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| Are public school English Camps babysitting? |
| Yes |
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86% |
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| No |
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| Total Votes : 29 |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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 Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:48 am Post subject: PS "English Camps" are babysitting? |
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Mainly thinking about elementary school here.
Do you think the PS camp has an educational English value or is really just babysitting? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:36 am Post subject: Re: PS "English Camps" are babysitting? |
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| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Mainly thinking about elementary school here.
Do you think the PS camp has an educational English value or is really just babysitting? |
Babysitting but that doesn't mean it can't have educational value as well.
The concepts of babysitting and education / learning activities are not mutually exclusive. You can do both at the same time.
Just because something is fun does not mean they are not learning. Just because they are learning doesn't mean it can't be fun.
A good teacher will manage to get both done.
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Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:42 am Post subject: |
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+1
The school considers it babysitting (on average) and will bend to a pushy paenst will no matter how irrational
BUt A good teacher does what they can for the most part |
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Oliver
Joined: 19 Apr 2008
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:54 am Post subject: |
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Just part of the job. I dont see it as babysitting. Job is to teach English for a couple of weeks. Try and make it as fun and interesting for the students as possible.
Ideally it would be nice to have a summer break but Korea is education mad.
So yeah, I guess it does have educational value but like ttompatz says, the idea is to be more fun than regular English. |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:47 am Post subject: |
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| A few English camps are run pretty hardcore with serious high standards(and hopefully much higher pay)... |
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Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| Ukon wrote: |
| A few English camps are run pretty hardcore with serious high standards(and hopefully much higher pay)... |
I had my little run in with my school about the camps this year
About a month before Camps they said "we have no books this year, you need to make one" I calmly looked at my head teacher and said "nope"
She looks at me and say's "you have to" I calmly looked at here and said
a) I have 4 different camps worth of material that I can use
b) The district should have informed me earlier
c) I am far too busy with other semester end projects to cram in an entirely new 60 hour curriculum into 16 working days ( I had an after school program that took me out of the class on one day a week for that month)
So My partner teacher just looks at me with a kind of "well I told him, What else can I do look.
A week or so later she kind of says "have you started" same reply, okay no problem again
About 3 days before my camp, what do I get, oh look its the district designed books for the Summer camp.
Okay so that was hiccup 1
1) We don't care enough about the camp to tell you theres no book even though the district has had one designed for the last 4 camps in a row
2) We don't care enough to actualy tell you that we DO have a book now so that if you designed your own you basically worked for nothing.
Then there's the fact that 90 percent of our budget had to go to pay for a sub teacher for half my camp ( regular teacher had to leave) the regular teacher's salary went back to the school, and the camps budget ( given by the district) went to pay for the sub. KNOWING this fact the HEad English teacher decided to make this camp no charge to the student's effectively gutting any funds for supplies, snacks, or anything or a non traditional nature.
That and the fact that every year they do not break the camps down by any kind of level, but by GRADE, so I have kids who can talk to me in complete sentences with other kids who can't even answer when you ask "how's the weather?"
So my camps are babysitting at the district and the school level, but once they are in there I do what I can to find the average level and play to the crowd for maximum learning to fun ratio |
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SpiralStaircase
Joined: 14 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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We have a fairly good setup here. Being an 'academic' high school, students only have one week of vacation. The rest of the four week vacation period is school as usual (with the exception of Saturdays).
Native teacher is asked to select 10 students that have shown particular interest throughout the semester. Students recieve golden tickets (My co-teacher is a fan of the Office) Native teacher plans for 5 daily outings along with an hour study period to prepare students for outings.
Native teacher is given a wad of cash.
Native teacher takes students swimming, bowling, game room (board games), movie theatre, and finally to the restaurant.
Students = happy.
Parents = happy.
Principal = happy.
Native teacher = very happy. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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- Babysitting disguised as English teaching.
- English teaching disguised as babysitting.
- English teaching to teach English.
Take your pick. They all work in Korea.
Personally, it's no secret that my 2 camps this summer vacation are designed to keep the POE happy (GET must work normal contract hours).
My kids are into their 10th day of camps and are they are tired. There's no pretence about them learning anything now. We are just all going through the motions. Way to go POE - you're killing my kids enthusiasm for English - and you're demotivating another GET. But hey, that's OK - plenty more where he comes from. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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| oldfatfarang wrote: |
- Babysitting disguised as English teaching.
- English teaching disguised as babysitting.
- English teaching to teach English.
Take your pick. They all work in Korea.
Personally, it's no secret that my 2 camps this summer vacation are designed to keep the POE happy (GET must work normal contract hours).
My kids are into their 10th day of camps and are they are tired. There's no pretence about them learning anything now. We are just all going through the motions. Way to go POE - you're killing my kids enthusiasm for English - and you're demotivating another GET. But hey, that's OK - plenty more where he comes from. |
They should just call it summer school. Camp envokes images of playing outside, bonfires and other fun things. |
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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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On my first day, when I was suddenly notified that I had to continue the afterschool program (the camp comes later) I asked the 2nd grade teacher "why are the students still coming to school if its supposed to be vacation?", she stated outright that we are baby sitting them.
So I have taken that to heart and am trying to make the time more activity filled, game orientated and I don't sweat it if the kids aren't being too motivated.
I know why they are here and so do they, the school is a good place for them to spend thier days where they can meet with friends and stay out of thier parents hair.
So, I am taking it pretty relaxed. So the boys want to play starcraft in english and then spend all that time asking me questions about the names of the charcters, etc. Thats ok with me, those boys just used more english in the last 20 | |
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