Korean Job Discussion Forums

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

I wouldn't mind evaluations either if they were done professionally and we, the evaluated, had recourse for negative comments and ratings on the evaluations. The new proposal is simply too open to abuse and it's certainly not professional.

That doesn't really suprise me since the current evaluation system is also not professionally done. The evaluators--some of whom have exactly zero English competency--sit in the back and mark the evaluation form which, of course, is in Korean. A professional approach to this would be to inform the evaluated individual in advance of the expectations for that evaluation and not keeping the evaluation items and total score secret from him.

Nope. This is not a good plan. It's just a different dog and pony show. In this version, though, the dog (the foreign teacher) will get stepped on hard by the pony (the Korean evaluators).

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

I have been in a few open classes, not just mine but also Korean teachers. With hindsight, I shouldn't have been that critical of the play put on by the student teacher that day.

While I could forecast every word that came out of the students mouths just by reading the lesson plan, I have subsequently learnt that she was a cut above the normal teachers I deal with on a day to day basis.

I thought it was a joke that my VP decided who was a good english teacher when he couldn't speak a word of the language. I think all of us who have been in Korea more than 2-3 years knows how this will play out.

We could be pleasantly surprised and that would be nice, but seriously I have practiced for 2 months for an open class because thats what the korean teachers wanted. I am not sure how useful it was as the only complaint that was made was why my students didn't have dictionaries.

You could have heard a pin drop for the few seconds it took for the teachers to comprehend that our school was supposed to be given money for the english program.

Really, if this is similar to many of the other programs put into practice by the Korean ed. dept. then it will be a joke.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

smartwentcrazy · Joined: 26 Feb 2009

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

liveinkorea316 · Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Location: South Korea

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

Who cares what the reason someone is doing their job? As long as they're doing the job, that's all that should matter. And what is the job here? It's to teach.

And what constitutes qualified? I would have to say that one could gain that qualification from either coursework (TEFL certification, etc.) or experience. A number of posters here have gone well over five years teaching English in Korea. Unless they're completely brain dead, which I seriously doubt, they would be qualified in my opinion. But that's the rub; it's not my opinion, but that of the Korean government, that matters. Qualification for teaching one's native language here does not include a requirement for certification. Having the certification does give one a salary bump but it's not the be all and end all of qualification.

smartwentcrazy · Joined: 26 Feb 2009

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

liveinkorea316 · Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Location: South Korea

Kurtz · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Location: ples bilong me

Here's a meaasge from my co-teacher

Mr. Kurtz
Please download the file and check the lesson plan. There is English part, eventhough there is too much Korean.
If you need you can chage it, and let me know where you changed.
I've heard that supervisors are also interested in how foriegn teachers are working. A English teacher who opened her class on the school evaluation day said, they noticed why she was the main and let the foriegn teacher just read English like a tape recorder. They think they use extra money on Native speaker teachers, and want to see it's worth. I think supervisors want to see the interaction between you and students. And I know you are the best teacher in Busan who can interact with kids. ^^ They will like the lesson as you have done.

I think that explains things nicely; the supervisors just want to see if you're actually doing something, rather than just standing in the corner with your thumb up your butt. I realize that's all your co-workers lets you do sometimes.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

Morticae · Joined: 06 May 2010

I think I'll agree with Kurtz on what they are looking for.

If you're actually teaching, you'll be just fine and should not bother worrying. If you're used as a parrot, or sit in a corner most of the class, or are unable to control the class, you might be in a bit of trouble.

Personally, I'm expected to teach 100% of the class. Most of the time I am alone, because the KT either doesn't show up to begin with or they leave after taking attendance. And I'm expected to NOT use the book at all, come up with lessons based on "whatever I want."

Clearly they are trying to determine if this is money well spent or not, but this was just for Busan. I'm not sure if they'd bother doing that with me here. As long as it isn't during some strange scheduled week where I end up playing games in all my classes, I'll be fine.

bobbybigfoot · Joined: 05 May 2007 Location: Seoul

Captain Kirk, you are a good writer.

I've never worked in a PS so I don't know what it's like to have an open class. I do know that I hate being observed. Especially when people are tracking your every movement. So having three Open Classes a year wouldn't be fun for me.

That being said: if the point of the open classes is to encourage and help teachers become better then I think it's a necessary evil. If they are there merely to "get rid of" bad teachers, then I don't agree.

Generally speaking a "bad teacher" is merely an untrained teacher. How about offering quality training?