Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sadguy]

ok, so yesterday i was told by a co teacher (jen) that i have a meeting with my co teachers to talk about my scheduling and teaching methods. 2 new co teachers apparently wanted to talk to me. i asked jen if they were about complaints. she said "yeah, something like that." so i felt a little stressed out today.

so i go to the meeting. the 3 old co teachers showed up, the new one was sick and didn't show up, the other came 30 minutes late.

the one that showed up late said her last foreign teacher didn't teach from the book and that he played a lot of games. the old co teacher told her that i can't do off topic lessons, that i have to teach from the book and that i played games last year. jen suggested that i do more speaking activities and less listening activies. the meeting ended. i thought it was harmless.

a bit of background information on jen. she's open with me, talks about personal things about her family, her marriage problems, etc. she's not an official teacher since she doesn't have her teaching license, but works as a teacher. she told me about the new co teacher's reputation being bad because she's part of the union and fights for teachers rights and other schools don't want her. but i worked with that new co-teacher and she seems jolly, outgoing and good with the kids. so sometimes i think jen can over exaggerate at times.

anyway, i said to jen "jeeze, u got me so nervous yesterday, i thought you said they were going to complain"

and she responded "well that's what i heard but they were being polite. i thought they were going to be more straight forward with you."

and i said "well, can you tell me what's going on then?"

and she said "i heard bad rumors about you. another teacher from another school heard you were a bad teacher and she asked if it was true. you might have problems with getting re-signed."

so i asked for more information, and she said "i can't tell you, if the other teachers won't tell you, then i can't." i pushed her to tell me more information.

she said "even if you try to leave this school, other schools won't take you because you have a bad reputation." she said she doesn't know the teacher that started this rumor, but that she just heard it.

after hearing that, i feel pretty infuriated. i teach from the book, try to teach it the best that i can. sometimes it can be boring and tedious, but i try to play games.

i have a good rapport with the students. we joke in class, they talk to me after class, in the hallways, and we have a good time in our after school classes. they give me candy, drawings, etc.

i don't know what to make of this, but it's leaving me feeling angry, confused and paranoid.

what do you guys think? i want to re-sign, but this is making me feel like crap.

[tanklor1]

Why are you so attached to this school? If they did that to me I'd finish my contract and find a school who would actually appreciate me. Schools are very replaceable here.

[TellyRules986]

I would take that with a grain of salt. If you have such a horrible reputation for being an awful teacher, then you would have been fired by now -- for actually being a bad teacher. And even then, teachers who have been fired have been able to find new jobs. If they don't let you resign then just find another position.

It just sounds like a bunch of catty gossipy Korean girls to me.

[sadguy]

for a few reasons. i like the students, the classes aren't that big so it's easy to manage. my first school, i had about 40 students and it was a headache.

i like my vacation time (i work for public school.)

i like my area.

AND, i'm an asian american. it's not that easy getting hired when you have an asian face.

i remember when i left my first school in seoul, i was looking for a hakwon job, and the only offers i got were in daegu and busan.

[bobbybigfoot]

[Fishead soup]

[sadguy]

[silkhighway]

You know what, screw them. IF you feel the criticism was constructive ,then take some of it, but if not, don't worry about it and chalk them up to being chatty **disturbers.

People give their co-teachers way too much credit. They're *just* teachers. They're not your bosses, and they're definitely not the ministers of immigration and education rolled into one.

[Summer Wine]

[silkhighway]