Korean Job Discussion Forums

Jizzo T. Clown · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Location: at my wit's end

boyne11--Do you even work in a public school?

It is MY classroom. The coteachers have their classroom.

In my classes I'm the one who does the planning. My coteachers expect me to have my own lesson plans, and they never ask what I'm teaching until they get to class. So I always do at least 50% of the teaching, and usually 80% or more. So I don't see what this "assistant teacher" thing entails. Yes, we are supposed to be here as assistant teachers, but in reality we are expected to both plan for and teach our own classes. If we were 100% assistants (like in the JET program in Japan), when we got to class the lessons would be preplanned and the coteacher would handle the bulk of the instruction, as well as tell us when to open our mouth. I seriously doubt that's the case anywhere in Korea. If it is, tell me so I can apply for your job next year.

Tjames426 · Joined: 06 Aug 2006

I teach classes of 8 pre-kindergarden and kindergarden students just fine by myself. Why would I want a Korean teacher to come in and mess things up? The students are forced to learn more.

Occasionally, a Korean teacher enters to classroom. Guess what? I am no longer in charge, nor is English used. The students only talk to, respect, and respond to the Korean teacher in Korean.

Korean teachers assisting Foriegn teachers in Public HS...are part of the problem in Korean education.

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If you don't know how to positively interact with or teach English to a classroom of children or High School students who do not speak English, you should not be here.

Jizzo T. Clown · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Location: at my wit's end

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Tjames426 · Joined: 06 Aug 2006

Seems my previous post ticked someone off...

Once again, a qualified ESL instructor does not need a native language speaker to translate or be a disciple tool for them. The whole program to have a Korean in a public classroom with the qualified foreign teacher is self-defeating in many ways.

First, the students have a crutch to lean upon. Instead of trying to listen, learn and understand English, all they have to do is ask the Korean adult to translate. Without the "translator", the kids are forced to learn. But of course, real foreign language learning happens in Korean private schools where so called joint teaching does not exist in the classroom.

Second, they have less respect for the Foreigner. Gee. all foreigners must be imbeciles. They cannot even teach a class of kids by themselves. They need Kim Teacher to hold his or her hand through the process. This leads to a confirmation of Xenophobia and the superiority of Korean culture, but that is a different subject.

Third, other countries do not have this program. Ask teachers in China and elsewhere. A foreign teacher gets thrown into a classroom of 30 kids all by themselves.

Guess what? The kids perform well, learn, and find out that foreigners are not stupid.

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

boyne11 · Joined: 08 Jul 2007

DD, why don't you recommend the thick skulled Korean administrators to separate the classrooms by students' english level, not by their grade level?

If you're so great at planning, recommending, and delivering english instruction and someone in a position to recommend plans of instruction, that's the first thing you should do instead of trying to rig a severally broken system.

For me, coteaching sucks as Tjames has said already. You have half of the class clueless, 1/4 somewhat clueless, 1/4 learning (and they regulary attend hagwon).

You've noticed that kids who attend english hagwons are performing much better, right? So you must admit that hagwon setting and environment where they separate the students by their english level with FTs alone is much effective than co-teaching in public school right?

If y'all enjoy co-teaching, be my guest, continue to allow your korean counter part to teach the kids konglish. Laughing