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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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 Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| fun = social group activities that get students to use their English as much as possible. |
Not in the Korean elementary school I worked at.
I was told to concentrate on games. I was told my focus should be on making the students love English - and I was specifically told not to worry about whether they were improving or not.
I was told to do games - like the common ppt games you can find at waygook.org. And the students were habituated to the FT doing games. I was told doing other things just confused them and made them dislike English.
I had given up trying to say I had used the same kind of activities in hakwons with Korean students the same age, it fell on deaf ears and nonsense arguments would be thrown up to convince me playing ppt and other games were what I should be doing.
What made it worse was that both my KTs had never taught ESL before... |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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My pet peeve is that usually when a new teacher comes to this forum, they get attacked as being a loser, lazy, having no planning skills etc.
It seems not very many here are willing to offer some constructive suggestions, usually just negative brow beatings. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
My pet peeve is that usually when a new teacher comes to this forum, they get attacked as being a loser, lazy, having no planning skills etc.
It seems not very many here are willing to offer some constructive suggestions, usually just negative brow beatings. |
True this does happen. However, in many cases posts are written that include tons of tips on how to approach the problem. For example, telling someone to do some research on classroom management and ask him or herself why a problem occurs is not an attack, it is advice and pointing someone in the right direction. I believe that people learn best and the most when they do something themselves. All too often, a general pointer is sufficient. Also, if a person does look into something they were advised to do (ex: classroom management) I for one will gladly provide more precise advice because at this point an effort has been made.
Oh and since the pet peeve issue seems to have been widened...
My Pet Peeve is that all too often new teachers or prospective teachers come on this site with their questions and advice and get responses that are a lot more about some frustrated teacher or Daves poster venting than about actually helping them. They get the 'Koreans are...' or 'FTs are slaves' treatment and no constructive advice.
Great, that was fun. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 10:54 am Post subject: |
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touche. (I wish I had French accents).
By the way, telling someone to "do some research" is not very helpful,
Giving someone concrete examples would do a lot more. |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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| 90% of the OPs problems would disappear if he switched to teaching adults. But then he would probably complain about the hours. My pet peeve is people with a ludicrously high sense of entitlement. |
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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| By the way, telling someone to "do some research" is not very helpful, Giving someone concrete examples would do a lot more. |
Not in a case like this when the suggestion to handle so many items in such a long, long list -- was to -- keep up a little with current stuff put out within the profession.
It's not about specifics. It's about an approach to the work your doing in class.
Look at the TESOL journals that have a mix of practical experience and theory. Look at the websites where teacher's are sharing their favorite material and stories about what worked (and didn't) for them.
The OP said that he felt he needed to brush up on theory and such to add to what he was able to take and apply from his TESOL training.
If you teach in a public school back home, they have mandatory training sessions from time to time and to renew your license every few years, you have to have some hours of formal re-training.
When stuff starts falling apart in a semester - or you're finding yourself burnt out and having a hard time coming up with ideas, digging into Internet material where teachers are sharing their stuff can be a life-saver...
Sitting around waiting for people to find the sites and post the links for you here won't do you much good... |
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jurassic82
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Location: Somewhere!!!!
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:59 pm Post subject: Re: Top FT peeves in Korea |
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| Julius wrote: |
Anything that you can't really get used to about the K ESL system?
-The sheer amount of effort required to bring, and keep korean students to order
-The way the foreign teacher is expected to be at the bottom of the totem pole
-The way parents believe whatever their kids tell them rather than trust the teacher
- The almost total inability to get time off when you (rather than they) want it
-The way many schools pander to the parents every whim, no matter how impractical
-Hakwons that never inform the parents of just how terribly their kids behave
-The students who see your talking as a signal to start talking.
-Students who tap their pens or various items while you are teaching.
