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teach the mothers?
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D.D.



Joined: 29 May 2008

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:13 pm    Post subject: teach the mothers? Reply with quote

My friend teaches in a HS and this summer he has 5 days of teaching the mothers of his students. Is this strange or what? I would laugh if they asked me to do this. Is is even legal to demand the a public school teacher do classes to other than students or teachers? What's next teach the taxi drivers or Pizza Hut staff?
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ABC KID



Joined: 14 Sep 2007

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:23 pm    Post subject: Re: teach the mothers? Reply with quote

D.D. wrote:
My friend teaches in a HS and this summer he has 5 days of teaching the mothers of his students. Is this strange or what? I would laugh if they asked me to do this. Is is even legal to demand the a public school teacher do classes to other than students or teachers? What's next teach the taxi drivers or Pizza Hut staff?


I don't know about the legality of it but he is not alone. I have met at least one more public school teacher that was teaching mothers.

I did hear one person say that Ajumma classes are actually good fun and everyone laughs alot because their English usually sucks and they are so happy when they learn something even very basic. Needless to say though, not everyone would share this viewpoint and I for one would be very, very unhappy if my school tried to spring that trick on me.
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Goon-Yang



Joined: 28 May 2009
Location: Duh

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teach them to discipline their kids.

Teach them how it's impossible to hold onto something at a 40kph or over impace (like a kid).
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Katchafire



Joined: 31 Mar 2006
Location: Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a mothers class last year for the second semester. At first I had a 'ye gods wtf?' reaction ... turns out it was incredibly fun.
The parents feel a bit special having their son/daughters teacher - and love the idea of getting homework to practice with their child (at least, in my experience).
They were really really keen to learn, listen and participate - and laugh. We all had a blast.
Now, whenever I see those parents, I am greeted with a BIG hug.

Just enjoy it.

G
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frankly speaking



Joined: 23 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think a parents class is a good idea. The better the parents are at speaking English the more they can practice at home with their kids which will help in the classroom in the long run. I can understand not wanting to do more classes, but if they pay overtime or reduce other classes then I wouldn't mind at all. I wouldn't do it for free though.

Good luck with it. If you have to do it, don't resent it. Try and keep positive that will make the time go by much faster. Besides, you will be able to have autonomy in what you teach them. Tailor the class so that you enjoy what you are teaching them.
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Chambertin



Joined: 07 Jun 2009
Location: Gunsan

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with the potential of it. However I promptly turned down a contract that had it written in as a function of my employment.
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halfmanhalfbiscuit



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chambertin wrote:
I agree with the potential of it. However I promptly turned down a contract that had it written in as a function of my employment.


Aye. It could be good from the perspective of having contact with the parents. OTOH, with 800+ students, and no set curriculum it's a bit difficult to give feedback.

The last ajumma class I had at a hagwon it was an exercise on their part of oneupmanship over each other and having pushy ajummas tell me what to do.

Tiresome.

If the school wants to make use of me, make use of me in a way that will benefit the students and have concrete goals towards that. I'm not there to raise teacher trip funds.
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Cabbit



Joined: 19 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:27 pm    Post subject: Re: teach the mothers? Reply with quote

D.D. wrote:
My friend teaches in a HS and this summer he has 5 days of teaching the mothers of his students. Is this strange or what? I would laugh if they asked me to do this. Is is even legal to demand the a public school teacher do classes to other than students or teachers? What's next teach the taxi drivers or Pizza Hut staff?


Let me guess, you are not a teacher....have no interest in teaching.....tell people that you are a teacher in korea but are actually busy writing a book.

How in the world is this a bad thing????????

I have been given a parents class and I adore it. As a teacher I find that it is a wonderful thing. The parents get to meet the person teaching their child. The parents get to learn what their kids are learning and are able to understand the difficulties that they might encounter. The parents can relate to their children and actually assist in the learning process.

As a Kindergarten teacher back home, we learn how important it is to co-teach with the parents. The parents are a valuable recourse and if your school is smart enough to recognise that then you should be very pleased.

The parents play a valuable role in a childs education (if there are any parents out there you know how important you are).

Ok, so my 'mothers' class has been a great lot of fun. They bring coffee and snacks and inbetween the lesson plan we have a great laugh together. They struggle along in ESL without the stress of any exams or parental pressure. It is a dream class. But then.....I really love teaching.

Mothers in Korea are mostly housewives so they have a lot of time to contribute to their kids lives. And if they decide to learning a language that would benifit both them and their children then I am all for it.

Just think, each of those mothers that attends your class is there because they WANT to be there. They could be at home watching TV and surfing the internet*....but they chose to attend your class.

*Its what I would do.

Enjoy mothers classes......~!!!!
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RufusW



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yea, I teach 4/5 mothers once a week. It wasn't started to help the kids they just wanted to learn English. It's a poor-ish area and my co-teach kicked off with - 'do you have the vegetarian option?' while on a plane!

Anyway, I pretty much do the same lesson plan as the kids. If the mothers can remember it then they can test the kids. For example, I've been teaching 'Where is your book/bag/pencil/uniform...?' so they should be able to ask the kids.

If it was a big class, or over my 22 hours, or later than 4.40 then I'd consider not doing it.
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Horangi Munshin



Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was asked to do a twice weekly class for parents way back in November of 2007. I was also asked how much OT I wanted Shocked .

The class is still going. The current core of students have been steadily attending for over a year.

I also have a class for teachers once a week. I can use the same material as the parents class usually. That cuts down on planning and is interesting to see who participates better in various activities.
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The Bobster



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

frankly speaking wrote:
I think a parents class is a good idea.

I've taught them at hagwons and they are fun. I also think educating the moms is a good idea because I get frustrated when the kid tells me the homework I marked wrong was checked by his mom, and he trusts her more than me, I guess ...
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Big Mac



Joined: 17 Sep 2005

PostPosted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My school just proposed to make mothers' classes available to all the parents in my school starting in September. I'm thinking about doing it, but worried that I will have too many classes and will get burned out because of it. I already teach 8 after school classes a week beyond my 22 contract hours.

They want me to teach after 5:00, if necessary, in order to make it happen. I'm game for it, because I like teaching and want to save as much money as possible, but I seriously worry about burning out. I told them there was no way I would even consider it if they wouldn't raise my overtime rate, and after a bit of a fight they gave me an extra 5,000 Won a class (25,000 Won).
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I'm no Picasso



Joined: 28 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My mothers just took me out for dinner last night to celebrate our last class of the semester. And I'm teaching a parents' summer camp. Really looking forward to it.

It is a genuine relief, once a week, to go from 45 wired, rebellious boys per class to four middle aged quiet-natured women. They're fun to teach and they absolutely fall in love with you. And they're keen to teach you anything and everything they can about Korea, Korean culture, so on and so forth.

The lesson planning is an absolute cinch. Depending on the level of the students, either pick up a book to work through or print out simplified articles to read together and discuss. Or do a combination of the two. These classes practically teach themselves, so long as you have a decent handle on grammar and can explain such things adequately.
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Countrygirl



Joined: 19 Nov 2007
Location: in the classroom

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of the big reasons I stayed at my school is because of my mothers' class. Sometimes they are the only group really interested in learning. Not to mention that they keep me up on the gossip of the school, they regularly take me out for dinner, bring pizza to class, etc.

In the beginning it was the mothers that made me feel welcome in my school and not the teachers, who are still deathly afraid of all things English.
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Kikomom



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko

PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love this thread. It's a complete contrast to "the clouds are darkening" and may just be the antidote needed.

Hurray for good teachers and good attitudes.
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