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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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Suwon4AGT
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:44 pm Post subject: Hagwon Politics |
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I'm into my second year. My first year was at a small hagwon. It was killed off when Wonderland moved into the neighborhood. My second and current job is at a university running a K-6 program. But, one by one, this program is getting picked off by surrounding "prestigious" cram schools.
I'm sure it's an old subject, but it never ceases to amaze me how Korean parents prefer these kill-n-drill mills vs. a quality education (albeit a subjective opinion). Over and over I've seen parents get worked over by their kids, telling him how terrible our school is, only to find out later that the real reason was because of their friends going to a "superior" school.
Boy, I was stupid and naive to assume that escaping from working at a hagwon would be the end of hagwon hell. Hardly.
I would be interested to know if your school faces similar difficulties and what things are done or can be done to overcome it. Is McHagwon Syndrome something that can't entirely be avoided in K-6? I'm just curious about what other people's thoughts are on this topic. |
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thegadfly

Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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People, in general, want a quick fix to anything they consider a "problem" -- look at all of the diet programs and exercise programs out there. Any one of them could probably be effective, if folks dedicated themselves to the program, and kept with it. Heck, if I diligently did situps, pushups, and chinups in my apartment, with maybe some rope-skipping, I could probably shed quite a few pounds quickly...but I don't stick with it. Just like a lot of other people.
Korean parents want their kids to learn English -- not for the joy of learning another language, but for the competitive edge it will give their children -- hence, their children NOT knowing English is seen as a hurdle to be overcome...and hence, they are searching for the "quick fix."
Like a flock of birds turning as a group in one direction or the other, so too do people seem to follow the fads -- remember when everyone was on Atkins? What about the P90X craze? Folks jump on-board, follow it for a bit, then abandon it when it gets too hard, or the next new thing comes along. Again, just like Korean parents pulling their kids from one school and sending them to another school. They are looking for the next big thing, the next easy fix....
Folks from countries where there is no competition amongst schools (yeah, America, I am looking at you!) are used to kids just staying wherever they happen to go, with maybe a little parental choice involved (vouchers, private schools, choosing to live in a "good" district). However, it never even occurs to most folks from my country that they SHOULD be shopping around for the best education for their kids, and if their kids are in a place that doesn't deliver, they SHOULD yank them and send them elsewhere. Korean parents are unhappy with the government-sponsored schools to such an extent that hakwons are everywhere, and are a thriving business. Folks in my home country are unhappy with public schools, but do exactly jack-over-shite about it -- perhaps telling themselves that the system they have is the best system possible -- I mean, after all, look at all the successful folks from the US! It MUST have a working educational system -- right? Right?
Whoops...tangential rant. Sorry. I am in a mood.
Yeah, parental shopping-around happens a lot in Korea, and I honestly think that it can have a better effect in the long run, even if some of the short-term effects are not so great.... |
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digby
Joined: 27 Oct 2010
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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Part of that comes from unrealistic expectations though. No one is going to learn perfect English in a year. Just like no one is going to shed 50lbs in three months. I'm sure there is a disparity in quality of teaching from X hagwon to Y hagwon but that isn't the sole determining factor.
You can have the greatest teachers in the world and your kid might still be completely disinterested. Shopping around and trying new things is great only if the person that is receiving the "goods" is giving it their all.
Whether it's a diet or language
As for things that could be done about it? Honestly no clue there. From my experience people are the same everywhere just as thegadfly said. They want quick fixes. If something doesn't work it's always easier to blame the program (which a lot of times is true) but not necessarily the most effective solution. I think it just happens. Don't think it matters whether it's a public vs private school thing, a style of language learning, a diet or a musical style. Instant gratification is the name of the game in almost every circumstance these days.
Differentiating a product only works for as long as it takes for someone to not put in the effort and complain.
Also agree with thegadly in that in can have a positive effect. It can kind of separate the wheat from the chaff in a lot of cases. But it takes a long time and a lot of consumer effort to make a large scale change on any sort of industry, least of all a country wide language industry like hagwons. Though that's all conjecture based on all the reading I've done the last six months. |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:19 am Post subject: |
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The world of Hagwons is a crazy place. 3.5 years in Korea and the topic of "quality education" has never come up. What I do in the classroom is irrelevant so long as the parents are happy and keep paying. |
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thegadfly

Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:57 am Post subject: |
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bobbybigfoot wrote: |
The world of Hagwons is a crazy place. 3.5 years in Korea and the topic of "quality education" has never come up. What I do in the classroom is irrelevant so long as the parents are happy and keep paying. |
Starting my second year here, that is the first thing that came up -- I looked for places where that was the priority. Places that value education certainly exist, though they may be in the minority...if you looked for them, I am pretty sure you could find them. One of the tells is to look for a school where the owner is also a teacher in the classroom, and teaches a class schedule equal to or in excess of the schedule expected of other teachers. If you are asked to teach 25 classes a week, and the owner teaches 40 classes a week...well, chances are, the owner is an experienced, dedicated teacher (though that says nothing about having business sense...or perhaps it demonstrates a LACK of business sense...but I'm talking about finding a place that values education, not a place that has the highest profit-ratio). |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:31 am Post subject: |
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thegadfly wrote: |
bobbybigfoot wrote: |
The world of Hagwons is a crazy place. 3.5 years in Korea and the topic of "quality education" has never come up. What I do in the classroom is irrelevant so long as the parents are happy and keep paying. |
Starting my second year here, that is the first thing that came up -- I looked for places where that was the priority. Places that value education certainly exist, though they may be in the minority...if you looked for them, I am pretty sure you could find them. One of the tells is to look for a school where the owner is also a teacher in the classroom, and teaches a class schedule equal to or in excess of the schedule expected of other teachers. If you are asked to teach 25 classes a week, and the owner teaches 40 classes a week...well, chances are, the owner is an experienced, dedicated teacher (though that says nothing about having business sense...or perhaps it demonstrates a LACK of business sense...but I'm talking about finding a place that values education, not a place that has the highest profit-ratio). |
My wife and I, each, teacher more hours/classes per week than our teachers who work for us. You need to be in the classroom to be involved in the educational success of the school. |
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