Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rapier]

How do tou guys deal with this rubbish? Some parent gets upset at the way you conduct your lessons and complains to your director. you find yourself having to adapt your lesson style to please the parents of one student. Its ridiculous.
The past week one student's mother complained at the textbook I was using. So I've had to change to a higher level one, to suit the kid in question. Now the other students are left behind/ don't like it.
I wish the director would tell the bored, busybody parents what i suggested he tell them: "Go to America and try to teach American children korean, while knowing very little English, and then come back and offer some useful tips".
The mother finally pulled precious from the class today- as she thought she was way above what I was teaching. Then she rang the other parents and the class is absent today...

[BTM]

Tough call.

Whenever I had anything similar back in the hagwan days, my director backed me up, and either convinced the problem parent/student that I was a professional teacher (which I was, and am) and had their best interests in mind, or switched the problem student to another teacher's class. He understood that he'd make more money keeping me happy.

But then, I deliberately made it clear that I was a professional and that I knew what I was doing (even when I didn't ), and that kinda PR goes far, once you get folks to drink the kool-aid.

[rapier]

Sounds like you had a good, open, communicative working relationship with your director. Mine is not so bad, but not so wonderful either.
I believe that the problem is that there are so many bored mothers out there that over- scrutinize everything their kid learns.
And they all have their own agendas for what they want their kids to learn, and their different opinions on what teacher should be doing. I also made clear that I'm an experienced and qualified teacher who's trying my best. But the Director is out to satisfy the parents at all costs..
Its wierd this time, because this class was my favorite, I really thought everything was going so well! I get no complaints from the other classes which aren't nearly as well run as I thought this one was.!
"Ja- jing-nah!!!!

[BTM]

I hear you. Maybe a proactive talk with the director (getting all jargon-y here) with the goal of him understanding that it's his duty to fend off nosy ajummas if he trusts you, and that you not having to second-guess everything you do in class, and etc, will translate to happier students = more students = more sweet sweet $$$.

Either that or just institute a regimen of randomly beating and terrorizing your students to keep 'em quiet. Heh.

[rapier]

BTM: if you're referring to my infamous brutal clampdowns of little devils, you're off track!!!
This class ,was my experiment in utter professionalism. I was trying to implement all the liberal advice I'd read on this forum. and look what happens!!
The classes that I use the ruler and cord on have recieved no complaints at all!!!

[ulsanchris]

I've had some students complain about the books at my hagwon. So the director made me switch books despite my objections. I think alot of the problem comes from the lack of communication between parents and us teachers.
As teachers we know what goes on in our classes best, the students will always give one-sided accounts to their parents. Parents complain to the director who has little or no idea about what is happening in the class and will order us to change it with little thought about the consequences. I keep trying to tell the korean teacher at my hagwan that if there is a complaint about how any of my classes are being handled that I would love to explain to the parent why I am doing things a certain way. I don't think I will get a chance to do this though. My director is an idiot and would never let an idea like that fly. I have the feeling that if I could have talked to a few parents my hagwan would have lost less students.
It might be too late for your class now, but tell your director that is one of the korean teachers is willing to translate that you would be more than willing to explain to the parent why the books you are using are appropiate, and why their child isn't the little genuis they think he/she is. Remember to be very diplomatic.

[crazylemongirl]

CLG 'this book is way too easy, it doesn't challenge the kids in anyway. The activities are so easy kindergarten would be able to master this.'

Korean teacher 'but my students like them.'

CLG 'no they don't, even they realise this stuff is way beneath them and are getting bored and disruptive'

Korean teacher 'but my students like them'

CLG decides to start making a lot of worksheets.

CLG

[TheUrbanMyth]

Well it can be a pain in the a**, but the parents are the customers and they are the ones with the final say. Keeping that in mind your best bet is to find a situation where you are pleasing the greatest number possible and go with that.

[crazylemongirl]

[Mashimaro]

[Skippy]

With many parents it is the the stupid ideal that there son or daughter is smarter then every other child. That there little Kim or Park is a genius and the book he is crawling in is beneath him. What to do? Usually you can not tell the mother that you think theri child is a on par with a moron.

If you have a good manager he shields you from such BS.

But remeber the parents are customers. Adivce should be taken but taken in doses. Try not to over react also. Sometimes these parents are not being antognostic but generally worried and interested in there childrens education,

Skippy the Evil Twin

[William Beckerson]

Rapier:

Do you have an up to date resume and some spare cash?

[ulsanchris]

I think free market education can work if the person running the business employs the following philosophy: if I provide the best service possible, set high standards, and do everything possible to meet these objectives then my business will flourish.
Of course this is korea and quality is not a major concern. All the bosses think about is how can I make the most amount of money with the lest investment. their philosophy is more along the lines of money first and quality a distant second.
the successful hagwans here, I think run, a bit of a compromise between the two philosphies but with always a leaning towards the latter one.
My current hagwan is currently is deffinately in the latter catergory and is not doing to well. My director is waking up to the fact that something has to change and is beginning to figure out that he has to worry about the product he is putting out.

[some waygug-in]

Parental interferance is always a pain in the ass. If your director won't stand up to the parents, you're in for a rough ride. It sounds pretty much like what happened to me over the last year. One parent thinks their kid is a genius, and so the whole class has to suffer.
What my director started doing was moving kids around to higher level classes to please the parents.

At least the lower level class was left alone, but it made the upper level class more difficult to deal with.

Where I work, pretty much every student is using a book that is 1 or 2 levels too high for them. What I do is a little bit in the book and lots of stuff on worksheets copied from lower level books.

Then I give them lots of puzzles and things that are for mixed levels.

I hope this helps.

Cheers