Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Autummyst]

Hi all,

What was your first day of teaching like? Especially if it was a public school and elementary age students??

I'm starting on Thursday....

[gregoriomills]

[Senior]

Make a PPT presentation about your home country and you. Put in photos of your friends, family, house, pets and other mundane stuff that they will find shocking and amazing. I use videos from the tourism council of NZ to break it up. I'm sure your home town/state/district/province has a tourism (or similar) council who put out propaganda about how awesome your area is.

Allow 20 mins for that, then let them ask questions. It's best to let them write down their q's, cos they will be too shy to ask questions, out right. Good luck, and relax.

[Globutron]

Based on my experience when I came here 4 weeks or go, I'd say don't plan anything, don't *have* tips.

I had a list, and the moment I arrived it went straight out the window. Wearing a suit for a good impression and things on the computer to display...

They preferred informal wear to be the typical cool American, even though I'm English, and my laptop wouldn't work to get the work off, and it wasn't exactly ideal for me to get my USB noggle, hook it up to their computer, print it off etc in the time I had.

Also, I had observation days, supposedly a week, but after 2.5 days I was thrown in the deep end, and I just... went with it. On top of that I had 4 classes of entirely new kids that had just come in. Very loud, very active, very disobedient. It just kinda worked.

And I am not somebody who is good with kids (...was good. I basically love them now and it's only been a few weeks).

All I'd do - All I did in the end - is take deep breaths.

[nobbyken]

Take some snapshots from GoogleEarth at various scales, zooming into your homestreet and into your new place of work, paste them into a powerpoint.
If you get the chance to hook up to a computer, you could show that too.

[Autummyst]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the tips! My co-teacher gave me the lessons I'll be doing ahead of time to look over so at least I have an idea of what to work with. I'll get a slideshow of pics and stuff from my hometown as well in case i have extra time.

[Chambertin]

Be the ball..... nun nun nun nun~

Flexibility is KEY to me. Dont start planning until you get the wetworks about what they are expecting of you. Bend like a reed in the wind for the first week. Ask questions whenever an opportunity comes up even if it is a simple as "where is the light switch" as you might not get a chance to ask this again with someone who knows English.

If the school is big, dont be afraid, just ask ask ask. about what is going on. (then again I�ve always been at small schools, friends advice there) If the school is small, make friends first then ask questions later, (save the technical, lightswitch, attendance sheets, etc.) you will have to see the same people every day, hold off and let them feel you out. Then you can pick your allies and get the info you need.

Still the most important thing is to think long term. Find someone who you can lean on. Dont look for a crutch, meet them half way.
Also be prepared to really meet them half way, there are many people here ready to prop you on a pedestal, especially the students. While that wont "go away" they expect a lot more back out of you as the relationship lasts.

Keep it straight, keep it professional, but dont ever stop being friendly.
However pick your friends after the first month.

EDIT:
Co teacher means public, so I suggest you bone up on Korean culture (a little) and try not to follow the advice of people who seem to only want to make rifts in the small valley that is a classroom.
Dont stop being you, but let you slide into a new environment rather than crash through it like Godzilla's tail.

EDIT2:
I dont completely agree with the powerpoints. I'm a little oldschool and my classroom is even more so. Still having a bunch of pretty pictures to wow the students is great, but it only sets a tone for them. Do you want to teach them power point or English?

I think the best way is to talk, ask questions, and encourage speaking. Power points may do that, but dont take it too far. The best inspiration for questions is anonymity.
Edutainment is a crapper, but if you can get through to them in the first week and then go back to being a teacher, it can work. Be the silly outgoing version of you, but tone it down fast. One smile = edutainment over.

I like the oldschool techniques of tossing out a bunch of pictures from magazines or drawing on the board. After you gain some authority you can pass the marker to them and they get to be involved in the process. That�s something that clickin a mouse can never replace, creativity.

EDIT 3:
I suppose this could go on all night, but as I think the text gets bigger.
Empathy is a big key. I know many will have something to say about this, but here it goes. For many of the native teachers they worked their *beep* off for a job that could be going nowhere.

Like you they are either in a daze, have expectations that may not be met, or are just working hard to teach the kids. Use that to your advantage. Figure out where they are in life and career and make it a point of the relationship. Become friends if you want, but more importantly use it to not become enemies.

Every year they see another foreign teacher come in, and there�s no guarantee, infact it is much more likely that the last one wasn�t popular and now you have to deal with that prejudice. Cordial living can save your year and possibly turn that bitter NET back a few notches.

[Fishead soup]

You'll need a bright big bowtie. Preferably something that spins or shoots water.

A goofy grin on your face.
a big bag of candy.

[Whistleblower]