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Squire
Joined: 26 Sep 2010
Location: Jeollanam-do
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 Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| ThingsComeAround wrote: |
I bolded that part because I'm going through a similar situation as you. 
First year was exhausting. Weak speaker, she wanted what other Korean teachers leeched off their NETs and complained to me because I didn't know what she was talking about. Second year was my best. Two capable English speakers. Now I work with one teacher who is afraid to do anything alone and another who couldn't care less if the kids hear a CD played 4 or 12 times. If my experience is indicative of how all GEPIK is run, things wont get better, im afraid |
I think a lot of Korean English teachers are going to be pretty disappointed when they have to take all of their classes again. I can't blame them to be fair. It would be pretty cool getting a full teachers' salary to translate now and then and only play a major role in the class when it's being filmed or watched by parents (something I really resented  ) |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
The fact that educators in Korea are largely liberal and the president who pushed TEE and a FT in every school is one part of the attitude toward FTs in the schools.
As someone else partially noted above, if the Korean teachers would teach in English 90%, we wouldn't be necessary much. But they don't. |
I�m going to partially disagree. Even if they did (or could) do that, they�d still be thinking in Korean.
I had two co-teachers in Japan that had each studied for two years in America. Their English and the way the they taught was better than my co-teachers who hadn�t been abroad. But these two teachers still went back to thinking in Japanese so when they spoke English, it sounded a bit off (ie: speaking in the passive voice to omit the subject).
You cannot isolate language from culture. Culture is a way of thinking and language communicates that way of thinking.
A foreign language is already going to be modified to suit the palate of the country it�s being used in (just like foreign food is). And that�s fine if the borrowed language is staying inside that country (like Konglish). But if it�s being used to communicate with people in other countries, it doesn�t always work well.
Obviously, there are variations in culture between and within native English speaking countries, but I still think (opinion alert) that having teachers who think and speak in English helps to mitigate the problems mentioned above.
One caveat (and the reason I�m only in partial disagreement) is that with respect to teaching methodology, English teachers who speak English as their second language, tend to teach it better, because NETs generally don�t give grammatical structure a second thought. But even the mechanical structure of a teaching methodology seems to attempt the extraction of language from culture.
Anyway, I don�t think it�s an either/or sort of thing. I like co-teaching because it allows you to have it both ways.
But whatever. Korea can do what it wants. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Squire wrote: |
| It's baffling to me that they don't teach in English. |
Perhaps as baffling to them that foreigners can spend years on end in Korea and not speak Korean...to other foreigners.  |
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creeper1
Joined: 30 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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Ex-GEPIK teacher here. I am also a member on a rival site that has lesson plans and ppts up to help fellow NETS. One of the saddening things I observed was those who made great lesson plans and ppts were not getting renewed. Clearly these people took their jobs seriously and made effort yet they were let go.
So if GEPIK does suddenly find more funding, in all probability they are going to hire fresh grads to gain all the experience they could of had and decided to lose.
Anyway in my case ( I left in November ) I was told that there would be no replacement but they may have funding in March to hire a NET. They told me they would email me and ask for my services again if that was the case. I don't know if they were being serious or just being polite. At any rate I already have secured a job in China so Korea willl only be interesting to me f I find I dislike China.
There were some older NETs let go from GEPIK schools that requested to remain within GEPIK. They asked the coordinator if anything was available for them at all.
These teachers did secure positions in countryside schools. I'm not sure how long they will be able to continue with these positions.
What is happening with GEPIK is something of a mystery to me. I don't know if there is a plan or what. Maybe there is a loose sort of make-it-up-as-you-go-along plan. Lets see how schools adapt without a net and provide funding if they really struggle sort of thing but I don't know.
