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Chet Wautlands
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| Change this thread title to people whining at each other. |
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Seoul'n'Corea
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| skeptical wrote: |
| Ruraljuror wrote: |
Leave for work 30 minutes earlier. Problem solved.
You're welcome! |
You don't understand. The evaluation is done. My contract ends February, and I want to start working at Gyeonggi next year. The vice principal is trying to sabotage my application to work somewhere better, you see, because I once asked him, face to face, "isnt it a shame that Koreans spend more money on English education per capita than any other country, but rank among the lowest among the developed nations?"
I knew he wouldn't like me, but I didn't like him either-- He took us to eat live octopus on our first English department outing! He is an ex-English teacher! What nerve on that savage!
EPIK informed me I would be within walking distance of school, not an hour away by bus. This is ludicrous, and I have my dignity to keep, not just a reputation. I stand by my principles, and I refuse to come to class by 8:30am and suck balls all day 30 minutes early; I simply want to find a better place to teach than this shithole, where English teachers are 'too intimidated' by my English to show their face in even one class! |
Wow, I am speechless. first of all most schools are starting their operations at 8:55am here in Seoul.
2# If I were to teach in my home country we would already have started by 8:30-40am. Most teachers would come around 7:40-8:00am and start prepping about 8:15am.
I come to school in Korea by 8:10-8:20 am.
I have been only later than this once due to a medical issue. Anyways.
My school here in seoul told me they wanted me to stay for another year please and we'll up your pay. ~ I had one of the top evaluations in SMOE this year and 2nd to top in my district.
3# Welcome to the world of teaching where you need to come to school at least 35minutes earlier than the starting time.
Last edited by Seoul'n'Corea on Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:13 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Call me pedantic but I'm speechless you're viewed so highly by your school. Why? Because you can't even spell the word speechless properly.
I 'honestly' feel North Americans should be barred from teaching English until they pass a standardized test which confirms they understand the English language.
Your school 'probably' only like you because you have an American passport and remind them of one of their favourite Hollywood actors.
Send em back, bloody foreigners, with their yee-ha slang.  |
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Seoul'n'Corea
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Chet Wautlands wrote: |
I talked about that statistic to Korean teachers at my last hagwon, but no one got mad. Here's why: I didn't try to lord it over them.
That statistic looks just as bad on us, the English teachers, as it does on Korea, the country paying a lot for poor results.
Why is Korea doing badly? Probably the same reason China and Japan are doing badly. English is extremely different from Korean. The grammar, vocabulary, even the alphabet are different.
As an example:
English- The cat is terrible.
French- Le chat est terrible.
Korea - Goyangi museoweoyo. (Probably not right, mes excuses.)
So yeah, English is hard for Koreans. Thankfully most English speakers don't have to learn Korean. I bet the Japanese would be better at it than us. |
Actually it has NOthing to do with SOV vs SVO or a different way of spelling... I happen to know why Koreans find English difficult.
The underlying reason why English is so difficult is because of the poor quality of public education when it comes to learning a language.
How can I say this: It is quite simple. Here is why---
1# English is taught from rote
2# English is taught by Korean teachers who have poor skills with English.
3# English is taught without a context. Language like anything related with people needs a base/cultural context. If you remove the bases from a language it becomes meaningless. There is no point of focus, and so you end up teaching a vocabulary list or set of meaningless sentences. |
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Seoul'n'Corea
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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| fromtheuk wrote: |
Call me pedantic but I'm speechless you're viewed so highly by your school. Why? Because you can't even spell the word speechless properly.
I 'honestly' feel North Americans should be barred from teaching English until they pass a standardized test which confirms they understand the English language.
Your school 'probably' only like you because you have an American passport and remind them of one of their favourite Hollywood actors.
Send em back, bloody foreigners, with their yee-ha slang. |
I attempted to spell "speech" properly but the post sent suddenly without my authorization. No I am NOT an American!
I am from Canada. Btw, I am a hollywood actor part time, because I don't have a real job. 
Seriously, I have to laugh at your comments.
I am a professional teacher in my home country with a double major BEd in Asian languages and Visual arts (computer technology, traditional arts).
