Korean Job Discussion Forums

dandoeskorea · Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Location: London

After spending the last year teaching at a regular hagwon I am about to embark on a year at a public elementary school, but was curious as to how teaching method differs between the two. At my previous school I was used to the obligatory more active methods that come with teaching at a private institute �� namely the playing of games, use of quizzes, activities etc. �� as well as following the curriculum through books. But my new position will have me teach alongside an ever present Korean partner, and I��ve already been told that the environment will be quite different, whereby the kids will be seated most of the time, with little time or need for games and such. I��ve also heard that kids tend to treat you differently being a public school English teacher, with more respect than at a hagwon. Do any current or past public school teachers (at elementary level) have any thoughts on this?

Any views are greatly appreciated.

peppermint · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 6:22 pm Post subject:

you've got a lot larger group of kids, never mind a very mixed level group- that limits activities a lot. the textbooks include games for each lesson, but they tend to be rather dull.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

That more respect thing is just a rumor, it's not much different than at a hagwon. The biggest plus for me is that I'm the only foreigner there, so I don't have to make stupid small talk with a bunch of nerds all day. Also, my classes are pretty much from 9:10 - 12:20 every day. That's sweet.I have some afternoon overtime classes that are great too. It's hard though. That many kids can really get to you sometimes. I think for the most part, it's better. But, I think your bad days in public school are worse than your bad days in a hagwon. For me anyway.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

Another thing I forgot to mention is that your Korean ability will improve greatly, if you are interested in that. Mine hads improved a lot in the 1
month I have been at my school.

peppermint · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:18 pm Post subject:

Yup, the highs are higher, but the lows are definitely lower. As far as respect goes- you might get more in the first five minutes, but it's really up to you to keep it. Treat the kids with respect, don't talk down to them and it will really pay off.

A little advice- make sure to talk to the co teacher before accepting this job- they can make or break your year.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

Yep, good point Peppermint. My coteacher is fantastic, but many are not. And, you spend a lot of time with them.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

I teach in a middle school so some of this applies

things that rock about a public school
The students. You are getting them at the best part of their day when they are far more alert. My studnets rock.

You get more intial respect, but you gotta work to keep it. My students respect me, because they know I'll make their lives suck if they don't.

It's real teaching. My class content show up on my students tests towards so I have to make sure my lesson objectives are clear so that the assessment is fair.

thinks that suck about public school.
40+ kids in a class of mixed abilty. You'll have kids with a good grasp of english next to ones who dont' know their ABCs. I teach to the middle and hope for the best. Make sure that your classes follow some sort of routine so the kids know what to expect.

Not knowing korean. If you don't know any korean then you're in for a long year. It helps with dealing with the kids to tell them to sit down, be quiet, or get out. Also it helps to be able to engage the teachers in small talk.

It's hard work. Sure you ain't teaching as much but you'll be worn out at the end of the day if you have done your job right.

Things to watch out for:
Are you going to a school that can deal with a foreigner? How good are you at building relationships with Koreans. The public school enviorment is nto going to be flexible to your needs, you are going to have to be flexible to theirs. It is really critical that you are able to build up good relationships with the staff that you work with as they will make or break your time there.

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:20 pm Post subject:

Something else to think about. Find out who's funding the english program. Is it the government? Some educational group? Or the parents? If it's the parents, it inevitably will end up being like a hakwon.

It is VITAL to have good relationships with your coworkers in a public school. You can get by with your year in a hakwon if you stay tight-lipped and do your duty, even if you burn relations with a teacher or two, but your coworkers fully have the ability to make you have a sucky reputation in a public school. My attitude didn't sit right with a couple of my coteachers and it really hurt my public image with certain teachers, who figured I was just a jerk because I didn't want to SING TO MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS or something of that ilk.

Also, in the coworkers vein, remember that most of these folk in school are a bit more mature, and often family-oriented. It's a different crowd altogether.

dandoeskorea · Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Location: London

Thanks so much for your posts so far. I will be the only (actually first ever!) foreign teacher there, and have met my Korean partner, who seems - albeit at first impressions - to be someone I can work and get along with, which seems to be quite important judging by your comments. I've also been told that my first job will be to grade all of the students through a series of written and oral tests, which are designed to divide the students up into some form of ability based groups. That'll no doubt make life easier. I have no idea yet as to how many students I'll be teaching, but vividly remember classes of more than 16 in my old hagwon being a nightmare, so how I'll cope with 40+ remains to be seen!

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

Yep, I am worn out by the end of most days, but I feel good about my day.

peppermint · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:22 am Post subject:

Maybe it's just me, but I find that unless the kids were acting up a lot I come home pretty energized.

dandoeskorea · Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Location: London

Another query I have is regards the Korean partner. Exactly who does what? Is the teaching split 50/50? Are they there only to listen and observe, helping out in Korean when the need arises? Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but my experiences are based on me being the sole teacher in a class.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

I teach about 15 hours a week with my partner. She does all the planning, I assist her with the lesson. Then, I have about 7-8 hours a week with my own class. Same students, but no book. I plan for that. I think my school is different from most, however.

Koreabound2004 · Joined: 19 Nov 2003

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

I've had lots of team teachers & gotten along fine with most of them. The first I taught with was quite insistent on splitting duties 50/50 & it was a godsend to me -- I learned a lot about effectively managing 40 kids.

Since then, my co-teachers have looked to me for direction in how they might best involve themselves. It starts with a meeting beforehand to lay out the steps of the lesson & determine where they can help out. I welcome voluntary active assistance but if they prefer to hang back I dont mind.

The mere presence of a KT in the classroom can have a calming influence on classroom behavior, but dont bank on it -- a fair number of KTs dont command a lot of respect from their students. I had to feign anger at a noisy class today to settle them down (nice kids but overactive) & I think I might have taught my co-teacher something. Discipline shouldnt be an overriding factor though unless your lessons are dead boring.

By all means organize your classes into small groups -- I've got my kids trained to have the classroom set up so before I arrive. Its much more manageable than rows & every lesson I include some time for individual groupwork. This provides a great opportunity to mingle with the kids one-on-one & a co-teacher can be really valuable at this time too, answering student questions & helping them with the task.

I've had to be quite firm with a couple co-teachers about not just feeding answers to the kids or translating everything. Translation, I believe, has its place in the classroom, but only after other avenues of explanation are exhausted. Of course you'd never chastise a KT in class, but most will get the rationale once you explain it to them.

I like to banter with the co-teacher in the classroom too. Model questions & answers for the students with them, throw them the odd curve. It can introduce a relaxed humor & help the teacher feel involved.

I'm good to go on my own with any given class but I've given my co-teachers the sense I expect them there unless they have a compelling excuse. A second teacher in the room is a potential enrichment for the students. Mutual benefits for both teachers too if its handled right.