Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

I've had to dump another load of copies for the 2 classes I share with 1 co-teacher (who has never taught ESL before) - and - change the learning ppt and review ppt I've made to go with the chapter.

Why?

Because she said the word "skinny" and "mean" were inappropriate for 3rd graders....

We haven't seen eye-to-eye from day 1. She's never taught ESL before. I've taught all ages and levels for about 8 years.

She insists - the younger and lower the level the student is, the slower you have to go. So, she fits in perfectly with the textbook she sticks to.

The students become difficult at times - because they are bored to tears studying things 98% of them already know...

And I'm getting tired of having to throw away material I've created...

[ThingsComeAround]

You could tell her "that's tough, its what we are using".

Or ask her to supply you with an alternate.

How you could fold to her petty demand?

[iggyb]

It isn't worth the fight and alienating myself from the rest of the teachers in the school (and administration).

NSETs are subordinate. That is the reality of our role, no matter what the disparity in language teaching experience...

[some waygug-in]

Don't dump your materials. Save them for next year. Maybe you'll get a better co-teacher who will allow you to use them.


Better yet, offer them up to others on this site who might be able to use them.

At least then you'll get the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping others .....somewhere.

[iggyb]

I am saving everything digitally. That is what I recommended here to some complaining about being a human tape recorder. Given the light schedules we have (compared to what I had in the US), I have enough time to build up material I can use in the future.

On sharing stuff, I do post some of the material at MOD EDIT
I also post stuff at my site: www.esolers.org/blog

I don't put everything up. It depends on time and energy level.

But, the way this one co-teacher runs things, I have a need to create material to fill my time slot of teaching each class, but she exercises arbitrary editorial control, and after discussing things with her several times the first month, her ideas on what the students can process and language learning in general are --- 180 degrees opposite what I have learned from experience & worse still - 180 degrees opposite what you will read in any TESOL methodology/theory book (at least in the West).

My primary co-teacher is also new to ESL, but after a few weeks with the textbook, she showed she gets it and once she started trusting my experience, she let me do more than be a tape recorder and things have been going well there...

The problem with the other co-teacher is --- she creates a BIG disincentive do things that will make the class more interesting and informative for the students - which would help us maintain class discipline (which has been a problem - especially in one pretty bad class).

The students are bored to death, but why be creative with a class when her guiding principline is that "these students can't learn more than the textbook gives us" and she has the authoritiy to scuttle anything I create and exercises it regularly?

[brittlowe]

Where do you work? Is it at a private or public school?

I just accepted a position with EPIK for the fall. So far, I've heard rather negative things about co-teachers and other school management.

[iggyb]

Public school.

My overall experience is still good, and I'm a pessimist by nature. So, I'm more prone to use "OK" than good...

The biggest complaint I hear about elementary school teaching is that you are used only as a human tape recorder - not given any control of the class or material. Some like that, because its easy. Others don't, because its boring and not teaching.

Middle school and high school, I've heard, are largely opposite. You have control of the class and the co-teachers are just there or for classroom management.

At least that is what I heard when I was looking into it two years ago.

At my school, after an initial month as a tape recorder, I was given teaching time. (Either they saw I had an idea of what I was doing - or - they saw how much money I make and decided if I was going to make that much, they were going to make me work for it).

I'm fairly happy with it. I just get frustrated when the one teacher decides to toss out material for nonsense reasons.

I've also worked in hakwons (over a decade ago). You have control there, but it is a meat-grinder, and the admin there are too difficult to work for.

The job I have now is an easy gig, and it is real teaching, so I'm happy.

[iggyb]

That is another reason I'm not going to fight for the integrity of the class: I'm leaving within a year.

I came here for a specific purpose for a short term. I was supposed to leave last year, but I smashed my leg up. Now, if I find an ESL job in the US, I'll leave in August. Or, I'll leave in Feb. Or, I'll leave earlier if my father dies.

Having known that, it was much better to play the subordinate role and just say, "OK. OK. OK."

It obviously doesn't mean that it doesn't get frustrating at times.

And again, I'm happy my primary co-teacher is not like this.

[winterfall]

[iggyb]

She is anal. I tried talking it out the first month, but it was like talking to my mom: Her natural, immediate reaction is to say "no." The longer I talk and explain and justify, the more I hear no, no, no, no. Then she'll give reasons, and they almost always make no sense or are just simply pedagogically wrong. Wrong according to whatever you will find in a TESOL methodology program.

That, and a couple of other things, are what causes events like this to fester for a couple of days.

I get along much better in my work if I duck my head as low as possible when it comes to her and the 2 classes we share.

She is getting better with experience in ESL. She has taught about the same time as me overall, but not in ESL. The two classes were hard to manage at first, because she stuck strictly to the book, and they were bored to death and uncontrollable at times.

Then, she started bringing in topic-oriented songs, and Koreans love to sing. She uses them to start and end the class, and that has helped.

Of course, I don't get a veto over what songs she uses. And of course, 100% of the material in the songs doesn't fit the textbook chapter. But, hey, she is the one with the authority. She is the one who can have me redo my material because the words "skinny" and "mean" are inappropriate for sensitive 3rd graders.

But, even her good use of video material irritates when she has caused me to redo material I've created:

She doesn't create any material.

She also doesn't let me use the textbook and DVD.

Her lesson plans consist of the heading of each section of each page of the textbook which she covers (after the opening song). Then she has a slot for me to "do something fun."

I'd rather be the human tape recorder.

I like creating material for class, but when it is a given she will disagree with at least parts of anything I do, and I have to redo it no matter how nonsensical her reasons are.....I get irritated for a couple of days everytime I am not successful in avoiding her before class...

[alistaircandlin]

[iggyb]

I think there is a big difference between elementary school and secondary schools, from what I've read here.

I did try to talk this out with the one teacher the first month+ of school. It was no use. The more we talked, the less respect I had for her as a teacher, and the more frustrated I got. It was all friendly conversation, but she wasn't going to budge.

And regardless of the leeway Korean teachers give, ultimately, they are the last word - unless you want to take it above their heads.

Even though Korean teachers rotate schools every 5 years, this is Korea. These are their schools. We are not Korean. Most of us will be gone in 1-3 years. Virtually none of us will be here the rest of our lives.

Given that, NSETS will always be considered subordinate. Secondary Korean teachers might give them complete control of the class, but the authority is still with the Korean teacher. They are the ones who have the ultimate say in what happens in the classroom - even if that means getting you to do all the work.

[winterfall]

[iggyb]

The concern for me is working environment.

Sure, you can fight the system, but you'll create a lot of bad blood - especially if you do it in your first year. And Koreans hold a grudge.

Since I'm only going to be here one year, the risks don't warrant the possible reward. And it is only 2 classes that are influenced. The others are very different. We work together much more smoothly and alternate how much we do depending on what ideas we have for that week.

Like today, the other teacher told me what section of the book she wanted me to cover, and I had an idea for an activity I've done often in the past, but the activity would take up all 40 minutes, and she was fine with that.

[Fishead soup]