Korean Job Discussion Forums

oxfordstu · Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Location: Bangkok

I'm credentialed in California but couldn't get a job there because our a$$hole ex-governor took millions out of the education budget causing thousands of teachers to be without work. So I came here. Getting the cert. was worth it. I'm a better teacher because of it, even though it was hell for 2 years getting it. 1 year of coursework (at least) and then 6 months of UNPAID student teaching. The coursework is absolutely pointless. I learned more from fellow teachers than I did in any class. In California 90% of the classes focus on diversity in the classroom. Everyone hated it. But the student teaching was well worth it. My two master teachers were great.

As far as job security, well, in California you get tenured after 2 years of teaching, so there is that. Dealing with parents, admins, etc.....it depends on the school. If your administration is supportive and communicates with you it's great. But if they don't.....then it can be hell. Just do your research and ask important questions during the interview process.

I miss it. I remember teaching topics such as pessimism in Great Expectations and divine providence in Hamlet and having students do some really interesting projects and having some great discussions with them. Then I came here and taught things like "this is a noun. this is a verb." Big difference.

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

my friends teaching here in edmonton AB, have a lot of GREAT things to say about teaching here. My subbing, thus far, has been quite easy.

It appears that the hardest thing about teaching is NOT the teaching but all the extracurricular stuff they have to handle.

But everyone is generally quite happy.

oxfordstu · Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Location: Bangkok

agentX · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Location: Jeolla province

I taught and subbed in US schools before coming out here.
I would like to write a longer post, but I have a headache and my download's almost over so I'll make this the short version.
1) The kids are either dumb, lazy, or insane. Or normal. Out of a class of 30, you will be spending your time keeping the insane ones contained, the dumb ones occupied, the lazy ones from sleeping and then preventing war between the parties. Think Lebanon, 1982.
Whoever said mainstreaming was a good idea; I want whatever drugs they were taking.
2) You are not in power; rather your power stems from whatever the kids are going to tolerate from you that day and whatever enforcement mechanism your school has. If 30% of the kids don't wanna work, then the work's not getting done.
3) NCLB really stands for No Crony Left Behind or No Crackhead Left Behind. Don't believe me? Consider this- just because a school in a suburban school is doing well compared to a nearby urban school, doesn't mean the students are testing better, it just means the teachers are changing the answers more effectively. See Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County
4) Same goes with Charter schools. Just because the word "Charter" is in the name of the school, doesn't mean they actually have a plan. Or actually succeed. It just means they cheat better.
5) A while back, I was meeting with a parent to discuss her child's behavior. She told me that she suspected that the reason for the children's bad behavior was due to environmental toxins (heavy metals, etc) being released by nearby factories/refineries. At first, I kind of dismissed it. Now, what with the whole Lead Paint on Toys from China debacle, I see that she may be on to something.
6) If the parents don't care or not around, why should the kid? For their future? Heh, they have no future and they know it. Maybe it's instinct, maybe they know peak oil is coming, whatever.
7) If the kids don't get to you, the school board will. Unfunded mandates, health care, and outright greed. They will cut your salary and your medical benefits in a heartbeat if it means one of them gets a Porsche.
Cool

Illegal immigration plays a role here. Look, Esse, I'm not Emigra or El Militiamen, so I'm glad you're in school and not in a field or in the drug game, but while you're here, at least learn something or at least shut up so others can learn. Comprende? Your mama didn't drag you across the border so you can run amok in the hallway throwing used tampons at people.
9) The gangstas will take you on outside of class. The 'quiet ones' will take you on and anybody else in class. Beware the quiet ones, who get picked on. Don't think it won't happen to you. Be nice to to the quiet ones.

There, that's all you need to know about public school in the US. Don't believe me? Then ask yourself why 30% of teachers quit the profession in their first year and why 1 out of 5 American students can't find the US on a map. Ask yourself why the dropout rate is so high and why the ones that do graduate need remedial courses in college.

Atavistic · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 3:54 am Post subject:

agentX · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Location: Jeolla province

The 1 in 5 comes from a poll. It was asked as a question at a beauty pageant which the South Carolina Miss Teen contestant botched the answer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII
the 30% rate is from a 2003 US News and World Report statistic. Though I was off by 3%. It was 33%.

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 1:35 pm Post subject:

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 1:45 pm Post subject:

Atavistic · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject:

Lao Wai · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Location: East Coast Canada

Hey,

Well, I did my two teaching internships in public schools here in Canada and am now substitute teaching. All in all, I think teachers where I live seem to be doing okay. I can't really say right now as I don't have all of the extra stuff to do that the contract teachers have to do. Still, my friends under contract seem to like it. They're pretty busy but it's all good.

The biggest problem in my area is that major streaming is going on. If you are enrolled in the French immersion program (almost all subjects taught in French) then you're okay. The class sizes are small, your classmates are motivated, your teachers aren't super stressed because they don't have to fill out a million special education plans or modify the curriculum.

If you're in the regular 'English' class....good luck. I subbed at a huge middle school today. The immersion classes were super well behaved. Then, near the end of the day, the English classes come flying in the door. I don't even know them, hadn't even spoken a word to some of them and they were already confrontational and just 'wild' in general. The French immersion kids think they're better than the English class kids and let them know it. I think the teachers also make it obvious who they favour. But it's not all the teachers' fault. A lot of these kids come from crap family backgrounds and many of them have one sort of learning disability or another. It's quite the mess. The same thing was going on when I went to school in this district 10 years ago, and it still is. I was in the 'English class' but hung out with the French immersion kids. Only two people from my English class went to university, me and a female friend of mine.

newton kabiddles · Joined: 31 Mar 2007

I taught some chick how to roll a doobee.

boatofcar · Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Location: Sheffield, UK

I taught for four years in the US before coming to Korea. So much of your experience is shaped by the climate of your school. I've taught in inner-city schools in DC and I've taught in rich suburban schools in the VA Beach area. I wish I could tell you I enjoyed the inner-city school more. The problem with many inner-city schools is that attendance is a major factor in how much funding a school gets. Therefore, the students who come to school to do nothing but talk and cause trouble don't get suspended, because that counts against the attendance number. As you can imagine, this causes problems for everybody from the students who want to learn to the teachers.