Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

ok this is a whine.
good god I hate open classes. My kindy class is just starting a unit on food and one of the activities I had planned was some taste testing. Because it's fun and a great way to back up some phrases by using them in context. Now as it happened yesterday I got told I was having an open class this week, and I thought hey, here's something fun to do for the adjumas.

Today I get told 'The kids should be having conversations'. I say well they will be learning some new sentences about food. To which I get told that I should be covering stuff that the kids have already learned so that they 'can have a proper conversation.' I'm like well, they have a few two or three word phrases that they can use but they can't hold a 'proper' conversation yet, most middle school kids would struggle with that. So apparently now I have to drill the kids on their weekly sentences for the adjumas.

Why oh why do I bother to find new and interesting stuff to do. to top it off I have to be at school early with no transportation provided (I live 20min drive from my school) but it's over an hour by public transport. 11 days, 11 days.

clg

[canuckistan]

Oh I have to laugh CLG, I call open classes "The Dog And Pony" show

[lush72]

Oh GOD how I DESPISED �open� classes! It was just so ridiculous! Does your hogwon have a microwave? If so, how about having a pizza making class? I did it in an open class and it was a winner. What was even better was the moms got involved (7 year olds making pizza bagels unassisted? Don�t think so) as well. We talked about the toppings, what pizza was, what we were doing, what�s this food (topping as it was)? Etc.

I still hated it but it was easier then a normal open class. You could also make a fruit salad.

Right now your mantra should be �11 days�, over and over. Hopefully in a little under 2 weeks you will be loaded with cash and this will all be a memory (this school that is)

Keep your chin up!

[crazylemongirl]

our school doesn't even have an internet connection anymore because it is 'too expensive' (although we're not that hard up as the boss went to switerland over new years). I was going to get the moms to feed the kids and the kids tell them what they like and don't like. I thought it would be something fun to do.

Of course this open class thing is a perfect time to tell the boss the amount she will be forking over next week. I'm even gunning for an early payment.

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

Open classes of course are not realistic educationally, they are pure PR. As such there are about showing off. The fact that your boss wants real conversations shows how out of touch s/he is with the reality of your students level. Springing it on you quickly and also wanting real conversations is pretty inconsiderate, but that's school life. I wouldn't go for food personally, I'd go for structured interactions that show off everything they can do, doesn't matter if it's not a real conversation, as long as it appears like one.

[crazylemongirl]

I had the open class today and went with my original lesson plan.

I had jelly, marmite, chocolate, candy and bananas I blindfolded the kids
and got some help for the kids to feed them. It was probably the best open class I had, the kids had fun because they were doing something different and the looks on their faces when they got some marmite were priceless. There was lots of laughing and english in the class.

The adjumas who saw their kids having fun and speaking in english had fun too.

clg

[rapier]

I have the once yearly series of 3 open KG classes next week: i've had to slim down my games because a lot of them would just appear too unruly for the parents, although the kids love them. I'm taking a more sit down and answer my questions approach... I'm well aware how nitpicky and critical the average armchair ajumma is, so I'm just playing safe...
Fun class? "My little johnny just plays games at the hagwon"
Strict speaking class? "my little min-soo is not having fun"

[crazylemongirl]

I've had 6 sets of open classes in one year! I did a lot of calls and answers but it was on fun stuff like food. I tried to go down the middle and please everyone (I may end up pleasing no one) but with 9 days to go on my current gig I really don't care.

clg

[rapier]

CLG: nice situation to be in, the final phase.
Open classes really rankle me.. just the idea of a load of mothers watching your every move and treatment of their little darling, and then basing their year-long opinion of your teaching on a brief snapshot of your teaching, undertaken in a highly artificial setting. Ah well, such is life, always a challenge I guess.

[Eazy_E]

Open classes are better in one respect than regular classes: the kids behave themselves perfectly. You can tell that they've been coached (threatened?) by their parents when you see the plaintive, meek expressions on their faces. I can imagine the parents saying something like this: "do EXACTLY what the teacher tells you. DONT embarrass me".

In a way I wish all my kindy classes were like that. Normally I would have to set myself on fire to get their attention. Kindy definitely isn't for me.....

[waterbaby]

I've seen some unruly behaviour by parents during open classes ... they were calling out the answers to help their kids during the games & generally giving me a good impression of how their kids get their lax attitude to cheating.

[Homer]

Ahh the ole open classes.

They are not pleasant thats for sure. But hey, they exist nonetheless...
I had to teach a kindergarten lesson to mothers once and make them sing...not fun.

Such is life.

[crazylemongirl]

it's bizzare, I don't know if it's cause I don't care but I actually enjoyed this one. I did hear the odd parent screaming out answers but in general they were well behaved. And the kids were well behaved because they were doing something fun.