Korean Job Discussion Forums

[winterfall]

I need some advice on how to deal with a crap for brains, whiny as hell co-teacher. I teach at a public technical high school. Since I started, there was an agreement with the school that I teach what and how I want. So I taught high frequency english words because the students came to this school without mastering the basics.

Now that's changed. The district shortened all english classes from 4 a week to 3. And I got a lot of pressure to teach the book. We worked out a compromise so I teach the book once every month. So now I have 3 classes of my 4 to teach whatever I want. On top of that, the Korean teachers agreed to prepare all the lesson material, handouts, audio cds, and games. To take me completely out of the lesson planning. I argued hard for that since they don't know what the hell they want. They're flippy floppy and complain non-stop.

However, some of the older teachers insisted that I teach the textbook every class. Fine whatever, I asked them to show me how to teach the book cause I really don't know how to. And it's just hit play, rewind and drill all class. Simple enough. To add a little more excitement (As much as you can with a completely crap textbook.) I rewrote all the dialogues to sound more "Natural". I didn't change much, the meaning of every sentence is the same, it's just shortened and rephrased. The teacher's complained again and said I must teach the book in the literal word for word form.

So I did that and now they're complaining again that the classes are too boring. That the dialogue is very "Unnatural" and I should use more games. So I told them, well as everyone agreed, if you want me to teach it. You make it, why are you coming to me?

And they're response was to keep complaining on how that's my job and my responsibility. Has anyone been in a similar situation, what did you do? I don't understand why they keep complaining. We already went over this before, they didn't like the alternatives

I tried to get my dept head and administration involved, they said because the classes are shortened they don't want to get involved.

[nathanrutledge]

Similar boat.

Technical high school, 4 majors that the kids study. One major, the students are very good, one major is terrible, and the others are in the middle (mind you, this is all relative to being a technical school).

First, my co teachers complained that I taught the same thing to both grades. I pointed out that both grades were about equal in ability.

Then they complained that my lessons were too boring and the kids weren't having fun. We were going to have a meeting to talk about it. Of course, the meeting never came and I was told to prepare all my work for the new semester. I asked "how/why should I write new lessons if all my lessons are boring and bad?" OH, NO, you're lessons are great!

Now, I have all new co teachers, save 1, and I'm doing my old lessons with the new first year students. They all tell me the lessons are great, the kids are enjoying them, everyone is happy, INCLUDING the one who is still here.

Long story short, calm down. Do your thing. If you recognize when you have a crap lesson and a good lesson, and you KNOW you are doing a decent job, then just damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.

[winterfall]

[thegadfly]

Winterfall,

OK, maybe I am missing something here, but now that they want you to make your classes more "interesting," couldn't you just back up and start doing again the things that you were doing prior to their interference?

You did the right thing by trying to follow their preferences, and now that they realize they were wrong about how to do things, I would suggest you just go back to doing things the way you were previously, and do NOT keep asking them what to do. Just do what you thought worked before, to whatever degree they will let you.

Personally, I would expect that you will be "allowed" to bring things back to your previous agreement, bit by bit. Just go back to doing what you thought worked, but do it over the course of a few weeks.

This kind of thing happens everywhere (happened to me more often in the US, for example -- I refused to "teach the test," and instead taught skills and abilities that helped my students to think...which has the result of increasing test scores, which is what administration worries about -- but because I didn't teach the test, I was called in for "conferences" on several occasions).

It is usually because someone up the chain got involved who wasn't involved or hadn't noticed what you were doing before...and that person has no real knowledge of your duties, goals, or approach, but DOES have knowledge of the "rules." That person makes noises to bring you "back in line with the school's expectations," and you get the kind of "guidance" you were given. When they "discover" that it doesn't work, and things are getting worse, they try to wash their hands of their own meddling, pushing it back onto you...so you just go back to what worked, and folks will leave you alone again....

It is bothersome when it happens, but assuming that what you were doing DID work, it is nothing more than an annoyance. Go back to business as you had made usual, and this will die down soon....

