Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Grotto]

The teaching is a breeze...the curriculum is alright, easy to go through and actually accomplishes its objectives.

The apartment they showed me was not the exact one I was getting. They showed me the one next to it where a family is living, one that actually keeps things clean and tidy.

I do like my job, I like my co-workers and I dont mind planning.

BUT

When you get demands for things and are expected to produce them within a day or two that is 'ass'inine.

After exploding at my main co-teacher yesterday, she was very apologetice today and asked to start over again for the third time!
We will see if she keeps to her word or not!

It is the typical lack of planning on their part that is driving me nuts! They forget crap and then all of the sudden it must be done NOW NOW NOW

There is also the communication barrier. I speak English and my Korean co-teacher speaks conglishee. I have told her that I will no longer accept oral requests for plans or anything else! Everything from here on out will be in writing. That way I can study it and see if I understand what the hell she is trying to say!

[Kim Jong Jordan]

Damn straight, as it should be. You are the English teacher. when you are conducting a class, you should have the final say. Again, you are the English teacher, so as long as you apply the specific curriculum, who are they to disagree. You should run the class. Why else would they bring you from the other side of the world.

[peppermint]

In the public school system it doesn't work that way- or it shouldn't. The idea is co-teaching for a reason.

[Kim Jong Jordan]

What is that reason? If it is resulting in conflict then what is the benefit for anybody? Thats what I was getting at?

[I_Am_Wrong]

you're at a public school? at a public school you are only the teaching assistant, you don't run the class. Maybe I'm lucky because my co-teacher is absolutely amazing. The co-teacher should be doing the lesson-planning.

[manlyboy]

I don't feel our roles in the team teaching process have been defined clearly enough. At orientation we were given conflicting messages. On the cover of the guide book, we were refered to as "English Teachers' Assistants", yet some of the lecturers spoke as if we would be much more than that. With one of my co-teachers (the troublesome one), I'm hesitant to take too much of a lead, eventhough I really want to, (and frankly, I should do because she evidently doesn't give a crap about the lessons). But she's a highly sensitive, type A gal who tends to gainsay most of my suggestions, and would not take kindly to being shown up by me. She repeatedly asks me: "How do we co-teach"?
First suggestion: Let's do partly scripted, (but flexible), interactive team teaching kind of like what we saw at training.
Rejected. Too much work. "I will be tired if I do that".
Second suggestion: Let's divide up the activites. (This is how I do it with my very, very good co-teacher). You lead the students through one, I circulate and help individuals, keep discipline, do verbal drills,etc. Then we switch. You're more of the educator, I'm more of the funster, but not exclusively.
Rejected. No explanation given.
Third suggestion: We orally plan a basic outline together the day before. I plan a back-up activity in case it doesn't work. We basically wing our way through a verbal blueprint involving selected textbook activities. (Not what I want, but she refuses to prep, so what can I do).
Rejected. Too difficult to remember what we'd planned.
Fourth suggestion: No prep. I'll turn up, you tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it as best I can.
Rejected. She doesn't know what she wants me to do. (Besides get out of the room and let her have some nap time).
I'm really at a loss as to how I can make myself useful to this woman.

[Grotto]

OR my personal favorite...you do a bunch of work...you make plans...and then they put the kybosh on them saying that they are too hard for the students

I say lets try it out and if we need to we can dumb it down a bit.

I work with alot of great teachers. i have teachers that want to lead adn do most of the work, which is okay with me.

I have teachers that sit back and let me do the talking, which is fine with me.

I also have teachers who dont do any prep and I need to know everything when I walk into class. I can even handle that.

The teaching arena is a breeze.

It is the bullcrap other things that irk me. ITS CALLED PLANNING PEOPLE! LOOK INTO IT!

[McNasty]

I am getting tired of hearing the teachers claim that some of the things I suggest for the students are too hard for them. Perhaps the problem is the material is too hard for the teacher. They really sell the kids short sometimes instead of having some faith in their abilities.
I shake my head, walk into class, and give it a whirl and the teachers are shocked that the students can follow my lead. I also talk quickly(technically average speed when speaking with a fellow native speaker) and I do it to challenge the students listening ability. The kids like it(they try to mimic me at first and before long they can repeat word for word) and improve because they are being challenged.

I recently asked all my classes from grade 3-6 what they would like to make English class more interesting. The students biggest complaint was that the book was too easy and boring. They had some good ideas and I will be implementing them shortly. I also told them that we would not be playing games all class so don't suggest it and that we had to cover the material from the book. I also told them that hangman was not going to happen with 45 students in a class. I had most of the same ideas as the kids although they came up with some good ones on there own.

I have to admit that the communication barrier drives me a little nutty on occasion, so when things get way too frustrating that's when the headphones go on and the tunes get cranked. Most of the time things get figured out through the internet translator. It's tough sometimes but I ultimately made the choice to accept the position so I'm willing to work things out.

I am satisfied with my current situation where I teach the classes and my co-teacher disciplines when she is in the room or I simply teach the classes by myself. Either way suits me fine.

[I_Am_Wrong]

interesting. at my public school the lessons I have with a co-teacher all have cd-roms with cartoons and video and songs. The lesson is scripted and prepared by my co-teacher and I do most of the speaking while the co-teacher runs the cd-rom and disciplines. I alter the scripted lesson because a lot of the time it doesn't sound natural. When doing most activities the co-teacher and I share teaching the class and everything generally runs very smoothly. Did you know that the Korean government is pushing to have one native english teacher in every public elementary school?....they're not even close to this tho. However, on Nov.2 one of my classes will be watched by about 40 principals and representatives of various schools and organizations to see how effectively co-teaching with a native speaker works.

[adventureman]

..

[McNasty]

adventureman,

[Zyzyfer]

[Grotto]

The curriculum is alright as a guideline.

I change about 60-70% of it and try to make it more realistic. I have got a few of the teachers to lay off of the CD's a bit making it more applicable.

The outline is alright the content is pretty bad.

Guess I should have been more specific.

[peppermint]

Are all elementary schools this bad at planning?

I had prepped for grades 4 and 5 today, regular Wednesday schedule, and I'd arranged to teach a couple of tomorow's classes today so I can go with my students to their speech contest tomorrow.

So, I'm just welcoming the first class, and a horde of grade sixes come to the door, trying to tell me they hav class now. I ran to the teacher next door, and double checked to make sure it was regular classes today. Apparently because the grade sixes missed classes last week for MT, they thought they could make them up today. .

Now, it's partway through the second period, and niether the grade sixes nor the grade 4s have shown up. .

[fidel]