-Students who start putting their backpacks on 20 minutes before the end of class
-Unpopular students who resort to misbehaving as a way to gain respect
- Students who are so appallingly badly-behaved but never leave the school
- Students who want to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after class has begun
-The obsession with blonde american females as english teachers
-Hogwon bosses who remove all your disciplinary options, then complain that you "can't control your students"
-The way students instantly opt for americanisms over standard international english
-The fact that the only way to get time off when you actually want it is to quit your job
-The deliberately vague, ambiguous wording of contracts
-The way you are expected to "prove" you're really sick by coming in to be inspected on a sick day
-The total lack of planning for staff illness, ensuring they are always caught off guard with nobody to cover
-The zero-discipline approach of many hogwons
-The way schools pander to the whims and dictates of parents..who are in any case never satisfied
-The tendency of Public school co-teachers to undermine your authority
-The fickle and wildly fluctuating adulation of Korean co-workers
-The co-teacher view that FT's are not good enough, while copying all your ideas and teaching style
-The way it takes an eternity to get workplace improvements implemented
-The hello chorus from groups of schoolchildren
-The way appartment managers or hogwon directors think it is their right to enter your appartment
- The tolerance of awful behavior by wonjangnims just to keep students
-The crazy confusion around E2 regulations
-The regular shifting the goalposts of E2 regulations, causing massive inconveniences
-The way the same documents are demanded again and again
-The way one is regularly forced to quit jobs because of worsening conditions
-The expectation that you wear smart clothes to the hogwon everyday, only for them to be ruined by grubby pawprints and pen marks
-The fact that getting Korean teenagers to study english is akin to dragging a horse through a hedge backwards
-Hogwon bosses who tell you "No games" then complain "your classes are not fun"
-The default suspicion of FT's and requirement to keep proving their credentials |
Time to go home. Someone who has enough time and energy to post a list this long needs to get their head checked. I was just back in the States and heard friends of mine who are teachers in the public school system and they had "real" problems with their schools and administration. To me this just seems like a bunch of whinning. Coming on this board to vent your frustration really does nothing. Wish you the best of luck but if these things you posted really bother you so much really JUST LEAVE. Try another country or just go home. For most of us these things you posted are just minor annoyances and we are able to brush them off and enjoy our time here. Sadly that doesn't seem like the case for you. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| tiger fancini wrote: |
| 90% of the OPs problems would disappear if he switched to teaching adults. But then he would probably complain about the hours. My pet peeve is people with a ludicrously high sense of entitlement. |
And my pet peeve is people who think that because their life is hard or difficult, then other people should follow suit.
Or people that take offense at people who don't "take teaching as seriously" as they do.
Let's be honest...most people here aren't real teachers (meaning they don't want to do it as a profession) so if they are just getting by to earn money, then more power to them. They will be gone in one or two years, and they did what they needed to do while they got their ish in order.
Hell, the best thing teachers like that can do is NOT take the job too seriously because they will just get stressed out. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject: Re: Top FT peeves in Korea |
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| jurassic82 wrote: |
| Julius wrote: |
Anything that you can't really get used to about the K ESL system?
-The sheer amount of effort required to bring, and keep korean students to order
-The way the foreign teacher is expected to be at the bottom of the totem pole
-The way parents believe whatever their kids tell them rather than trust the teacher
- The almost total inability to get time off when you (rather than they) want it
-The way many schools pander to the parents every whim, no matter how impractical
-Hakwons that never inform the parents of just how terribly their kids behave
-The students who see your talking as a signal to start talking.
-Students who tap their pens or various items while you are teaching.
-Students who start putting their backpacks on 20 minutes before the end of class
-Unpopular students who resort to misbehaving as a way to gain respect
- Students who are so appallingly badly-behaved but never leave the school
- Students who want to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after class has begun
-The obsession with blonde american females as english teachers
-Hogwon bosses who remove all your disciplinary options, then complain that you "can't control your students"
-The way students instantly opt for americanisms over standard international english
-The fact that the only way to get time off when you actually want it is to quit your job
-The deliberately vague, ambiguous wording of contracts
-The way you are expected to "prove" you're really sick by coming in to be inspected on a sick day
-The total lack of planning for staff illness, ensuring they are always caught off guard with nobody to cover
-The zero-discipline approach of many hogwons
-The way schools pander to the whims and dictates of parents..who are in any case never satisfied
-The tendency of Public school co-teachers to undermine your authority
-The fickle and wildly fluctuating adulation of Korean co-workers
-The co-teacher view that FT's are not good enough, while copying all your ideas and teaching style
-The way it takes an eternity to get workplace improvements implemented
-The hello chorus from groups of schoolchildren
-The way appartment managers or hogwon directors think it is their right to enter your appartment
- The tolerance of awful behavior by wonjangnims just to keep students
-The crazy confusion around E2 regulations
-The regular shifting the goalposts of E2 regulations, causing massive inconveniences
-The way the same documents are demanded again and again
-The way one is regularly forced to quit jobs because of worsening conditions
-The expectation that you wear smart clothes to the hogwon everyday, only for them to be ruined by grubby pawprints and pen marks
-The fact that getting Korean teenagers to study english is akin to dragging a horse through a hedge backwards
-Hogwon bosses who tell you "No games" then complain "your classes are not fun"
-The default suspicion of FT's and requirement to keep proving their credentials |
Time to go home. Someone who has enough time and energy to post a list this long needs to get their head checked. I was just back in the States and heard friends of mine who are teachers in the public school system and they had "real" problems with their schools and administration. To me this just seems like a bunch of whinning. Coming on this board to vent your frustration really does nothing. Wish you the best of luck but if these things you posted really bother you so much really JUST LEAVE. Try another country or just go home. For most of us these things you posted are just minor annoyances and we are able to brush them off and enjoy our time here. Sadly that doesn't seem like the case for you. |
So what?? Let them vent. |
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012
Location: We Are The World!
