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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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DaHu
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
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 Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Anyone who has one of these jobs and wants out, please PM me the info so I can replace you (and your school will appreciate you saving them the recruiter's fee and give you a release letter!) |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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What is surprising or shocking is how little the Korean teachers think the students can handle.
It seemed to me that they aimed for the lowest level students all the time, which left the majority of the class bored to tears. |
That is the part that gets me uncomfortable with the situation. We are wasting the last few good years of efficient language learning these kids have.
I talked about this at the start with the two teachers I teach with. They are both first year ESL teachers, and I talked about what the research and my own experience shows. And I talked about how painfully slow the book is. But, no good.
I realized after a month that - one reason - probably the primary reason - they stick to the book is - they don't want to see the students struggle.
They see the students easily mimicing the book material, because they have already learned it elsewhere, and they think it is good teaching because the students are "engaged."
When I get a chance and look for gaps in the overall class knowledge and try to give them material that will be useful for the higher and lower level students, and they see the students struggle with it, unable to answer the questions quickly and some looking confused, the co-teachers feel uncomfortable --- and then tell me to change what I'm doing - a couple of times right in the middle of what I'm doing.
And here is where my pride kicks in ---- I've been teaching ESL for over 6 years, and they are in their first year, but they have control of the class and me to the point they feel free to interrupt me in the middle or at the start of the activity and tell me to make changes on the fly...
So, a human tape recorder I will be....
It will not be worth it to be pig headed and most likely create enemies of them and others they gossip with...
If I were going to be at the school for years, it might be worth pushing my point of view more. But, for 1 year or less?
I'll do it the way they want me to do it.... |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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what i don't understand is why people stress over being a human tape recorder.
if the k-teachers don't care enough to let some of us effectively teach the students, it's the easiest job you've ever had.
take a chill pill and a long vacation.  |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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I guess it comes down to self respect, or finding something meaningful in the work you do.
After a few years of hagwon teaching, we know these kids can do so much more. (at least most of them) I wanted my students to be learning, and finding English fun. Instead they were bored, restless and soon learned to hate English class.
If all you care about is money, I suppose you'd be quite happy. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Ramen wrote: |
what i don't understand is why people stress over being a human tape recorder.
if the k-teachers don't care enough to let some of us effectively teach the students, it's the easiest job you've ever had.
take a chill pill and a long vacation. |
One day, when you grow up, you will understand. |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
| Ramen wrote: |
what i don't understand is why people stress over being a human tape recorder.
if the k-teachers don't care enough to let some of us effectively teach the students, it's the easiest job you've ever had.
take a chill pill and a long vacation. |
One day, when you grow up, you will understand. |
perhaps. i'm only 70 now. maybe when i reach 80, i will. |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
I guess it comes down to self respect, or finding something meaningful in the work you do.
After a few years of hagwon teaching, we know these kids can do so much more. (at least most of them) I wanted my students to be learning, and finding English fun. Instead they were bored, restless and soon learned to hate English class.
If all you care about is money, I suppose you'd be quite happy. |
if you care so much about self respect or finding something meaningful, you should resign from being human tape recorder and get a new job. |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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Since I started trying out some communicative pair work the last two weeks, my primary co-teacher has cut me off a couple of times or made me modify the heart of it before the next class.
And starting yesterday, after class, she puts the room divider down from the ceiling to seperate our two desks. (After having it done 3 times, I don't think it's by chance...)
If you fight being a human tape recorder or sticking to the book and the common listen-and-repeat methods - this is what you can expect (or worse).
It really isn't worth the struggle...
It makes more sense, to many but not all, just to go with the flow... |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:35 am Post subject: |
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| Ramen wrote: |
| some waygug-in wrote: |
I guess it comes down to self respect, or finding something meaningful in the work you do.
After a few years of hagwon teaching, we know these kids can do so much more. (at least most of them) I wanted my students to be learning, and finding English fun. Instead they were bored, restless and soon learned to hate English class.
