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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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kylehawkins2000
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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Canadian Teacher
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, you guys are hi falootin' types. Love all that edubabble. Unfortunately, I does not mean jack-s*it in a hagwan.
Hagwans are not schools. They are place where losers try to make money. The majority of them are on the edge of failure on any given month.
A hagwan director does not give a flyin' you know what if anybody learns or teaches anything. All he is interested in in the money. He wants little Min-su to never complain to Umma about Bob Teacher going red in the face and screaming at the top of his lungs. That causes Umma to call the boss, who is worried about losing the student and his money.
I worked in kiddie haggies for two years long, long ago. It took me about six months to realise the above. I made sure the kids' workbooks were filled out and had lots of good comments in them, that is what Umma sees if she bothers to look--and most don't. If the kids were wild, I just sat down and looked at them. They would usually settle down. If they didn't, out came the walkman and the novel.
Nobody cared if I taught anything. |
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kylehawkins2000
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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Canadian Teacher,
I do understand that Hogwans are a business and the situation you've described is not uncommon but it should be noted that not everyone shares your approach or general point of view.
I think there are a fair number of teachers out there who care about their students and want to work on improving their classroom management strategies. Many teachers also want to develop good strategies to motivate their students.
I did go through a brief phase like the experience you describe and quite frankly I was miserable. I could never stay in Korea if I didn't enjoy my job and I could never enjoy my job if I approached it the way you did. |
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Micahoz
Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Location: Seattle
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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Also, I don't think everyone who works at a Hagwon is a looser. A bit harsh don't ya think since you worked in Hagwons yourself for two years. If one wants to come to Korea for the cultural experience, then getting into a Hagwon is the easiest way to do as far as I can see. After that, exactly like you did, if they choose to stay in Korea then they move onto bigger and better things.
Besides the job market in the US sucks right now and some of us are just tired of being in an isolated cubicle in some cement highrise.
If you were referring to the owner/managers of being losers, I don't think is the case for every school either.
Sounds like you are bitter over your own personal experience! |
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Canadian Teacher
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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Micahoz wrote: |
If you were referring to the owner/managers of being losers, I don't think is the case for every school either.Sounds like you are bitter over your own personal experience! |
I did my hagwan time and I am glad that I have moved along to greener pastures. Most of the teachers I saw in hagwans were quite dedicated. However, the managers I had the displeasure of working for were not in the least interested in education; their bottom line was the main concern. Their lack of attention to their product ultimately ended their businesses.
For those of you who have not been in Korea long, hagwans, particularly the chains like Wonderland, are "turn key" businesses that anybody can get into. Koreans often view the owners as lower than used car salesmen. However, parents continue to send their kids due to the short teaching hours and poor quality of Korean schools. Added to this babysitting is hard to find in Korea and really expensive.
I also enjoy living in another culture. I have lived outside Canada for ten years now. However, I prefer not to work in hagwans. When I found out the conditions at Korean universities, I upgraded my qalifications and got into a really nice position.
Hagwans are a farce and a scam. Ask anybody who has spent a few years in them. |
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William Beckerson Guest
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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*DING*DING*DING*DING*DING*
Canadian Teacher has just won today's prize for the most accurate description of our lovely little business!
For your prize, you'll win a life-time supply of Maalox to calm the burning ulcer that you gained from your stint as a hagwon teacher.
Congradulations! Our group therapy session begins at 6:00pm |
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Rand Al Thor
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Locked in an epic struggle
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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Canadian Teacher wrote: |
Added to this babysitting is hard to find in Korea and really expensive.
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babysitting is not difficult to find. And it is only 5,000 won per hour after the 3 hour minimum for 12,000won http://www.babysitter-korea.com/home/index.html |
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Canadian Teacher
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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Well, W5,000 an hour can REALLY add up to some serious coin over a month. Like W20,000 a day for 20 days a month, you do the math.
A hagwan is much cheaper. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2003 4:24 am Post subject: |
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I wanna thank the people who made a lot of intelligent comments on this thread - I actually rethought my own teaching style a bit, reconsidering about whether I'm using negative reinforcement a bit too often, for instance.
I've given it one week, as the boss asked. As mentioned earlier, I got to watch my kids sit directly next to me and then haul off and whack another student , and when I took them to the office the general reaction was hey what's the big deal? Things do not look good for The Bobster's future levels of classroom anxiety ...
