Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BTM]

[kimcheeking]

In my university the least popular (read worst evaluation by students) teachers are the ones who do not know how to teach. They do not usually finish a contract as they are asked to leave.

[steroidmaximus]

at my current school, the prof who is most popular usually let's the students out at least 1/2 an hour early, gives them days off, assigns very little homework, and concentrates more on making em laugh in class. Meanwhile, the prof who obviously puts the most into their work, teaches the full class time, gives many assignments and is often most prepared, only logs in at #3.

[TECO]

[BTM]

[kimcheeking]

[steroidmaximus]

BTM wrote:

[Skarp]

Pointless personal insults aside.........

There are two ways to be popular. Being good and working hard is one. Giving the students an easy time is the other.

At the end of the day - the students pay so being popular (for whatever reason) is all that counts.

But, both types of popular teacher will be unpopular with those in power. Excelling is not the way to happiness in life. Don't be a threat, don't get noticed. Keep a low profile and enjoy a quiet life.

That's what I'm going to try to do from now on anyway......

Skarp

[TECO]

[Skarp]

I'm a slow learner - but I think I'm getting it at last.

Skarp

[coolsage]

An apparent need to clarify: This was not a popularity contest; it was a survey amongst the students as to which teachers taught them English, gave them their money's worth, delivered a quality product... I don't know how many more ways I need to say this in order to convey to the Native Speakers here what the deal was. And I'm distressed to see that this thread has degenerated into personal backbiting, which it so often does, and which is why I rarely post here. The original premise is, and remains, that particularly in a small institution, where one's visibility is high, should one (that being one of us waygooks) have the audacity to achieve some success at this noble racket of ESL, the Old Boyz will inevitably feel threatened, as their power base erodes beneath them. Yes, our mission, so to speak, is to teach English, but our very presence infers a different way of interpreting the Teacher-Student relationship. My students don't bow to me, and eventually they get comfortable with calling me by my first name. Of course the Old Boyz have no resources to deal with this. And while I might have misspoke about Confucius, I was referring to the vertical hierarchy that still exists here, long after it has any value in a so-called modern, post-industrial society. The university students here today are subject to a great many influences that were not available to their predecessors, for whom the "Hermit Kingdom" worked just fine. It's not working anymore, and the colleagues of whom I wrote are merely the latest, hopefully the last, sacrificial lambs in the transition of this fascinating land into a truly cutting-edge society, one in which civility finally catches up with the technology. (But that's another topic, along with the bathrooms.)

[BTM]

[steroidmaximus]

evaluations, surveys, whatever you wanna call it, it still boils down to the same thing: a popularity contest. you trying to tell me that when you filled out similar forms in your uni days you weren't biased? did you think some profs "cool" or "uncool", and thus give them more/less leniency? If they did nice things for you, said nice things, you didn't let that affect your answers on the form?

[BTM]

[steroidmaximus]

sometimes? erm. . .glad to hear you've worked at so many places that hold high academic standards then. Good on ya.