Korean Job Discussion Forums

HamuHamu · Joined: 01 May 2003 Location: Seoul

I also had to deal with the complaints from parents about too much homework...and the next week not enough homework. Too much focus on writing....then, not enough focus on writing....then books that I chose were too hard....the next day the same boosk were too easy.

All of these complaints from the parents were coming to me from our academic supervisor.

I eventually snapped, and instead of what I really wanted to do Twisted Evil

I simply met with her and told her the following --

"I really want to make this program perfect so that ALL of the parents are happy. I welcome the complaints you bring to me. Please write me a note with the student's name and her mother's EXACT complaint on it. Also tell me what response you gave the mother, so that I know (ie/ did you actually TELL her that I would reduce the homework load, or not?)."

Then, I told her we would meet every Friday at lunch and review these complaints in detail. If there were 3 complaints about too much homework, and 2 complaints of too little homework, we would decide what to do about that. (ie/ each mother has a different "weight" depending on how many children she has brought to the school and how rich her family is.....so it might mean the minority wins).

Suddenly it makes her simple job of complaining a little bit more work for her..... Laughing

Then, I prepared my lessons 2 days earlier than normal and submitted it to the supervisor. I always included a note on the front (typed, printed the same one off every week with the new date) and told her that there was a complete listing of my lessons - every day listed the general topic, the classwork pages, the worksheets to be used, the homework pages, and any additional worksheets I had created. (I have to do this anyway...)

I left a space for her to comment SPECIFICLY on anything that needed to be changed, and return it to me by Friday so I could make the changes. If I didn't get it by the end of the day on Friday, it was too late to change.

Anyone want to guess what the end result was???

There was NEVER a problem after that. Am I to believe that the parents suddenly stopped complaining? Uhh I doubt it. Just that IT WAS NEVER MY FAULT after that...I mean, there was NO WAY that it could have been. Mother doesn't like what was for homework on Monday -- TOO BAD, supervisor approved it, not me. Very Happy

It might sound like a lot of work, but as I said, all of my lesson plans with pages, homework assignments, and copies of teacher-made worksheets have to be submitted by Fridays anyway, so it really meant I jsut had to get my act in gear a day or two earlier.

That day or two saved me a LOT of frustration in the end.....and like with anything else in this world, it's all just about learning how to play the game.

Apple Scruff · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Sounds like too much work to me. Just play hangman and ignore the problem.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

If your academic supervisor has set a clear level of homework to give, something which he should be doing, and you're following those directions, then any complaints he passes on to you is just him trying to cover his arse and not take responsibility for his decisions.

A teacher following the syllabus should never be given complaints from parents about anything academic.

nateyb · Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2005 3:05 am Post subject:

phaedrus · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Location: I'm comin' to get ya.

I like HamuHamu's idea. No one can argue with you when you do a better job than them. If your supervisor is a real bitch, though, she will try to criticize your teaching performance. "You're not fun enough," or "Students think you're boring."

qwunk89 · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

HamuHamu · Joined: 01 May 2003 Location: Seoul

See, for me it actually meant LESS work -- I wasn't doing anything that I didn't already have to do (with the lesson plan preparation), and suddenly I no longer had to deal with complaints coming to me from the supervisor.

Her old way of doing it was "Mother called to complain, I tellthe mother I will yell at the teacher. So, I tell the teacher and then it's off my plate, on someone else's shoulders" - she could pass the buck on to me and tell the director that she dealt with it.

The new way meant that she had to hold that complaint until Friday, sacrifice some of her lunch hour to meet with me and give me a specific list. She had to come up with a suggestion for resolution from HER OWN THINKING. Then she had to call the mother back to tell mother the answer. Was she willing to do that??? NO. Instead she learned to simply reply to the mother with "Ok...we will see what we can do, but this is the way that teacher runs her class." Ironically, the mother's seemed happier, too.

When I told her this was the way we would do it, she NEVER brought another complaint to me again.

As far as someone stating about following the syllabus, and ciriculum guidelines...yes, I agree. In a perfect world. This is a hagwan we're talking about. Day one -- I'm given a stack of books, and told, "These are the books you will teach for the next 12 months. However you deal with it is up to you. Just make sure that at the end of 12 months, every question on every page is answered by the student and checked by you. Go." I say, if a school wants me to follow a cirriculum or syllabus, they gotta give me one first! I would prefer it to be that way, it makes a heck of a lot less work for me.

Anyway, I know this isn't the situation for everyone, but it was just one example of putting the responsibility back on the shoulders of the person who created the chaotic situation in the first place...

inkoreaforgood · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Location: Inchon

OP, let's see if I got this right. These are kindergarten children who don't have enough homework, AND play too many games!!! WTF, what kind of teacher gives 4 and 5 year olds homework? and NOT play games with them?!?!?!

Many parents in this country not only have no idea what children's education is about, they also lack common sense. Keep in mind that I have met many parents here who truly are wonderful parents, and have worked hard to become great parents. It just seems that many children who act like they have been dropped on their heads come from parents with similar head injuries. Coincidence.... I think not.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Have your director set up a meeting with the mothers!! Some of them CAN speak English...and if they can't, better for you! If they CAN, ask what they expect from a kindy student. They want you to teach complex sentences? Can they speak complex sentences in their OWN language?? Caught in the "too much/too little homework" trap? Have the moms duke it out with EACH OTHER!

When they see who they are actually complaining about, their complaints should lessen (more difficult to be critical about "Jim teacher" than it is to be about "THE teacher).