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: Top FT peeves in Korea |
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| jurassic82 wrote: |
| Julius wrote: |
Anything that you can't really get used to about the K ESL system?
-The sheer amount of effort required to bring, and keep korean students to order
-The way the foreign teacher is expected to be at the bottom of the totem pole
-The way parents believe whatever their kids tell them rather than trust the teacher
- The almost total inability to get time off when you (rather than they) want it
-The way many schools pander to the parents every whim, no matter how impractical
-Hakwons that never inform the parents of just how terribly their kids behave
-The students who see your talking as a signal to start talking.
-Students who tap their pens or various items while you are teaching.
-Students who start putting their backpacks on 20 minutes before the end of class
-Unpopular students who resort to misbehaving as a way to gain respect
- Students who are so appallingly badly-behaved but never leave the school
- Students who want to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after class has begun
-The obsession with blonde american females as english teachers
-Hogwon bosses who remove all your disciplinary options, then complain that you "can't control your students"
-The way students instantly opt for americanisms over standard international english
-The fact that the only way to get time off when you actually want it is to quit your job
-The deliberately vague, ambiguous wording of contracts
-The way you are expected to "prove" you're really sick by coming in to be inspected on a sick day
-The total lack of planning for staff illness, ensuring they are always caught off guard with nobody to cover
-The zero-discipline approach of many hogwons
-The way schools pander to the whims and dictates of parents..who are in any case never satisfied
-The tendency of Public school co-teachers to undermine your authority
-The fickle and wildly fluctuating adulation of Korean co-workers
-The co-teacher view that FT's are not good enough, while copying all your ideas and teaching style
-The way it takes an eternity to get workplace improvements implemented
-The hello chorus from groups of schoolchildren
-The way appartment managers or hogwon directors think it is their right to enter your appartment
- The tolerance of awful behavior by wonjangnims just to keep students
-The crazy confusion around E2 regulations
-The regular shifting the goalposts of E2 regulations, causing massive inconveniences
-The way the same documents are demanded again and again
-The way one is regularly forced to quit jobs because of worsening conditions
-The expectation that you wear smart clothes to the hogwon everyday, only for them to be ruined by grubby pawprints and pen marks
-The fact that getting Korean teenagers to study english is akin to dragging a horse through a hedge backwards
-Hogwon bosses who tell you "No games" then complain "your classes are not fun"
-The default suspicion of FT's and requirement to keep proving their credentials |
Time to go home. Someone who has enough time and energy to post a list this long needs to get their head checked. I was just back in the States and heard friends of mine who are teachers in the public school system and they had "real" problems with their schools and administration. To me this just seems like a bunch of whinning. Coming on this board to vent your frustration really does nothing. Wish you the best of luck but if these things you posted really bother you so much really JUST LEAVE. Try another country or just go home. For most of us these things you posted are just minor annoyances and we are able to brush them off and enjoy our time here. Sadly that doesn't seem like the case for you. |
I don't think trying another country will be of any help, those problems are endemic in all bad schools in every country. Julius needs to find a better school, stat. |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:09 pm Post subject: Re: Top FT peeves in Korea |
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| JustinC wrote: |
| jurassic82 wrote: |
| Julius wrote: |
Anything that you can't really get used to about the K ESL system?
