Korean Job Discussion Forums

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

For those that don't work in high schools, you may or may not be aware, that schools require their teachers (both Korean and foreigners) to give out to their students relatively high grades on their report cards.

This has always been a bone of contention with me, as I've had to give lazy ass, "teacher I don't know my ABC's", sleeping, "hey I spent my high school years playing with my cell phone" students high passing grades.

I've talked about it with the Korean teachers to try to understand why this practice exists in Korean and have got the following reasons;

All the other schools do it, so must we, so as not to look like a bunch of morons.

Entrance to a top university depends in part to your high school grades, so as to enable our students to get into one of these schools we have to give them high grades.

The parents don't like low grades.
Anyway midterms are in a couple of weeks and the headmaster sent out an edict informing us that the students must receive on average 75%. Now believe it or not, I find this a reasonable grade compared to my past school that required a minimum of 80%. At least this time I can give the slackers a failing grade as long as I have some top scoring students to balance it all out. The dean of the department also encouraged me to fail the slackers in hope that this will motivate them for their finals.

Anyway, for you other high school teachers out there, I'm interested in what grades your schools require you to give your students and if you can fail them if performance requires.

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I work in a high school, and I don't have to give grades.

You must work for EPIK. I hear EPIK people have to do that.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

You do realize that the system here is different.

Where as giving a 90-100 grade to a lazyass seems unfair, i'd like to think of that 90-100 as each 1 point represents 10% in the real scheme of things.

Kids get into university based on grades, BUT more importantly they get in based on their CLASS RANKING. Sure all schools give high grades, but if a kid is a lazy ass, chances are their CLASS RANKING is going to be down there, and that is VERY important.

So what do I do? If a kid doesn't do anything, I make sure they are at the bottom of my class when it comes to class ranking.

That usually means giving the kid a 85-90 grade. 85 is like failing the kid.

When you think of the grades in that context, and not the western context of A, B, C, D, F etc. It is much easier to give grades, keep most kids happy, keep the school happy, and punish the slacking lazyasses.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

No Derek I don't work for EPIK, and I have to assign grades as my class is a credited course and like their other classes they get tested and evaluated. I don't understand how you don't give grades, unless you have a partner Korean teacher that does it for you.

And yes Mr Pink I do realise that they have a different system over here, and like you I consider a single grade point to be worth more. However the grade variance between the top students and the lower rungs is too small for my liking.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

I'm with Derrek on this one. Let's not forget the big picture.....

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

As a pre-emptive manuever, I will say that the 'big picture' is different for everyone. I just don't like the condescending tone because I happen to be extremely popular and sought after for my time by students and teachers alike, yet I don't somehow qualify because I manage to be intelligent enough to avoid the quagmire of actually assigning grades. (run-on sentence). One man's garbage is another man's treaasure...

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

You still didn't answer my questions, which is typical for you.

If you aren't assigning grades, what is the difference of what you do, and having a hakwon send you over to the school? Money and vacations? Mot much then huh?

Students probably enjoy your class, because if they goof off or don't do anything WHAT CAN YOU DO? It doesn't affect their grades, you are basically there for a little entertainment in their day.

EDITED: I took some of the personal crap out. Not sure if you read this Derrek, but I don't enjoy you taking personal shots at me, and I don't enjoy taking personal shots at you. Remember there are people behind the keyboard...

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

Mr. Pink....

Interesting...the fact that one does, or does not contribute grades constitutes being a 'real teacher' in Korea???
And the MoE...another gem....since when has the education system here become somethng to be respected?

Having worked in a uni last year...i was required to give inflated grades to students who as may as well have been rocks. The entire class roster was on a very generous bell curve....which greatly distorted class ranking. I was also required to award 'c' grades to students who were present for less than 10 classes for the semester.
Athletics team students got a 'b' and I never saw their faces at all. I was required to let the adult students cheat, and give them high grades as well.

Do you think the students took me or the grading system seriously??
Does this make me a real teacher?

When they complained, i was asked by the administration to 'compromise'.

In the previous year, i worked at a hakwan, where i was required to give grades as well.
This sytem was warped by the opinions of each child's parents and subsequently by the hakwan. Everyone's little angel 'deserved' a better grade.
According to your reasoning, even though i was a hakwan teacher, i was indeed a 'real teacher' because i submitted grades.

How do you think these things up?

Since you think it is sooooo difficult to assess grades based on an inflated system as you admit in your post...perhaps that may be the deciding factor in who should be swinging the mop.

Congrats to you, i guess, on being a 'real teacher' and contributing to a system that does such a disservice to its students.