Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachergirltoo]

We are discussing with admin how many co-teachers we would like to have next year - one or multiple. Up until now, we have ranged from five to nine each year. Before discussing it further, we decided to find out what is going on at other high schools. It is not an option to say '0' because they would not go for that, even though we teach 100% on our own anyways. So, how many different co-teachers do you have distributed amongst all your classes? Thank you.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Three - but I only have three classes that I get them to play an active role in (for the rest having one is rather unnecessary).

[espoir]

I have seven different co-teachers. But only 4 of them actually come to class and only 2 of those actually actively participate in my classes.

So if I had my way I would prefer only 2 co-teachers, maybe 3 tops. That way you see eachother far more often and discuss your classes and lessons with much more ease; ratehr then fruitlessly tracking down 7 different co-tecahers with your lesson plan, that they wont even look at anyways

[oldtactics]

I have 6, 3 main ones (5 classes with each), 2 who actually participate.

[BS.Dos.]

4 in total.

1 no-show
2 show but say or do very little
1 (handler) is a first class potato head. I'd give him the day off if I could.

[harlowethrombey]

7

I always give them the option of participating more or even co-planning the lessons with me, but they all say they'd rather just have a break from planning, etc. Which is fine for me as I get to plan and run the classes as I please.

As long as they deal with the discipline in class it all works out.

[Kilgore Trout]

I have one now, but have had as many as eleven since I arrived at this school. The fewer the better. When you have multiple co-teachers you've got to coordinate them, generally individually, explaining and re-explaining the material you've got planned (because they're not likely to be helping out with the planning) ad nauseum.

I found, too, that when you have a bunch of co-teachers, that some of them will actually want to participate in the class and will assume a role. It's easy to rely on that help, then be let down and left scrambling when the next co-T arrives to class ten minutes late and coyly folds her arms and pretends to be captivated by whatever's going on outside the window for the next forty minutes of class.

With one, she and I actually communicate and discuss material. Our classes are divided into two groups: one is with me in the English room, one with her in the students' own classroom. Communicative English is all she does. We talk often. It works.

[Gillian57]

Technically I have 4. However, none of them have EVER shown up in a class. That's after 6 years in the same school. Their excuse: We're busy. Well, dang, so am I!

[emilylovesyou]

5. 3 really like participating, 1 kind of does, and 1 just stands in the back. I'd say that's a pretty good record.

[Insomnia]

I have 6 level 2 co teachers and 3 level 1 teachers. Kinda weird now that I think about it.

[yeremy]

I taught at two high schools last year. I had seven co-teachers, three at each school. However, I wouldn't say that all of them really were co-teaching. Only two of my co-teachers last year, at the same school, really talked to me about the lessons beforehand. And, they shared the same job last year because one (male) of them worked the fall semester and then went to an intensive English program and another teacher (female) at that high school took over and she was a joy to work with.

Edited once to correct my spelling.

[Johnny_Bravo]

I would think this would depend on how many English teachers you have at your school. They teach their own classes and are your co-teachers in yours.

in my school - three co-teachers, and 99% of the time they all show up for class and try to make themselves useful. Two of them (one has since changed schools), the young(er) Korean females I consider almost indispensable. They really help me in a variety of ways.

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I suppose that I have seven but only two of them come into the classroom with me. I teach at three different high schools. At my first high school, the teacher assists me with the vocational level students since I told her that I wouldn't teach them without management assistance.

At my second school, I teach alone but I use the teachers for classroom management. I threaten to send the students to them and actually do if they cause their group to lose three strikes.

At my main school, a co-teacher assists me with some classes including vocational level. I can't say she is entirely useful and she translates everything even though I tell her not to. Nonethless, I can relax on disciplining when she is in the classroom and it breaks up the monotony.