Korean Job Discussion Forums

[swetepete]

I've just been informed that we don't have all our textbooks ordered for the new semester. The person who'd been responsible for that has quit, and is leaving at the end of the month, and nobody told me I'd be the new go-to guy until, uh, like five minutes ago.

Retards. They could've mentioned it like TWO WEEKS ago...or mentioned that the last person hadn't got things squared away, or even close. But no, that would make way too much sense.

So, has anybody got any good reccomendations for elementary and middle school level textbooks? What are some of your favorites?
We're now using Oxford Fantastic, but they are kind of weak. Not Fantastic at all.
Any help would be appreciated. Just trying to make the most of a dumb situation here.
Thanks!

[spliff]

Not your job, don't bother!

[yingwenlaoshi]

[Return Jones]

[Alyallen]

English time was a favorite of mine when I was in teaching in hogwans.

The units are well organized and concise. A good voab section to start things out. A section with dialog and a writing section. Always managed to fill a 50 minute class with one unit without a problem.

Hope you get more suggestions....

[swetepete]

Thanks for the tips--and yeah, Spliff and yingwenlaoshi, it's certainly not the job I agreed on when I signed the contract...but really, I prefer taking the reins now, rather than crossing my arms petulantly while this idiot team I've shackled my wagon to careens off into who-knows-what. If I can make a go of it, good for me; if I can't, well, I can always quit!
I'm optimistic I can make lemonade here though. Should be alright...it's an asspain to be sure, and another bolt in my quarrel, so to speak, of reasons to not work in small disorganized schools ever again. But, in the short-term meantime, better to lead than to follow, right? If I don't do it, the next FAS baby they hire will probably do an even worse job of it than the last.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[ChuckECheese]

You are making a wrong choice about being volunteered into being the head ass-wipe. Primarily having to wipe your boss' ass and clean up after his mess.

Why would you even bother/consider? I hope you're gettin a shit load of money for being volunteered into being the head ass-wipe. Just consider it as your beginning of your end because they'll just pile the shit on you like there's no tomorrow. Have fun.....

[yingwenlaoshi]

Anyway, if you know of a good book, suggest it. Don't spend hours upon hours thinking and planning about this. Then leave it at that. Don't do anything else. You're paid to teach. That's it. If you're teaching 6 classes/day, there's nothing else to be done.

Screw prep. Screw making a curriculum. Screw tests. Screw reports. Do what you can within the time frame you were hired to do it. If they want more, they can pay you overtime that you can work at your discretion.

[swetepete]

yep, they're paying me extra. my contract is 4 hours a day, and everything else, overtime. if they welch, I leave.
I'm not too worried really. If it works out, great, and if not...well, I was kinda thinking 'greener pastures' anyways.

[buster brown]

I'll agree with others about English Time. I've only used books 4 and 5, but the curriculum is good, there are extra copiable worksheets and tests in the teacher's book, and the teacher's book has lots of additional activities to help reinforce what you're teaching. That said, I also don't think you can go wrong with Let's Go. Both are published by Oxford and have very similar styles. Just make sure they spring for the teacher's book no matter which series you suggest.

[just because]

I too can recommend english time....
Well thought out but quite to the point and the worksheets and tests are quite good...

Make sure you get the teachers books with the student books

[Hyeon Een]

English Time is good!

I'm amazed you got through one whole unit a class. That is 4 pages. That is do-able if they know the stuff already.. and you're kinda reviewing.. but.. I was teaching English Time just recently and I went with 1 page a 50 minute class. Then we'd play a game which would reinforce the vocab/grammar/phonics of that page. Sometimes I'd do 2 pages. I had no guidelines so I just went with what felt good. I felt like I was blasting through the book when I was doing 2 pages instead of one a day though.

(I was their only teacher though, they weren't learning with a K-teacher outside of my class)

[b_canadian_eh]

We use SuperKids as well as Backpack and English Zone for our elementary kids. The lower levels for both EZ and and BP are pretty good. Higher than 3... big jump between levels.

[yingwenlaoshi]