Korean Job Discussion Forums

[plato's republic]

what's it like teaching pre-school kiddies? any fun? nightmare? what tips would you give to someone who hasn't got a lot of experience teaching groups of pre-schoolers? any things that should/shouldn't be done within the classroom in order to avoid any major mishaps?
thanks!

[margaret]

When I taught kindergarten, I needed to have a Korean teacher there to keep them in line. Otherwise they were wild--didn't understand simple English commands and thought I was Micky Mouse.
With the Korean teacher there I enjoyed them a lot. They were cute, affectionate, and picked up the accent quickly.
My advice is to include lots of action and games to keep them interested. If you have any control over the curriculum, try to teach functional English skills, including following simple commnads, intead of just memorizing long lists of names of objects, which is what they had been doing before I got there.
Margaret

[Demonicat]

I teach kindy with no Korean help. I find that the secret is being able to flip like a manic depressive. One second be everyone's best friend and after they push enough yell for a second and maybe kick an empty chair- scare tactics. They will then behave and generally be happy (consider what a korean would do if kids were beinbg bad <<SMACK>>) I find a GREAT tool to be Rythm clapping. CLapp your hands a few times and have the kids match the beat. They will then- believe it or not- shut uo and listen. After awhile all you will have to do isd clap and then you can teach.
Personally...I prefer kindies- they don't have psychotic mothers, they aren't already messed up by the Korean school system (no imagination! No Creativity! NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT!) , and are much more rewarding- a kindie can be semi-fluent in 6 months.

[JacktheCat]

[Derrek]

I've taught groups of 7 or less by myself. Groups of 20+ with the help of Korean teachers.

Sometimes they pee their pants. I was always glad to have a Korean teacher around at that point.

Here's my secret:

1. Keep the lesson MOVING! Going from one thing to the next keeps them from getting bored, which they do VERY quickly.

2. Singing and music are THE thing! Even if you suck, learn to lead them in song. If the school won't buy the book, "Let's Chant/Let's Sing 1" then buy it yourself, along with the CD. I found it at COEX mall in Bandi-Lundis, and also several other stores. You may scoff at paying your own money for it, but let me tell you, it was WORTH IT! The kids will love the songs. Cycle through 2 or 3 favorites EVERY DAY. You may start to think, "Gosh, that song again" but they will love it.

3. Develop a pattern to your teaching day with them. Kids need direction, and need to learn what to expect next. If they don't, they go nuts and are hard to control. Here's an example.

Start your day this way:

1. Have them sit in a circle and sing a few "hello" type songs (same every day).

2. Have them practice the days of the week. Use the same phrasing and sound to your voice every day, and ask them, "What day is it today?!" Teach them to respond with something like, "IT'S TUESDAY!" etc...

3. Teach them "Left, Right, Go Forward, Turn Around," etc. by playing the "bear in the woods" game.

Follow the same pattern to your day. Kids need structure more than anything. Introduce new things as time goes on, but keep within the same structure of learning through the day.

Teaching kindy was a HUGE help to me learning how to teach other ages. After all, we're all just kids, but older.

[endofthewor1d]

derrek was spot on about the music. i didn't learn that for myself until i was forced to do it. but it was like magic, and i kept it up afterwards.

here are some other little tips that i came up with on my own...

1. on your first day, teach them some very simple response words. mine were as follows:
me: eyes!
them: teacher!
me: ears!
them: listen!
me: mouth!
them: quiet!
it looks ridiculous, but after it becomes habitual for them, it works amazingly well. whenever they start to get unfocused or out of line, all i have to do is shout "eyes!" and they were all immidiately refocused on me.

2. the baby chair. i draw a picture of a disgustingly obese baby on a piece of paper. i tape the paper on the back of an empty chair. if one kid gets a little too far out of line, he/she has to sit in the baby chair. again, seems silly, but works very well.

3. the baby class. this works so well that i sometimes feel bad after i do it. this is my ultimate threat, reserved only for a particularly and repetitively naughty boy or girl. it takes a lot for a four year old kid to anger me, but when it happens, i threaten to send him or her to an imaginary class of kids even younger than they are. but once i actually start to lead or carry the kid out of the door and down the hall a few steps, defiance turns into tears and wails of terror. after that, i send the kid to the bathroom to go calm down, and walk back into the classroom. as far as the rest of the class is concerned, the one kid is actually in the baby class, and the time it takes him or her to return from the bathroom is enough to give the rest of the class a chance to reconsider any misbehavings that they might have had in mind. then the kid comes back and class can go on normally again.

