Where am I again?

Friday I encountered an incident that is not common to Taiwan, but would probably happen in an American school. After lunch, I was walking back to my classroom, when I saw a few boys playing "lookout" in a corner where there is no camera surveillance (also happens to be right below my classroom). So I yelled from the end of the hall "what is going on." When I was ignored, I ran down the hall to try and catch what was happening before everyone ran away. When I got there, I looked around the corner and saw some kids with air soft pellet guns, but I couldn't get to them (or see their number on their uniform) because one of the big "lookout" kids held my arm so I couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't break free because he was much bigger than me, but once I did, all the kids had run away. I figured I couldn't do anything about it because I didn't get their numbers and I don't know their names. So I just didn't say anything about it. Well, at the 3:00 break, I heard what sounded like a pellet gun being shot. When I looked out my window, I saw nothing. I heard it again, then I heard a "tink" on the table next to me. I look out the window, and see nothing. I ran over to the hallway and looked down to the secret corner, where I saw kids loading pellets into the gun. THEY WHERE SHOOTING INTO MY CLASSROOM WINDOW! So, I run out of my classroom and tell Gerry to catch the kids and get their numbers, while I run upstairs to get a Taiwanese teacher. By time we came back downstairs, Gerry had chased two kids across campus and gotten the attention of some school personell. They said they were taking care of it.
I was going to just forget about the whole ordeal until Bette encouraged me to do something about it. Of course, Bette is a little more bold than me and can be quite the hell-raiser, so I didn't take her advice to the "t". She told me to go to the office and tell them that I was upset and something needed to be done. After her talk, I was pumped up and ready to boldy tell the school officials how angry I was. Well, the 2 minute walk there calmed me down and once I arrived, I was like a noodle again. I gently told them what had happened. THEY LAUGHED! I told them again a little firmer this time, and they still laughed. Finally, ONLY to get my point across, I told them that if a pellet had hit me I would be back on the plane to America. I said that NO student should be touching me, let alone restraining me, and that I shouldn't have to deal with kids treating me like this. They agreed, and another teacher stepped in to tell me they would be punished. One of the school directors asked me what I wanted to give as their punishment. I told them that punishing them was not my responsibility and I don't know what punishments are in this country, so please don't lay that on me. They called the students to the office and screamed and hit them (I felt horrible now, because of me these students were getting blows to the back of the head....I was on the verge of tears). I sat there in an extremely uncomfortable situation for as long as I could stand, then I asked if I could leave. I was told that they would deal with the kids and tell their parents, and on Monday the kids would make it up to me. I was so overwhelmed with different emotions at this point, I just wanted to go home.
On Monday morning, the student that restrained me came to the English office with his teacher to apologize and give me a big box of fresh fruit. In translation, he told me that he hoped I could forgive him and move on with the year. I am sure that both the school and his parents really layed into him, so I am okay with the situation. I thanked him and now it's over.
At lunch the FETs and the native teachers discussed this recent lack of respect for the foreign teachers. It's mostly coming from the 6th graders and we can't exactly pinpoint why. Of course, being a teacher in a foreign land with a language barrier, it's difficult to discipline and maintain classroom order sometimes. That is why the homeroom Taiwanese teacher is supposed to accompany the students in class and help with discipline and translation when needed. They don't always show up, and if they do they are grading papers and usually do not help at all. I have learned to accept this and do the best I can. I have cashed out my ideas for discipline, and now we are brainstorming what else might work. It is very frustrating to have students that don't respect me. I can understand in my own land how this might be a fun game for students to play...but when I sacrificed a year of my life with my friends and family to live in a completely different culture, you would think perhaps I would get a little more appreciation and respect.
The taiwanese teachers are going to speak to the classes and hopefully next semester we will start off on the right foot. I know one thing is for sure: I'm going to start off with pictures of procedures in my classroom. When I talk, you don't. When I say quiet, you are quiet. Bring your book to every class. Not that difficult is it?