Korean Job Discussion Forums

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

I was answering a question about kindergarten and I thought about the 3 classes I had to teach. It was just me and when you compare it to the number of people working with them in the public school system or private, there is a higher expectation that we are super people.

Then I thought about how I taught elementary compared to the school that I currently teach in. 80% korean and 20% english, no wonder the students freaked out when I tried to explain activities in english. I used 0% korean and 100% english.

Or high school. I would use 80% english and 20% korean and still it blew thier minds. Though after listening to a co-teacher teach her entire class with 80% korean and 20% english I was not that surprised.

For those that have really impacted thier students under these conditions, I must take my hat off to you. You are super people. Am I having an impact, yes. My students dont even know the months of the year or days of the week and my daily questions apart from hurting thier minds are working.

But in all fairness, when I think about it. We are really served up to be roasted. There seems to be such a difference between our teaching styles and korean teachers that its surprising the students learn at all.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

Thanks Ttom for that info.

I am a little worried as there seems to be such a gap between my teaching style and the korean teachers in my school.

At the orientation, they said we should teach 80% and the korean teachers 20%. In my school the classes I teach are afterschool as the classes I have with the korean teachers is 90% korean and 10% or less me.

When the students asked the korean teacher why I wasn't teaching he told them, that I was only there for games and I would teach them in the afternoon class.

What he explained to me in english was different then what he told the kids though. But I am not here to get into fights, so if my schools teachers only want to use me as a taperecorder or games player in thier classes, then I just shrug my shoulders and go on.

Though my classes, are different and I feel that they should try to understand me and how I use the language. Its difficult for them and I understand that, but it will make them better in the long run I hope.