4. don't rely on having a korean teacher in the room with you. in fact, if i were you, i'd go as far as to request that one not be in there. you really do need to command respect for yourself. you'll find situations will often come up when your helper will be required to leave the room, and if she is their only source of fear, they will roll right over you when she's gone. more importantly though, you will develop bonds with some of them. they are really cute, after all. and if you suddenly find out when your korean helper leaves the room that they have absolutely no respect for you, it's a little saddening.

5. i think derrek mentioned it in his post, but i'll mention it again. i'd start every kindy class with them reciting the days of the week and the months of the year. i can't really justify a reason for that, except that even the dumbest kid in the class could learn that... eventually.

6. when i taught kindies, the hakwon i was at scheduled in a gym class every friday. what we interpreted that as teachers as was left pretty much up to us. as for me, i grouped together with another teacher, and pitted our classes against one another in some sort of improvised sport. usually floor hockey or soccer, but sometimes just an obstacle course/relay race. one of my other favorites was what we called a chariot race, but was really just one kid sitting on a wheeled chair, and the other kid pushing him. anyway... that all made for some good times for all, and a couple of priceless digital camera vids.

good luck!

[Bunnymonster]

Good luck................ I haven't had the best time with mine this past year so I won't try and tell you how to deal with them (as I suspect I sucked) but if you need any specific advice or moral support give me a shout. In my opinion you actually want more of the little ones, I'd say about 7 or 8 would be ideal to keep some sort of mob mentality going as with only 4 once one gets sidetracked the clas will grind to a halt and then it all goes downhill rapidly. I found mine realy liked cutting and sticking activities especially making hats and masks....... (They refuse to sing with me though so I think they are a *little* odd)

[tomato]

Hello, Plato's Republic!

Considerable wisdom on this topic has accumulated on this message board.
All of the following threads deal with the subject:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=4422&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=29953&highlight=
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=16204&highlight=
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=14162&highlight=
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=11817&highlight=
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=5804&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

I'm keeping count.
Since I started, this makes thread number 7.

[plato's republic]

OK, thanks guys, lots of useful advice and encouragement there for me.
So all i need is lots of singing, games, drawing & colouring, sticking & pasting, starting the day with repetitive activities such as days of the week, months of the year etc..and a STRONG command in the classroom in order to avoid being "Dongchimed" as it were.
Lord have mercy.......

[teachingld2004]

Also be prepared to deal with the mothers. They are bigger babies then their kids.

And be prepared to be a nurse, because they come in with high fever and raging colds.

Be prepared for the unexpected. Just try and "go with the flow".

Be prepared to get blamed when the kids do not listen.

Be prepared.....Oh yea.
No matter how much you prepare, you do not prepare enough.

Some times you prepare TOO much.

ANd be prepared to pull ideas out of your head, as you will need to.

And by the way, get a good supply of sleeping pills, or tranquilizers. You may need them. (some for you, and some to dump in the water for the class.

All in all, have fun. They are my favorite age group.

ANd to quote one populat poster, "am I sane?"

[casey's moon]

If you get a position at a regular kindergarten (not an English kindergarten), you won't have to deal with being a nurse, or with annoying mothers, and such. The worst thing I have to deal with is remembering the names of the 150 plus students that I see every day. They file into my classroom and I spend 25 minutes teaching, singing, playing and dancing -- and then they file out. Repeat 7 to 8 times. It's a pretty sweet deal, actually. No report cards, and no real worries. Just fun English time with Casey'smoon Teacher!

[teachingld2004]

Not to sound stupid, but arent those positions hard to find? A few of my afternoon students go to regular kindergarden, and none of them have an English teacher. They get taught some english by the korean teachers.

Where did u find that position. Just curious. Never saw them advertised.

[casey's moon]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I have two kindie classes. There are times when I wonder if I could be the person who sets them on a life-long path to learning English successfully. And then I think, this is ridiculous - I told my recruiter and hogwan that I preferred not to work with really young kids, and they can get what they expected if they still choose me to fill those two slots. If I can teach them one or two things, who cares about the rest - I didn't go to university to teach a six-year-old to sit on his chair anyways. There's especially no point in getting upset at little children for acting like children. If one of them hits another kid I'll get angry and save getting angry for that. Otherwise, I don't care if all I am is zookeeper and briber / candy-dispenser.

[Derrek]

They are so cute! I want one! I want one!

Ohhhh... wait.... that means I have to settle down, get married, and become serious and grow up.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... boy........ nearly 34 and still struggling with how to handle this!!!!