[winterfall]

I can't go back to the way things were. The textbook has been a constant complaint since I started and it was justified only because the students had English classes 4x a week. That's what all the higher ups agreed on. Since English Teachers taught 3, I taught 1. In effect it was 2 different sets of a curriculum.

Now that it's 3 a week, English teachers have 2 and I have 1. The argument doesn't work anymore. My classes are now combined with theirs so the curriculum for a speaking grade comes from the textbook. Most of the teachers were willing to compromise to let me only spend 1 class a month on the textbook with the rest on whatever I want (That's the high frequency words). The compromising teachers are the ones who feel that the textbook is not the holy grail.

But some of the older teachers, 2 of em. Rejected that and said it must be the textbook for every class. These are the fanatics, the textbook is the one and only source of knowledge.

I don't regularly ask the 2 old teachers what I should teach. Just that one time to show me what they expect. Because they're worthless and cna't do anything themselves (As per the agreement, they're supposed to prepare everything and just give it to me to teach). After that I did things by their example with some supplements until they complained and I adjusted it. Now I've realized they're just whiny bastards and will complain no matter. As long as I teach the textbook to the letter. I won't be held responsible.

I forgot to mention, no liability was part of the compromise. Because I'm not planning or at least shouldn't be planning the textbook lessons. All the complaints and responsibility is completely on the English teachers. Everyone agreed on this: teachers, dept head, vp, and principal.

As far as I can tell, this is a purely English department discussion. The higher ups are laisse-faire, as long as there's no abuse or complaints. They stay out of it.

But your right, its not much different from back home

[jonpurdy]

[winterfall]

[RedKristin]

[winterfall]

[ThingsComeAround]

I feel for you.

My situation is similar to yours, my school is a gifted elementary school. Most students could do the book in a day. I see the text and it looks as though it was written for first graders (although I teach sixth).

I tried to do things my way, but my HT wouldn't hear of it. She insists that we use ALL materials, ALL dialogues, ALL pages. We are preparing them "for the test"

What test? I wonder. YOU write the test that we give here. YOU make it so they all pass. Who cares if I'm teaching the book or not? "but parents will complain" -or- "the principal will get angry" Whatever. I may as well talk to the zoo about capturing a winged unicorn- I'd find greater success.

But you will bang your head on a brick wall if you try to go against them. You tried it, they denied it. You know they are wrong but they won't admit you are right. No win.

As nate said, keep following. Don't renew. Its not worth the headache you will endure to fighting. Good luck!

[Fishead soup]

Try to get your school to agree to use the textbook" Tell Me More" by Andrew Finch. It's made for Korean students. Many of the worksheets have hangul on them. This will be a hard sell. Go onto the Finchpark website and force your co-teacher to listen to what he says. Change the seating plan so the students are in groups. Start with one way or static tasks, These are things like brainstorms and wordfinds Then eventually work your way to dynamic two way tasks. This consists of class surveys and informations gaps and short dialogues and substitution activities. At first it will be really frustrating but get the co-teacher to translate the instructions so the students know what to do. You should have a buzz of activity. You won't get all the students involved.

If the school still insists on using the book. Use it in a more comunicative way. Take a page from the long reading section and do a dictation running activity. The students will love it and you'll baffle your co-teacher into submisson. Paste a page at the front of the classroom have students compete to re-write it without refering to the text.

[winterfall]

[Fishead soup]

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

Sometimes they actually understand more than you think they do, they just don't have the confidence to speak.

If it's pictures, you can always do a 'picture speculation', where you just ask a bunch of dumb questions about what the students think is happening in the pictures. Of course, if they're super-low you probably won't get too far-- just give them questions where they have to fill in about one word.

I'm not sure what sort of pictures they are, but maybe you could put them in groups and then get them to talk about the pictures together, or even make up a story about them (in Korean) and then tell you. Give them some action words or useful vocab beforehand... maybe print up sheets that basically spoonfeed them all the vocab they need (something like 'use these words to make a story', and then all that they have to do is string them together in some sort of order... and maybe fill in a few gaps. Then you can talk about the stories that they came up with.

[Fishead soup]