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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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 Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 9:43 pm Post subject: Fun Fun English |
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| Have you seen this show on EBS (the Educational Broadcasting System)? I just did and wow, I'm shocked. The Western co-host wore nerd glasses, a bow tie, suspenders, and khaki pants that were too short, behaving in a very undignified manner, making weird faces while licking a toy lollipop. The way he was acting reminded me Simon from simonandmartina. Next, a different middle age white guy named Phonics Man ran onto the stage with some cringe worthy acting and dialogue. The reason I think this type of mistral show stuff is bad it is impacts the way we as foreign English teachers are viewed. (I'd rather not be thought of as a joke and a clown.) If someone offers you money to make a fool of yourself on TV, please don't accept it. Think of the bigger picture, not just the immediate cash payout. |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 12:17 am Post subject: |
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I don't think anyone cares about that show. Don't worry about it. Stop being jealous of Simon  |
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Patrick Bateman
Joined: 21 Apr 2009
Location: Lost in Translation
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 12:27 am Post subject: |
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Do you watch much Korean TV? From what I've seen acting/looking like a clown is kind of par for the course for Koreans and nonKoreans alike.
I don't think this is an instance of needing to be offended. |
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le-paul
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Location: dans la chambre
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 12:48 am Post subject: |
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| its the same format, uk, kiwi and aussie shows have been using for kids for years. |
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Dodge7
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 1:21 am Post subject: |
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| All those actors are an embarrassment to ESL teachers and foreigners and should probably cancel their own shows for how ridiculous they act. I agree with you OP |
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transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 1:54 am Post subject: |
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| That is two too many "fun"s for anything reputable. |
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Waygeek
Joined: 27 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 2:48 am Post subject: Re: Fun Fun English |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Have you seen this show on EBS (the Educational Broadcasting System)? I just did and wow, I'm shocked. The Western co-host wore nerd glasses, a bow tie, suspenders, and khaki pants that were too short, behaving in a very undignified manner, making weird faces while licking a toy lollipop. The way he was acting reminded me Simon from simonandmartina. Next, a different middle age white guy named Phonics Man ran onto the stage with some cringe worthy acting and dialogue. The reason I think this type of mistral show stuff is bad it is impacts the way we as foreign English teachers are viewed. (I'd rather not be thought of as a joke and a clown.) If someone offers you money to make a fool of yourself on TV, please don't accept it. Think of the bigger picture, not just the immediate cash payout. |
You are an endless font of positivity.
Also, I recommend not sitting around watching childrens shows, there are plenty more pro-active things you could be doing.
Also, all childrens programming all around the world looks that stupid. Please get some real problems. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 4:02 am Post subject: |
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Effective children's shows are simple & sometimes silly. Kids like that.
They are the target audience, not you OP. |
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javis
Joined: 28 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Dance, monkeys, dance! |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| keithinkorea wrote: |
| I'm pretty sure that the antics of wanker clowns such as Durst heavily contribute to the attitude held by many Koreans that native teachers should not be respected or treated as anything other than exotic alien fauna. |
| caniff wrote: |
| It has also been reported here that he makes some serious bank and lives in a sweet pad. Of course, from my perspective I'd really have to be raking in the cash to sell what remains of my dignity by acting like that on national cable TV (even if it is in Korea). |
| seoulsucker wrote: |
I have personally been asked several times to "be more like him" in the classroom, and know lots of people here with similar stories.
It is true that he is one of the most well-paid people in the ESL/Edutainment industry in Korea. However, I'm with caniff in regards to keeping my dignity for a farily lower income and not making life a pain for the rest of my industry peers. |
| Mix1 wrote: |
Nice guy or not, making bank or not, you don't have to act like a total retard in order to teach English effectively. But it's too late, the image has been formed.
Consider the role he has played in shaping Korea's perception of English teachers and the English language in general. Now you know why Koreans often treat us as retards.
It cheapens the whole ESL experience for Koreans, and leaves us all open to ridicule that we normally wouldn't have had if not for the edutainment retardo movement.
I'm not saying you shouldn't try to have fun while learning a new language, but acting like a monkey with brain damage goes way over the line. It's a stylistic choice I guess, but why not show some f**king dignity?
When I taught English in Argentina, the students didn't automatically assume English teachers were clowns to be ridiculed, but then again, they weren't seeing Isaac Durst on television. |
| Alyssa wrote: |
If he could ever imagine the images that have been burned into
the minds of so many people, of just plain stupidity, I am sure he would have never sold his soul to seoul. Dignity is worth more than a great place to live and money. A family name is to be cherished, he represents a long line of ancestors who would cringe if they saw what he was doing. I feel sorry for him, I really do 
DURST - NOUN/VERB To act like an @ss for lots of money and a nice place to live. To give up all dignity for monetary gain.
e.g No amount of money can ever cause me to DURST myself. |
| sodabread wrote: |
Aside from the clown routine, he's not doing much (and possibly screwing up) the English of his audience. The methods don't work, right? From what I've seen, his shows are almost all translation and explanation in Korean. Getting 'um started early on how NOT to learn, he is.
Nice guy or not, he's being paid a ton to be a terrible teacher. Shame on him ( all the way to the bank), and shame on Korean educational TV folks in general. |
| Beej wrote: |
Not only that, but he puts his face and name on a bunch of childrens English texts. I checked out one of his phonics books. It was teaching the phonetic sounds through Hangul. Atrocious. If he is a real teacher he should know this is very very wrong. Many Korean teachers do this and it just assures that Korean kids will never have proper English pronunciation.
Either he completely sucks as a teacher or he just blindly puts his name on these books. What a *beep*. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| schwa wrote: |
Effective children's shows are simple & sometimes silly. Kids like that.
They are the target audience, not you OP. |
As a parent, I can confirm. The Wiggles and the like are seriously annoying.. but they're not directed towards me. |
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EZE
Joined: 05 May 2012
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| Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| One thing I've noticed is how much the kids enjoy dry, sarcastic Bill Maher-style remarks, which I seem to especially use if a kid or two are misbehaving in class. They're very perceptive and have such an amazing sense of humor, moreso than kids in my town when we were growing up. It's one of my favorite things about teaching the kids here. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 6:25 pm Post subject: Re: Fun Fun English |
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| Waygeek wrote: |
I recommend not sitting around watching childrens shows, there are plenty more pro-active things you could be doing.
Also, all childrens programming all around the world looks that stupid. Please get some real problems. |
Hi, moondoggy. I was watching the show because I am interested in English education. (It's my job and all.) Without seeing the episode, how can you guys make the claim all programs around the world look just as stupid? That's like commenting on the dignity (or lack thereof) within the simonandmartina videoblog without having had seen it. And the show had kids that looked about age 12 or 13 as participants. It wasn't made for toddlers. Am I jealous of Simon? Well, maybe jealous of all the money he has, but even still, I would never act the way he does. |
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yfb
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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I truly hate that show, it stereotypes us all as being happy fun dancing clowns that we're supposed to live up to when working in hagwons or public schools. I wouldn't care as much if some gyopo was doing it, but the fact that a white guy is doing it just cements the stereotype. For comparison, Telefrancais which is a show aimed at French as a Second Language learners, had two kids hosting it without any ridiculous stereotypes
I haven't seen the ridiculous clowning that Isaac does on other children's educational shows, like Yo Gabba Gabba or Fresh Beats Band. |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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Learn well from Fun Fun English before moving over to Thailand, dancing monkeys.  |
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