Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jadarite]

I would like to know from other GEPIK teachers what your co-teachers do. At my previous hagwon jobs, the co-teachers taught part of the lesson or they would teach one day and I would teach the next. In those cases, we would alternate every 2 or 3 times a week with each class.

[Canerican]

During my first few weeks here, my co-T did all of the teaching and I gradually worked my way in -- I had a very rough start; despite having a teaching license, it's in music, so coming over here and having no access to english materials or plans was a little rough. I'm not a very extroverted person so it was tough to make things up on the fly.

Now things have shifted quite a bit; I do most of the lessons now, but occasionally my co-T will handle chunks of it if she finds material or if she thinks a concept needs repeating more. Today I went in with a lesson but she wound up teaching almost the entire class; we were beginning past tense with the 5th grade and it was easier to have her give the concept and then I'll handle the next class now that they know what it's about.

It's occasionally a bit confusing but I think it works better than that 70/30 prescription they give us; it's a good suggestion but it's not a cure-all for education, particularly not in THIS system. It probably depends on your co-teacher more than anything else; I know some korean teachers who have too much work to do or simply don't care and wind up doing nothing at all in the classroom, and then there are the domineering ones that do everything -- including the things in english that the native speaker should be modeling instead. It also depends on experience levels, teaching styles, how closely you're expected to stick to the GEPIK curriculum, and a boatload of other things.

(They also make my co-teacher do an insane amount of cleaning, obscure paperwork, and things that somebody ELSE should be handling so she can do her actual job, but that's a rant for another time. )

In general, I'd say it's up to what you determine works with your co-teacher -- if you get along with them. If you don't, you can count on it being all you.

[jadarite]

"It's occasionally a bit confusing but I think it works better than that 70/30 prescription they give us"

Who is "they"?

What is the 70/30? 70 Native English Teacher and 30 Korean teacher, or 30 Native English Teacher and 70 Korean teacher?

[Canerican]

70 percent native teacher, 30 percent Korean teacher. And at least, that's what I was fed at the GEPIK orientation, and what my co-teacher has stated. Like I said, I don't really roll with that because a strict formula is totally unhelpful -- particularly with issues of grammar, or when my co-T has too much to do (and it's real, I see how much work she does).

[nomad-ish]

i don't know about this 70/30 thing, but my contract says i'm an assistant english teacher or i'm jointly conducting classes (so i read 50/50 into that), but in reality i teach about 80-100%. i'm at a middle school though, so it might be different than at an elementary.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

I teach 100% of my classes. Co-teacher just functions as computer operator (for seamless transitions during classes) and sometimes she disciplines Ss for mis-behavior, but that doesn't happen very much. Interesting and varied lessons combined w/ seamless transitions keeps the kids interested, involved w/ no clumsy breaks to distract them.

[itstiff]

co-teacher #1 - we split 50/50, we just repeat each other in English and Korean, I make the lesson plans and worksheets though

co-teacher #2 - I teach 100% .. she just repeats after me with students, skipping words, and mispronouncing things, it doesn't help when she's the loudest person ever too. Again, I make the lesson plans and the worksheets and then get criticized for everything.

Blah. I don't feel like my job title as "assistant" is true at all. I want a raise! She gets paid to stand there and scream "yahhh" and the students still don't listen to her and she has horrible English, granted she has other "side work" but still.

co-teacher is coming back on Saturday, I haven't met her yet but apparently she's been off studying, so we'll see what happens.

[Some of the Mothers Said]

[katepult]

The most recent orientation upped the foreign/Korean ratio to 80/20. The foreign teacher is supposed to talk for 80% of the time, the Korean teacher 20%. Apparently, the entire class is supposed to be in Engilsh too - a nice ideal to reach for. I think the average is probably 60% or 70% me and 30-40% co-teacher at my school.

I do the lesson planning, make and copy any worksheets and in-class work, makie and check homework. I do the "morning greeting" too, where I come early and stand outside the school with a poster in English and greet the students three days a week. (That's a whole different and tedious event.) My co-teacher comes for at least part of the "morning greeting," recently made tests, "manages" me, and does the vague task of "documents." She also does an inordinate amount of complaining about how much work she has to do.
In class, she generally runs the computers and does a fair amount of teaching and translating. She'd be pretty happy to teach the entire class and call me to play the game and occasionally do pronunciation. I'd be pretty happy if she just ran the computer. It balances out.
It works ok, though I'd prefer not to have a co-teacher. I'm glad I'm making the lessons, or the activities at least. The actual lesson is dictated by the textbook and CDROM.