-The sheer amount of effort required to bring, and keep korean students to order
-The way the foreign teacher is expected to be at the bottom of the totem pole
-The way parents believe whatever their kids tell them rather than trust the teacher
- The almost total inability to get time off when you (rather than they) want it
-The way many schools pander to the parents every whim, no matter how impractical
-Hakwons that never inform the parents of just how terribly their kids behave
-The students who see your talking as a signal to start talking.
-Students who tap their pens or various items while you are teaching.
-Students who start putting their backpacks on 20 minutes before the end of class
-Unpopular students who resort to misbehaving as a way to gain respect
- Students who are so appallingly badly-behaved but never leave the school
- Students who want to go to the bathroom 2 minutes after class has begun
-The obsession with blonde american females as english teachers
-Hogwon bosses who remove all your disciplinary options, then complain that you "can't control your students"
-The way students instantly opt for americanisms over standard international english
-The fact that the only way to get time off when you actually want it is to quit your job
-The deliberately vague, ambiguous wording of contracts
-The way you are expected to "prove" you're really sick by coming in to be inspected on a sick day
-The total lack of planning for staff illness, ensuring they are always caught off guard with nobody to cover
-The zero-discipline approach of many hogwons
-The way schools pander to the whims and dictates of parents..who are in any case never satisfied
-The tendency of Public school co-teachers to undermine your authority
-The fickle and wildly fluctuating adulation of Korean co-workers
-The co-teacher view that FT's are not good enough, while copying all your ideas and teaching style
-The way it takes an eternity to get workplace improvements implemented
-The hello chorus from groups of schoolchildren
-The way appartment managers or hogwon directors think it is their right to enter your appartment
- The tolerance of awful behavior by wonjangnims just to keep students
-The crazy confusion around E2 regulations
-The regular shifting the goalposts of E2 regulations, causing massive inconveniences
-The way the same documents are demanded again and again
-The way one is regularly forced to quit jobs because of worsening conditions
-The expectation that you wear smart clothes to the hogwon everyday, only for them to be ruined by grubby pawprints and pen marks
-The fact that getting Korean teenagers to study english is akin to dragging a horse through a hedge backwards
-Hogwon bosses who tell you "No games" then complain "your classes are not fun"
-The default suspicion of FT's and requirement to keep proving their credentials |
Time to go home. Someone who has enough time and energy to post a list this long needs to get their head checked. I was just back in the States and heard friends of mine who are teachers in the public school system and they had "real" problems with their schools and administration. To me this just seems like a bunch of whinning. Coming on this board to vent your frustration really does nothing. Wish you the best of luck but if these things you posted really bother you so much really JUST LEAVE. Try another country or just go home. For most of us these things you posted are just minor annoyances and we are able to brush them off and enjoy our time here. Sadly that doesn't seem like the case for you. |
I don't think trying another country will be of any help, those problems are endemic in all bad schools in every country. Julius needs to find a better school, stat. |
Here is some inspiration!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPrSVkTRb24 |
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byrddogs
Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I think the lists are humorous, and I get a good laugh out of them. Maybe the op really does loathe Korea. Who cares and big deal if he does. It's not hurting anyone, so I'd say take it for what it is. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
touche. (I wish I had French accents).
By the way, telling someone to "do some research" is not very helpful,
Giving someone concrete examples would do a lot more. |
Agreed.
I would say that my usual method is: do some research on (in this case) classroom management and pedagogy. Go online as there are tons of resources, buy a few books or if you can attend workshops.
A responsible and reasonably driven adult should be able to take that and run with it. Especially today with all that is freely available online with the most basic of research (ie Google it). |
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SimonPark
Joined: 18 May 2009
Location: Saving Korea from Bad Teachers
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| Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| Top pet peeve in ESL is the foreign teacher who thinks he's all of that and the bag of chips. You should thank your boss and the students and their parents every day for they give you of all people the job. |
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figshdg
Joined: 01 May 2012
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| Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| SimonPark wrote: |
| Top pet peeve in ESL is the foreign teacher who thinks he's all of that and the bag of chips. You should thank your boss and the students and their parents every day for they give you of all people the job. |
Only if you'll actually move back to the motherland and start hating whities in a country where they are a minority and you're not. Deal? |
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