I specifically use high end computer technology to aid English language learning in the classroom. It has worked quite well. 90-95% of my students felt they were able to feel more comfortable with the language and I had students that in the beginning of the year hated English who now feel inspired to learn it. It also helps when you try to speak some Korean with English and read Hangul too. |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Seoul'n'Corea wrote: |
| fromtheuk wrote: |
Call me pedantic but I'm speechless you're viewed so highly by your school. Why? Because you can't even spell the word speechless properly.
I 'honestly' feel North Americans should be barred from teaching English until they pass a standardized test which confirms they understand the English language.
Your school 'probably' only like you because you have an American passport and remind them of one of their favourite Hollywood actors.
Send em back, bloody foreigners, with their yee-ha slang. |
I attempted to spell "speech" properly but the post sent suddenly without my authorization. No I am NOT an American!
I am from Canada. Btw, I am a hollywood actor part time, because I don't have a real job.
Seriously, I have to laugh at your comments.
I am a professional teacher in my home country with a double major BEd in Asian languages and Visual arts (computer technology, traditional arts).
I specifically use high end computer technology to aid English language learning in the classroom. It has worked quite well. 90-95% of my students felt they were able to feel more comfortable with the language and I had students that in the beginning of the year hated English who now feel inspired to learn it. It also helps when you try to speak some Korean with English and read Hangul too. |
Fromtheuk didn't say you were from the United States - he said you were a 'North American' if I'm not mistaken that includes Canada as well as the United States, Mexico and Hawaii. I bet the SMOE evaluation didn't include your geography knowledge! 
I used to come in at 8.10 - until the head of the staffroom told me that I was coming in too early! I was usually one of the first ones there! |
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Kimchieluver
Joined: 02 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| fromtheuk wrote: |
Call me pedantic but I'm speechless you're viewed so highly by your school. Why? Because you can't even spell the word speechless properly.
I 'honestly' feel North Americans should be barred from teaching English until they pass a standardized test which confirms they understand the English language.
Your school 'probably' only like you because you have an American passport and remind them of one of their favourite Hollywood actors.
Send em back, bloody foreigners, with their yee-ha slang. |
"Your school 'probably' only like__ you..."
You forgot an 's' you social retard. We all know your school doesn't like you. I would say Brits, but most of them are damn good people. However, you belong in a sanitarium where you would be nice and happy. |
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esetters21
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Kimchieluver wrote: |
| fromtheuk wrote: |
Call me pedantic but I'm speechless you're viewed so highly by your school. Why? Because you can't even spell the word speechless properly.
I 'honestly' feel North Americans should be barred from teaching English until they pass a standardized test which confirms they understand the English language.
Your school 'probably' only like you because you have an American passport and remind them of one of their favourite Hollywood actors.
Send em back, bloody foreigners, with their yee-ha slang. |
"Your school 'probably' only like__ you..."
You forgot an 's' you social retard. We all know your school doesn't like you. I would say Brits, but most of them are damn good people. However, you belong in a sanitarium where you would be nice and happy. |
I can't imagine subject-verb agreement is any different in the UK, but what do I know? This guy has proven his ineptitude time and again, and I also have to agree that Brits are great if you can disregard this one. |
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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Oh dear, I've made some grammatical errors, but at least when I speak I sound English, unlike some of the movie speaking assistants we have on this forum.
I suppose the truth hurts about some North American English.
Talking in the third person doesn't in any way, shape or form reduce the quality of my high calibre posts.
It just shows you have nothing to say about your own inept, pathetic selves and know deep down some North American English is second rate.
Sorry to wake you up from your deluded version of reality, but objectively speaking, some North American English is trash.
Using insults isn't clever. To make sweeping generalizations about myself based on your own unsubstantiated opinion is also unconvincing and underlines how pathetic you truly are.
I'm not being offensive, I'm just saying some North American English is pretty laughable. Forget me, I have many shortcomings when it comes to using English. But I did get a Grade B in my 100hr online TESOL course.
But that doesn't change the fact that listening to some North American English is pretty irritating, repetitive, and downright childish.
Have a nice afternoon. (Could you write the word 'some' again please?) |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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| fromtheuk wrote: |
Oh dear, I've made some grammatical errors, but at least when I speak I sound English, unlike some of the movie speaking assistants we have on this forum.
I suppose the truth hurts about some North American English.
Talking in the third person doesn't in any way, shape or form reduce the quality of my high calibre posts.
It just shows you have nothing to say about your own inept, pathetic selves and know deep down some North American English is second rate.
