Korean Job Discussion Forums

katepult · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: Official Time Wasters

My public school has me outside three days a week doing a "morning greeting." This means I come twenty minutes early so that I can stand outside the school gates with a hand-made poster and greet the students. The poster has an English question on it and I say good morning and periodically accost the students and make them answer the question. I'm not paid money for this, though in theory I'll get 5 extra vacation days because that's what it adds up to over the year.
Apparently, the morning greeting is very important (more important than anything else I do all day) because "Korean students don't get to meet foreigners and are afraid of them. The Morning Greeting helps them not be afraid of foreigners and practice their English." The principal and VP are really jazzed about it.
Personally, I think it's a sideshow, and a bit unpleasant in the cold, but am resigned to it. I'm curious, what foolish uses of your time do your schools come up with?

I_Am_The_Kiwi · Joined: 10 Jun 2008

None, and id laugh my ass off if they tried to make me do that - sorry but I have standards.

You shoulda said no.

Basically a street clown, or one of those guys who holds pizza special boards on the street.....

why.

TheChickenLover · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Location: The Chicken Coop

You go to a high school in Jeolla province I take it?

I've seen it happen at my old high school, but they realized after seeing the expression on my face not to ask me to do that.

Many do it to gain morale in schools that are extremely low. Some do it for brownie points because it 'looks good' to attract students to extremely unsuitable schools.

I'm sorry for your wasted time. I would imagine that it would seem humiliating to be forced to stand there holding a sign which is NOT what you were hired to do.

Chicken

jackson7 · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Location: Kim Jong Il's Future Fireball

Back in the states there was this high school kid that would wear his headphones and jam out playing air guitar on his Little Caesar's Pizza board while twirling the thing. Driving by we'd always give him the universal "rock on" symbol and he would always give us a little extra effort. I miss that guy, he was a real day-brightener. Maybe you can do something like that Very Happy

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Might as well wear a sign saying "will work for free" like those Great Depression guys used to do

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I do a lot for my school but that's one thing I wouldn't. My biggest waste of time is attending assemblies.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

I don't think what your school is forcing you to do is unreasonable. You are hired as a foreign language teacher. You are there to improve the students speaking ability. Don't underestimate the improvements you can make when the students are outside the classroom.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

jadarite · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject:

We have monday meetings after school. It's all in Korean, so I have no clue what they are talking about, except for yesterday when a guy came in and took the fire extinguisher in the room and brought it to the front. Slowly caressing it, he explained for 20 minutes how to use it.

Jeff's Cigarettes · Joined: 27 Mar 2007

Ramen · Joined: 15 Apr 2008

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

kiwiliz · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Location: New Zealand

Ah..but 20 mins early each day...when you have to be there anyway...and gaining an extra 5 days vacation....sounds ok to me!

I'm no Picasso · Joined: 28 Oct 2008

My school is really great about not making me do this kind of crap. I'm not even expected to attend meetings, for the precise reason that they will all be in Korean and I don't understand enough for there to be a point yet.

Thursday there's some kind of something I'm attending with a coteacher. From what I gather, we will apparently be attending another middle school's English classes for two hours and evaluating them? I'm not exactly sure why they want me to do this, as I have been classroom teaching for exactly a month and a half now, but whatever. Luckily, my coteacher is the coolest ever and has already told me we'll only stay an hour, and then go get Chinese food.

sojusucks · Joined: 31 May 2008

I did the morning greeting for about a month before making sure that I had morning classes. I did the greeting to make a very good impression on my school. The Principal commented about how glad he was to see me out there. That will probably help when it comes time to renew my contract.

Students at my current school really don't speak much English in the mornings. They speak quite a bit later in the day.