Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chris_J2]

Just how much sway do kids parents have at Public Schools, have other native speakers found? I can understand parents forking out big bucks for hagwons, wanting to have a say in the curriculum, & teaching styles, but at my last public school, my coteachers were relaying verbal complaints from the students parents, about my accent, which did not match that of my Korean coteachers. (I kept getting the comment from many other native speakers, that I don't sound Australian, & they kept forgetting I wasn't North American). Not once in 9 weeks in North America, (Oct / Nov early December, 2008, in 8 US states, & 2 Canadian provinces) did anyone ask me to repeat myself, because I was unintelligible.

The issue of parents complaints & expectations never came up at my first contract.

Is it worth suggesting a 'parents & teachers meeting'? I'm finding in my current job, that the parents blame the teacher, if their children do not learn as much English as they'd like. Regardless of whether some students show zero interest in learning, & spend most of their time disrupting the class, talking in Korean with each other, arguing, fighting & throwing things at each other. It's never the students fault, always the foreign teacher. Thoughts?

[dporter]

I think that among western countries we do a pretty good job of making out what another English speaker is saying in spite of any accent. Mostly because of TV and movies.

I can get the meaning of whatever an Aussie might be saying because of the Crocodile Dundee movies. There are enough British sounding people floating around on American TV and in the movies so my ear has been tuned to them as well. Even those who speak English with a heavy Indian accent can be understood probably due mostly to comedians.

However, for a Korean student who has had limited exposure to native speakers their ears may be tuned to those with the accent they have heard previously. It does take some time to 'get the meaning' of someone with a novel accent. I know that Brad Pitt's character in Snatch was hard for me to understand with that Pikey accent he was using.

I think we see this same type of thing when we try to speak the native language whether it be Chinese or Korean. Our unique accent when speaking the home tongue makes it difficult for native speakers to understand what we are saying. They simply aren't exposed to the diversity of accents speaking their language like we are with English.

But to answer your question - I don't know how much pull Korean parents have in a public school. I haven't made it to Korea yet

[chris_J2]

Thanks dporter

It wouldn't have been so bad, if my Korean coteachers version of spoken English, was perfect & flawless. It wasn't. Not by a longshot. The parents complaints were early on in the contract, in 2007. By 2008, they'd ceased. Especially since the school won the local inter school English competition, with my coaching.

So, have parents intervened, interfered, made problems, at any other Public Schools?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Parents don't have much sway at my school compared to hagwons. I sometimes here that I 'talk too fast', even though native speakers tell me I'm a slow talker. But as for parents, if I ever meet them they're usually very polite but a bit standoffish. I've never had a single parental complaint about anything I've done or said in class, or disciplining / not disciplining students for whatever.

On the matter of accents, Koreans who have a degree of English often comment that they find me easier to understand than some other native speakers they've met. It seems to be something they really appreciate, and a plus for one's image as a teacher.

[oldfatfarang]

Parents should have absolutely no impact on your teaching style in a public school. Zero. Your co-teacher, principal and VP are there to protect you from parents.

Your accent shouldn't matter. However, it's very important that for the first few months at a new school, you speak like a TEFL teacher. That is, learn to put micro-gaps between your words until the kids get used to your accent.

Most experienced teachers do this automatically, it's only when they go 'home' (and their friends think they've become retarded) that they realise they're doing it.

[Xuanzang]

At Gangnam schools or private elementary schools with tuition - parents have significantly more pull than your standard PS. PTAs do exist here in Korea.

[dporter]

[harlowethrombey]