Sorry to wake you up from your deluded version of reality, but objectively speaking, some North American English is trash.
Using insults isn't clever. To make sweeping generalizations about myself based on your own unsubstantiated opinion is also unconvincing and underlines how pathetic you truly are.
I'm not being offensive, I'm just saying some North American English is pretty laughable. Forget me, I have many shortcomings when it comes to using English. But I did get a Grade B in my 100hr online TESOL course.
But that doesn't change the fact that listening to some North American English is pretty irritating, repetitive, and downright childish.
Have a nice afternoon. (Could you write the word 'some' again please?) |
Pure genius!...
"Please sir, may I have 'some' more?"
"Ok Chuck... but I wanna axe ya a question... does ya like SPAM in yer gruel?" |
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it's full of stars
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:39 am Post subject: |
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| Sniveling. |
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esetters21
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:35 am Post subject: |
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| fromtheuk wrote: |
Oh dear, I've made some grammatical errors, but at least when I speak I sound English, unlike some of the movie speaking assistants we have on this forum.
I suppose the truth hurts about some North American English.
Talking in the third person doesn't in any way, shape or form reduce the quality of my high calibre posts.
It just shows you have nothing to say about your own inept, pathetic selves and know deep down some North American English is second rate.
Sorry to wake you up from your deluded version of reality, but objectively speaking, some North American English is trash.
Using insults isn't clever. To make sweeping generalizations about myself based on your own unsubstantiated opinion is also unconvincing and underlines how pathetic you truly are.
I'm not being offensive, I'm just saying some North American English is pretty laughable. Forget me, I have many shortcomings when it comes to using English. But I did get a Grade B in my 100hr online TESOL course.
But that doesn't change the fact that listening to some North American English is pretty irritating, repetitive, and downright childish.
Have a nice afternoon. (Could you write the word 'some' again please?) |
Dude, you have more issues than I realized when you started posting your life-drama last year. It seems that you have some underlying bitterness for whatever reason, but to stoop to your new low doesn't surprise me in the least bit.
And let me reiterate this; Brits are cool given this one exception. |
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:40 am Post subject: |
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It's sad immature posters on this forum always feel the need to have the final word.
Yes, I'm very bitter because of the gold standard of English e.g. North American English. What I don't like is the way some North Americans who teach here have an arrogant attitude.
They think they are the gold standard when it comes to English. It may be the ideal that Koreans want to mimic. But the issue is some North Americans actually think their version of English is the real deal.
The truth is it is not as good as English from England. But they seem to think it is.
It is not the original version. It's slang dressed up as language: 24/7 instead of 24 hours a day, 9/11 instead of September 11th, Monday through Friday instead of Monday to Friday, leeesure (leisure) time, specialty instead of speciality, color instead of colour etc.
It's not English in my view, I'm sure some Brits share this feeling but they don't want to raise the issue for fear of being bombed back to the stone age.
I did a Psychology degree, so please spare me the analysis.
Dude?!! Is that English?!!!
Yes, I feel really excluded now, because you say I am not cool.
(What a silly person, him, not me). |
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martinpil
Joined: 03 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 8:58 am Post subject: |
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Hmmmmmm... Being English myself I don't know whether to agree with fromtheuk or to send him to the doldrums.
I think a bit of both, because we English talk slang too. Everyone speaks slang. Consider Birmingham (UK), where everyone has started in the last few years ending ANY sentence with innit. What's the time, innit?
See you on Monday, innit lend us a fiver, innit..etc
Then there's the short-cuts of pronouncing things...Everyone says EEZ, when it should be He's. Also the word "gonna" is used a lot instead of "going to" as in "what ya gonna do later?"
"ent" is often said instead of "isn't" as in "tha' ent no good!"
However, this English slangspeek is more due to an easier way to say the sentence in many ways and it is a no wonder that foreigner are confused with the written word and spoken.
There are many many words which are different in American than in English. see here for examples
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/americanbritish.html
But that's just the way their vocabulary evolved. you know, I can't see why you can't just see that we say postbox and americans say mailbox.
What you are saying though is that OUR english is superior to theirs, and although english is "high brow" when you speak the queen's english, hardly anyone in England does now and in 1492 columbus went off to the Americas and their vocab evolved from there. |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| "Phillip... I for two am amused... oh, and what should we do about Charles and his mare?" |
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