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What is the best age to teach?
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mascotkelly



Joined: 09 Jun 2003

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:07 pm    Post subject: What is the best age to teach? Reply with quote

I am in the process of choosing where I want to teach and what age group and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what is the best to go for?

Thanks!
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everybody's different. Some people like hellspawn (otherwise known as children), and some like working world people.

I like university students. Little danger of losing control (as with kids) and more interested than working world people.
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mokpochica



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess it just depends on what kind of person you are and what kind of school you end up teaching at. A lot of people prefer teaching adults because they are often more motivated to be in the classes (they've chosen to be there) and they can do more speaking and activities with them. S

Some people are good with kids and really like the young kindergarteners who arrive with a lot of enthusiasm and can be really eager to learn. Of course this age is a challenge because you may be one of their first exposures to a foreign language and culture.

I teach middle school students and it's a bit of a hard age to teach because most of my kids don't know a whole lot of English and are going through a transitional phase in their life anyway. Still, I like teaching them and most do bring a lot of enthusiasm to the class.

I've guest taught a few high school classes and really liked that. Korean kids are pretty studious in general, but high school is the time when they are most studious, so I had fewer behavioral problems in those classes. Also, they had a wider knowledge base than my middle school kids and could manage a lot more speaking. If I had it to do again, I think I might choose high school for those reasons.

But you know yourself best--which age of kids do you interact with best at home? Do you prefer interactions with adults to kids? You can probably answer your own question if you sit down and think about it for a while.
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William Beckerson
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'll have no idea what you'll like until you get over here. Each group has it's joys (Kids: unquestioning love, Adults: Someone to go drinking with/ scoring) and it's pains (Kids: total retards. Adults... total retards)

Then again, you stand a good chance of having your hagwon lie to you about the ages you'll be teaching anyway, so i say just come here and hope for the best.

Just bring enough money to go home if need be.
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crazylemongirl



Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 1:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The group I love and hate the most are the kindy kids... they are generally so pleased to see you and you get to see your results of your teaching really fast (I got a buzz when I heard my 3 year old say good as gold), but if you have a big class no support than kindy can sallow you up whole.

Elmentary can be good, I've got a really good group of six year olds (they of course are my favourite because the first time they saw me they said teacher pretty Laughing) but a group of 6 year olds that I love to hate.

Basically it comes down to the kids, the support network at the hagwon, your personality etc.

So many variables. People that like kindy don't mind their clothes getting dirty or touched in bizzare places Shocked

People who teach adults generally don't like the concept of sleep.

CLG
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The Great Wall of Whiner



Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Middle school and High school kids are just whiners and lazy SOB's.

I prefer kids 7-11. Kindys are babies and I am not a babysitter.

Adults want to be your best friend so they can drop their class and get free lessons.

Not!
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sid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Berkshire, England

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My experience:

Mum-and-toddler class - don't think many people do these! Caused a lot of angst at first, but with some decent songs, stickers, stories etc, a piece of cake.

Kindy - sometimes crazy but potentially the most fun. Our classes were part of a 'proper' year-round kindergarten with good Korean teachers, which helped.

1st and 2nd grade elementary - mostly horrid.

3rd and 4th grades - my favourite I think. Young enough to want your approval, old enough to know they ought to behave.

5th and 6th grades - some start to get a bit moany and rebellious.

Middle School - a different challenge, once you push the right buttons then they're really good. We only had Middle Schoolers in the school holidays - would have liked more.

University students - If they are prepared to speak up or at least laugh at your jokes, they're good. Sulky/sleeping at the back - bad.

