Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pest2]

At one of my elementary schools, I have a co teacher who tries to help but actually does more damage than good. First, because she is a bit older (41) and traditional (countryside), she repeats and translates everything I say into Korea.

Me to class: OK, what is a verb?

Her, answering for them: "dong-sa!"

Me to class: "Where is Japan?"

Her: "Il-ban"

Its painfully clear that she has never been introduced to student-centered learning... I feel sorry for the kids, who are hit upside the head everytime she asks them something they should have memorized but forgot.

Not only that, but her own English isnt very good to begin with. One day, for example, I asked the class, "What is a cucumber?" She said something in Korean, translating as usual, and since I know cucumber in Korean, I knew she told them the wrong thing. So I actually asked her to draw a picture of a cucumber. She drew a microwave oven!

I feel really bad for the students... actually, because this teacher is both traditional and lacking in English ability of her own, her method before I got there was to have the students repeat phrases from a textbook after she spoke them,... "I am fine, thank you.... I am fine thank you". She thought I was there to do the same job but better since I have the "native speaker accent". I just told her thats not my job -- its still hers -- and I have my own lesson plans.

On a positive note, at least she tries to help. I have another elementary school at which the teacher just sits in the class and grades papers. Yet another elementary school in which the teachers dont even stay in the class at all; they go downstairs and drink green tea. I dont have any problems remotely like this at all at my middle schools. Basically, teaching in elementary schools suks...

Anyway, thats my rant for today. Anyone else had these kinds of things?

[captain kirk]

Yes.

I've been at the public elementary school job for four months now. My Korean co-teacher seemed to be a real wingnut. It was no laughing matter when she seemed to think she was my superior. That got me really pissed. She'd do petty things, mostly gestures, to show me she was an overlord. I just thought, 'what a load of crap' and squabbled with her. This put me semi out in the doghouse for a bit. But since I was doing such a good job teaching the kids my passive aggressive detractors couldn't get around that major 'unfailing'.

I see my co-teacher, finally, as like a near-miss almost traffic accident. So much that happens in Korea seems serious and in one's face but it's emotion based and, therefore, like fluff. What seems heavy in the heat of the moment is actually fluff floating around. Sometimes it's in your face looking monstrous, like my kooky co-teacher was. But now, after all our squabbling, I just set up a chair and a desk for her at the back of the room, and she mostly just sits. She reads a book. And, in the afternoon, she nods off to sleep like an old owl having a nap in the daytime. Some boys in the class sometimes laugh fondly at her, say, 'tired'.

But we really had some fierce squabbles at the start. But that's Korea, huh?!

[icnelly]