사랑의 매 (Love's Stick)

Here are some more photos of "love sticks" for you. I've been teaching at new schools for new teachers, so I had to add some photos to the collection.

I even came up with a funny theory for my students. I told them I think the Korean teachers don't go home after school at night. Instead they go out hunting and killing people becuase they are really ninjas. That usually gets a few good laughs.


This stick is a really hard piece of wood. Probably the hardest stick I've seen.


This is the second orange bat I've seen. Never seen them used, so I wonder if they are for hitting the hands, typical punishment style, or some other use.


I've seen one other stick like this one. This is actually 3 flexible rulers taped together with a strong tape. Notice the pig and flower on the end? I wonder if that is supposed to take the sting off of the hits...


These are the largest sticks I've seen. Both belong to the same teacher. I can't imagine how the one on the right is used.


Here you have a drumstick. Students told me this one really hurts.


Here is some kind of flexible stick with tape. The flexible sticks probably give a little more sting than the stiff ones.


This one looks like an old Kendo stick, something used in martial arts... ninjas?


The other orange bat and a stick I think was made for punishing children.


It has hearts on it. How cute!

Love Sticks

In Korea, it is illegal for a teacher to hit their students. However, hitting is standard practice here and can be witnessed daily despite its illegality. Also, Korean mothers, for the most part, don't care. I don't have the balls to ask a Korean teacher to let me film them hitting their students. I don't think they would let me anyway.

In lieu of the video, I bring you my collection of photographs of the sticks teachers use to punish their students' misbehavior, poor test results, and lack of completed homework assignments. The more recent photos have my cell phone in there to give you a sense of the size of the sticks used. Keep in mind that the sticks are used to hit the kids' hands on the palms. I've seen as few as 5 whacks to the hands and heard 10 from down the hall. Enjoy.




Maybe my favorite stick of all, the "Love Stick". There's a movie about the 1970's called "Dazed and Confused". In it, a class of high school seniors terrorizes incoming freshmen by running them down and spanking them with large wooden paddles that have been personalized with messages for the hunted freshmen. One of the really bad seniors in the film played by Ben Affleck had "FAH-Q" written on his. Everytime I look at the photo above, the image of Affleck's character enters my mind. Below is an image from the sitcom "Family Guy" when they spoofed the movie.



I've had a lot of fun with the stick above. It kind of looks like a magic wand from the movie "Harry Potter". So when I first saw it, I pretended it was a wand and began shouting lines from the movie. The kids really enjoy it when I either make fun of their teacher's sticks or hide them.

This white stick is the piece of plastic that holds together your office report in protective plastic sleeves. This particular teacher was new and possibly has not had the time to find a propper stick.

Above is what appeared to me to be a ruler covered in a green duct-tape. After inspecting it, I think it is a hard piece of rubber because it has some flexibility. No doubt the flexibility gives it a little more sting when it makes contact with the skin.

Interestingly enough, this one is actually a stick.