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Pulgasari
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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 Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:53 am Post subject: Kindergarden/Elementary vs Elementary/Middle School |
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I am planning a trip to Busan to teach ESL and have been given the option of teaching Kindergarden/Elementary or Elementary/Middle School.
However i am not an experienced teacher so do not fully understand the challenges that would be involved in teaching younger kids as opposed to older kids. If I teach Kindergarden would the kids actually understand anything that I say, are the middle school kids generally well behaved? What are the challenges of teaching older students?
I have many questions and was wondering if members could share some of their experiences with Kindergarden/Elementary vs Elementary/Middle School so that I can make a more informed decision on what age range to choose. |
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PigeonFart
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:04 am Post subject: |
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most people would prefer Ele/Mid. It takes a special personality to deal with Kindergarten kids. If you're more comfortable dealing on an emotional level as opposed to dealing on an intellectual level, then go for Kindy.
I for one don't have the E.Q. to deal with Kindy students. |
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caribmon
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:04 am Post subject: |
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| If you work kindie, you work 9-1 3-9 with random breaks in between. The elementary is 3-9 so you have time to go to the bank, immigration, other cities etc during the day. The elementary is much easier on the head as the kindies are always screaming and crapping themselves. The kindies are really cute, but the young elementary students are also really cute. |
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pangaea
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:44 am Post subject: |
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caribmon wrote:
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| If you work kindie, you work 9-1 3-9 with random breaks in between. The elementary is 3-9 so you have time to go to the bank, immigration, other cities etc during the day. The elementary is much easier on the head as the kindies are always screaming and crapping themselves. The kindies are really cute, but the young elementary students are also really cute. |
Not necessarily. When I taught kindergarten, my schedule was something like 9-3.
I will just put this in a list if you don't mind to save on some typing.
Kindergarteners:
Cute as little buttons
Very energetic. And I do mean very.
Soak up language like a sponge.
Willing to play silly games and sing silly songs with you.
Will want to talk to you, sit next to you and in your lap, and play with your hair.
A little more difficult to control in the classroom because they are so young and have so much energy. Any unwanted behavior is generally just due to impulsiveness and energy rather than deliberate misbehavior.
Elementary/Middle
Better behavior in the classroom but much more chance of deliberate defiance.
More reserved and inhibited and can be more difficult to engage in class.
More work on vocabulary and planned activities. If your lesson plan runs short, you can't fall back on flashcards, songs, or the hokey pokey.
Lessons can be a little dry.
I do miss my kindergarteners and the fun things I could do with my students. I miss how excited they are about being at school and how engaged they can be in a lesson. I have some elementary and middle school students who will literally sit and stare at me when I ask them a question because they are too afraid or uninterested to respond. On the upside, my day seems to go by faster and I don't feel as drained as I used to when I went home from teaching kindergarten. If I had to choose again, I would probably pick kindergarten for the day schedule and sheer fun of teaching kindy. My previous experience was in teaching preschool, though, so I am used to being around very small children and managing a classroom.
If you have any other questions about the differences between classes, feel free to ask me. |
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schlotzy
Joined: 10 Mar 2010
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I'd go with the older kiddies. |
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