I am not by nature an uberfuhrer in the classroom, by the way, nor have I ever lost my temper with a kid. I'm a pretty mellow fellow and I let them slide on a lot of things, even when I know at times that being stricter and more demanding of them would possibly result in greater levels of language acheivement, which they just might thank me for later - no, rather instead I'm pretty aware of what a grim place their Korean public schools are, and even though I don't treat my job like babysitting, I do want to see them have some fun when they are with me. There will be plenty of other teachers in their life who will make it their job to kill every bit of creative spontaneity these kids might find inside themselves, and those teachers are welcome to it as far as I'm concerned ... just ain't my bag.
It's not my style to quit, despite that being the advice of several people here. I am thinking about seeking legal counsel of one sort or another. I am still responsible for the safety of the kids in my room but I'm being denied the tools to exercise and protect that responsibility - if something bad happens on my watch, I need to know what my exposure is. |
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inkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2003 10:01 pm Post subject: Go back and finish you Engineering degree. |
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At least you can play with numbers instead. LOLOLOLOL HAHA! |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2003 5:03 am Post subject: |
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I am in a similar situation. My director doesn't want us to discipline the kids at all. Any time that I've tried, I ended up with more trouble than I bargained for. But there are times when I have to step in and do something. Since the place has a no discipline policy, I try to let as much slide as possible. I don't even try to control the class. I write out their assignment on the board, it usually takes them half an hour to copy it into their books, and then they get a "phony" buck for each page of work done. It seems to work for the most part. They like to hoard as much cash as possible.
There are times though when I do have to step in and take charge. If students start using physical violence on each other or me, I have to put a stop to it quickly or it escalates beyond my wildest nightmares. One thing that really gets my goat is bullying. That does happen from time to time as there are kids of widely divergent age groups in many classes.
Sometimes there is no other choice. A kid is going to keep pushing to see how far he can go, so I have to show him. A couple of days ago, one kid started using his Tae Kwan-do on me. Mostly, that's not really so serious, but when they start sneaking up behind you and kicking you in the back You Have to Give them a lesson they won't soon forget. If you don't, it will only get worse.
I don't like getting physical with the kids, but when it starts to get that bad
then it's either them or me.
Sounds bad, I know. But I can't have kids who think they can walk in and punch other kids and not expect any reaction from me.
I would rather get fired for giving a bully a couple of cuffs across the ear than let them destroy any semblance of teaching that goes on.
Like someone above said, hagwans are not schools. It's all about survival.
Cheers |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 7:22 am Post subject: |
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hoo-whee, your boss is having some fun with you! those smiles he gives you as he says 'we'll try it for a couple of months'. then you get all wired and he says 'we'll try it for a week'.
my boss teaches, too. so his equilibrium is offset which puts him on a wavelength with the rest of us teachers. still, i get that 'we'll try it' and smile of his, like the humouring smiles given you by your boss.
it sounds INCREDIBLY unhealthy. it's like transforming a managable environment into an unmanagable one, and creating a timebomb. it's like making a kindergarten class out of an elementary class. does your school have cameras. is your boss going to record the ensuing antics as you refrain from, being the class-captain, delivering any consequences to deflect the elements of chaos! is this sort of a 'watch teacher implode' kind of video he's going to make?
where would kids be without those two minute quiet times standing in the corner?
let me tell you about the worst kids at our school..........
he is built like a weasel, and is constantly trying to find a weak spot, or a lack of attention in the teacher. i had him sitting upright and attentive for a month and something, but lately there has been some admin work to do and i came in late. he had 'gone home' said the students. after class i found he had been 'hiding' in another room. and he acted like he hated my guts and completely disrespected me. so the wife of the boss scolded him for his flagrant sauciness. that's the kind of constant maintenance some kids require. slip up once, and they figure they can go back to being one of the usual suspects. he can seem 'evil', hahaha (evil laugh). so i call him 'mini me'. hahaha
the others have their moments. if there's an open window in the discipline department they throw out their respect for the teacher, and i've got to reallign my 'iron grip', hahaha |
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Squaffy
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2003 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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Bobster - I went for a pee mid-class (I know, v unprofessional) and one of my business students (about 40yrs old) followed me... he peeked very openly in the bogs and I shouted at him. Then he decked me. Silly me - seems Judo and Kung Fu doesn't stop the crazies.
Good news - he's been bannished from my classes. Feel sorry for the school he's going to end up in.
*nursing a black eye* |
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