Adult students - I always slightly resented my adult students, as their classes were squeezed into our regular kids timetable at times when I felt I ought to be eating or lazing around! Housewives were better than businessmen (funnier jokes and guaranteed to dish out snacks).
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HardyandTiny



Joined: 03 Jun 2003

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I used to teach I found the 14 year-old females to be the best students. They always listened, did all of their homework and never complained. I couldn't teach young children, they were out of control and required to much time dedicated to learning about obedience.
Of course, the adult women were fascinating but too often they became girlfriends and I felt like I couldn't charge them after "that". It was better to teach small groups of female adults and maintain the groups for lessons and intimate relationships outside the lessons.
Well, unless the whole group had an extraordinary idea! Haha, damn, that just never happened.
I only taught private lessons so I can't speak for the classroom situation.
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William Beckerson
Guest




PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My experience:

Kinder ("5" to "7"): Easy work as long as you dont mind getting dirty or probed.

Grades 1-3: We need some disease that will cause them to sleep until 4th grade, or a sniper....

4-5: The girls tend to start becoming humans at this age. The boys still need a few years of hibernation, or a sniper...

6- Middle School 1: Once you let them know that 1)YOU'RE the boss, and 2) You're pretty chill, they tend to be pretty cool. Usually they're pretty interested in what you have to say outside of the lesson.

Mind you, they start to become the rude Koreans we all know and love at this point, so it's good to get a thicker skin.
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mascotkelly



Joined: 09 Jun 2003

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2003 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks to everyone who replied. Ill just have to think about it, i've got my interview for teaching in korea tomorrow so until i've had that I cant make any real decisions.
I expect i'll be back with more questions after tomorrow!
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2003 5:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Great Wall of Whiner wrote:
Middle school and High school kids are just whiners and lazy SOB's.

I prefer kids 7-11. Kindys are babies and I am not a babysitter.

Adults want to be your best friend so they can drop their class and get free lessons.

Not!


Spot on GWOW. The 7-11 kids are perfect for my teaching style. Teenagers do my head in.

When you teach the 7-11 year-olds and they're jumping up and down at the door of the classroom in excitement at your arrival.... That's nice work.
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humanuspneumos



Joined: 08 Jun 2003

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2003 10:29 pm    Post subject: I agree with the 7-11 age group Reply with quote

being the best to teach. They're fun, respond well, don't have exams or work pressures to think of, love singing, and are fairly easy to control.

The university students and adults are fun too- however, the programs for the older students are usually riddled with rotating doors (students coming and going at a higher rate). I've seen schools try to rotate teachers to the "fun" teacher- however, even that failed on the most part. You DON'T want to get trapped in the blame-game of "not keeping students" in this age group. There might be one or two teachers out there who have kept the numbers well- however, I would say 95% would agree with the rotating door figure. I think, correct me if I'm wrong, some BCM centers stuggled with this in their adult/university student programs and had to fall back on those faithful and steady 7-11 year olds to bring in the needed dough.


Kindergarten? It's not the students that'll kill you- it's the massive programs that demand changes and new materials every five minutes that will. I venture to say that the prep-time is 5X more strenuous than just opening a Let's Go book, Chatterbox, or whatever. With the book it's onto the next page stuff.
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jajdude



Joined: 18 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2003 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally I have enjoyed teaching around ages 9-12 the most, or around grades 3-6. Intellectually they are not bad. They can have fun but will also respond to you if they know you are serious. Then again some of them, usually boys, would just as soon be receiving root canal as trying to learn English. They just like the games and learn little. Some middle and some high are great too. I find there may be less attitude among Korean teenagers than I would expect in Canada. And an adult class or two that doesn't ruin your life of sleep might be nice if they are conversational enough. Teaching low-level adults was the worst for me.

Example: Me: "What did you do on the weekend?"

25 year old guy: "OK!"
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itchy



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2003 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

0-0
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aschmies



Joined: 30 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Mon May 24, 2010 6:33 am    Post subject: great Reply with quote

this thread is both hilarious and helpful.. exciting and SCARY. i've just graduated with an ESL/Spanish degree, so i've student taught, but i'm still nervous.. i'll probably be with elementary students.. pray for me!
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