle this situation. I’m fed up.[/quote]
F@ck I hate seeing people being treated like White Monkeys! If this behaviour has already become established, and your “superiors” aren’t interested in doing anything, then you’re probably going to have to find a new job.
Who is your “laoban”? A fellow teacher, head teacher, agent, principal?
The problem with complaining about conditions at elementary/high schools is that these jobs are technically illegal. So, once again, the foreign teacher has to back it Backbroke Mountain style.
Are you the only foreign teacher at these schools?
Smack em up side the head[ waving papers around]/ body slam into a wall.[oops]
…Go medieval on their asses…Psycho Rage in their face.
Embarass the living hell out of them.
Then IMMEDIATLEY return to teaching the class as if absolutely NOTHING happened…
They’ll stop.
Dead silence will reign supreme in the class room.
Dole out the appropriate number of 對不起 to the chinese teacher if there is one.
Deny…
Record everything and hope to sue - you would be looking for big money here, but who knows what the outcome will be and it will probably be more stress than it’s worth.
Go and find this guy and drag him out of the office by the scruff of his neck and beat the crap out of him. It is very important you (a) identify him correctly first; and (b) say nothing to him during this process or afterwards. He knows what it’s for.
Why does your wife not resign? Is there more to this than meets the eye?
F@ck I hate seeing people being treated like White Monkeys! If this behaviour has already become established, and your “superiors” aren’t interested in doing anything, then you’re probably going to have to find a new job.
Who is your “laoban”? A fellow teacher, head teacher, agent, principal?
The problem with complaining about conditions at elementary/high schools is that these jobs are technically illegal. So, once again, the foreign teacher has to back it Backbroke Mountain style.
Are you the only foreign teacher at these schools?[/quote]
Am I the only one who thinks it is weird for the poster to complain about the way she is being treated in a job she isn’t supposed to be doing anyway?
Anyway, I have been through a similar situation when I worked at the government information orifice, being harrassed by my foreign and very married male co-worker. If you think having a pack of boys make comments about your tits is bad, try a perverted ogre physically grabbing you and kissing you. Yes, the poster will probably need to start looking for a job. The poster is in a no-win situation. Don’t expect anyone at your place of employment to understand what to do about sexual harrassment. Time to start job hunting. My biggest regret is not playing nastier and not making a bigger stink. You are lucky in that we have Apple Dailys and Next magazines–they were just coming out with those as my ordeal came to a close so unfortunately I couldn’t take advantage of them. Otherwise, my lawyer’s letter would have mysteriously dropped out of the sky and into the fax machines at one of these publications. But in the end, I got a nice little bag of hush money and perv left the island.
I apologize for not replying earlier. Sorry, I’ve been so busy with summer school preps and field trips. I have good news and everything turned out fine. Communication is the golden rule here.
A while ago, I took a newspaper article about sexual harrassment to my laoban (who is the owner of the cram school, as well as the only other English teacher at the school and a very kind and understanding man). I had a serious talk with him. I told him that I’m very happy at the school and I appreciate everything he has done for me in the more than three years I’m teaching there (legally). I told him that I have one problem, a huge problem (the sexual harrassment) that is making my life hell. If it is not going to change, I have no choice but to leave.
He apologized for not taking my previous complaints seriously. He was shocked when I told him everything in detail. Please note that we always had very good communication, but maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough on this issue in the past. On the other hand, he did react by hitting the guilty students (which he thought was the end of the story).
After our meeting, he went with me to every class and translated the article in Chinese to the students. He told them that I am going to sue them for millions if they ever sexually harrass me again. If they ever touch me again, he will personally phone the police. He gave quite a speech and was very firm. All the guilty students had to stand up and apologize to me and the female students. He also had a meeting in his office with all the naughty boys. After this, no problems.
Show up and catch this if this happens again , then ask him what the f-beep-k is wrong with him, make him promise this is not gonna happen again or otherwise…
Anyway, good luck, and I hope my empathy helps you a little bit …