If all you care about is money, I suppose you'd be quite happy. |
if you care so much about self respect or finding something meaningful, you should resign from being human tape recorder and get a new job. |
I did. I am back in Canada. Sorry if my last post was rude, I didn't mean to be. You or some previous poster asked why anyone would not be happy just to take the money and be quiet, so I tried to explain my reasons.
I did do it for 3 years, always thinking "next year will be better", but next year was always worse. If you're happy doing it, good for you. As someone else noted, there's not much you can do about it.
So best of luck and keep the kids smiling,
that's the one thing I really miss. |
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DaHu
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Well, even being a "human tape recorder" (as some of you felt), you still have the opportunity to let them listen to correct pronunciation, as opposed to a Korean teacher saying it incorrectly.
There should also be free time for those students who want more attention to come see you, yes? |
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winterfall
Joined: 21 May 2009
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
I realized after a month that - one reason - probably the primary reason - they stick to the book is - they don't want to see the students struggle.
They see the students easily mimicing the book material, because they have already learned it elsewhere, and they think it is good teaching because the students are "engaged."
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True but this has little to do with the students and has everything to do with the teachers. Granted it is culture, the whole face thing. But, culture shouldn't allow a teacher to keep teaching essay writing to a kid who can barely count to 10. Because they assumed however wrongly, that the kid learned what they were supposed to before they go to high school. In most cases, the teacher ends up doing all the work for them and assumes the kid is gonna go home and memorize / study what happened and how to do it. Only in the rare, truly motivated kids does that work.
And everybody knows this. The Korean teacher's aren't blind, they know who studied and who didn't. But they keep teaching like that anyway. IMO, I've come to conclusion almost all of them just aren't qualified to teach so they hang onto a piece of paper like it was the bible.
Just my 2 cents. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| DaHu wrote: |
Well, even being a "human tape recorder" (as some of you felt), you still have the opportunity to let them listen to correct pronunciation, as opposed to a Korean teacher saying it incorrectly.
There should also be free time for those students who want more attention to come see you, yes? |
They already have that opportunity by playing the CD.
What use is it for the FT to just repeat those same stock sentences?
My students were welcome to come see me any time after class, but very few took the opportunity.
What really irks me about this whole business is that the KT wasn't letting the students practice the sentences enough, she would play the CD, have me repeat the sentence, then have the class repeat it together just one time.
Then she would move on to the next thing. *_*
There was no small groups or pair work, or no kind of checking to see if the weaker students were getting it.
Why did this bother me? Because I cared about the students and wanted them to learn.
The way the class was being run was a complete sham.
She wouldn't even follow the basics of the lesson plans that are in the teacher's guide.
The KT had no clue how to conduct the class and refused to allow me any part in assisting other than "repeat what the CD says". |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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My primary co-teacher can teach. She uses a good amount of outside the book activities that generate interest and work on the target material. She also uses the textook and DVD material effectively.
But, she still sticks to the material the textbook focuses on - despite the fact a healthy majority of the students already know it and just about all of them have largely mastered it after the first class in a new lesson.
The curriculum VASTLY underestimates the amount of language learning material a young person can process effectively. And the saddest part is that the window of opportunity for easier language learning is closing each year these elementary school kids age.... |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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I read too many of these threads before coming to Korea more than three years ago. I didn't know anything about teaching and dreamed about an easy job of just reading things out of a book sometimes while someone else did all the work.
Did I ever get a rude-ass awakening.
I'm not sure I could do the tape recorder thing now or not. Perhaps not. But let the record show I was forced to become a halfway competent teacher against my own will. Newbies beware, it could happen to you.  |
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DaHu
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
I read too many of these threads before coming to Korea more than three years ago. I didn't know anything about teaching and dreamed about an easy job of just reading things out of a book sometimes while someone else did all the work.
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Well, the only ones to complain about these jobs are the ones who actually want to do more. I wish there was a way to specifically find these. |
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