Job security is something you certainly won't get in PS in KOrea. |
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crisdean
Joined: 04 Feb 2010
Location: Seoul Special City
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Squire wrote: |
| It's baffling to me that they don't teach in English. |
My French teachers spent the major of class time speaking in English when I was in school. Didn't seem to slow anyone's progress. Those that put the effort in improved and those that didn't learned the same nothing that they would regardless of the situation, because let's face some people (like myself at the time) just don't/didn't care. This is no different than what goes on in the classrooms here. You can't force people to learn a foreign language, all you can do is encourage them to try, and forcing it is a far cry when encouraging.
Personally I think the most significant hinderance to English education in Korea (as well as French education in English Canada) is that it is manditory. Make it optional and you can remove a percentage of the kids who simply don't want to learn it from the classroom creating a better atmosphere for those who do; sadly there'll always be kids whose parents will force it on them so you can't eliminate all of the apathetic students from the class. |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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creeper - I was surprised at some of the nonrenewals over there too - people you recognize from having looked at and used the material they provided over there.
"Didn't seem to slow anyone's progress."
Yes, motivation and discipline in study is the key factor, but having a teacher who uses and encourages the use of the target language in class makes a very big difference.
Last edited by iggyb on Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| creeper1 wrote: |
| What is happening with GEPIK is something of a mystery to me. |
It's not a mystery if you get to know the nitty-gritty stuffs of South Korean politics. GEPIK was doing fine until the central government suddenly stole the main fundings for public schools all over the country right at the end of the year 2010. Unfortunately, public schools in Gyeonggi-do in general didn't perform well for the 2011 semesters. This political decision later turned into heated debates about allowing free lunch (also for streamlining the lunch fundings in every school board) and restructuring the public daycares for kids under 5.
Now thanks to this, Koreans will vote for a borderline socialist president at the end of the year. 
Lesson: Stop reading Chosun Ilbo or Donga Ilbo if you live in Korea. The Korean articles in Chosun Ilbo or Donga Ilbo don't give a clearer perspective on the public education scene as they are the top chaebol-leaned news sources. |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought it was the provincial budgeting board that cut all the funding for FTs in Gyeonggi province - not the federal government? (and I thought the provincial politics had swung into the opposition came in recent elections?) |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
| I thought it was the provincial budgeting board that cut all the funding for FTs in Gyeonggi province - not the federal government? |
Every province gets half of their education budget from the central government. And you can't get quality education if a province only gets half of the funding. 2011 was an unfortunate year for a massive financial disruption in many public schools around Gyeonggi-do.
I quit my GEPIK position back in January 2011 because my ex boss (the VP) said something about this financial disputes.
Last edited by NohopeSeriously on Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Every province gets half of their education budget from the central government. And you can't get quality education if a province only gets half of the funding. |
This isn't quiet clear. Do you mean the province only got half the amount of money it got in previous years last year?
The decision to cut all FT funding in the province was made at the provincial level and by opposition party leaders. Cutting out all funding also seems like a clear message. It also went against what the schools wanted or were expecting since they have been scrambling to make sure they have funding for current FTs and seeing which positions they can and want to keep.
I am not in favor of either party. I don't care or know enough about them to favor one over the other. I'm just going by what I have heard and noticed over the years. |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
| Do you mean the province only got half the amount of money it got in previous years last year? |
Yes.
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| I am not in favor of either party. |
You'll love this year. All the major political parties in this country except for one have turned very left wing.  |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Ok. I see now. |
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NohopeSeriously
Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Location: The Christian Right-Wing Educational Republic of Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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Now you know why the semi-illegal borderline socialist KTU (Korean Teachers' Union) is becoming the most powerful labor union in this country.  |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:24 pm Post subject: |
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"borderline socialist"
Borderline? Socialist?
Pro-North Korean tools, maybe...
I guess when they expanded out to having more branches, they were diluted a little, and of course individual members will vary significantly, but as an organization, I'd be surprised if the label "hardline leftists" didn't still apply well.
--- On individual members, I remember teaching adults and the topic of protests would come up, and I'd ask if they ever protested, and the almost universal answer when I asked why was "I don't know. My seniors told us to..." |
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