Korean Job Discussion Forums

[NightSky]

Does your work have any official or unofficial policies on the amount of class time the teacher can spend sitting down?

I ask because my boss is an ass, and recently provided uncomfortable teacher's chairs to replace our comfortable ones in order to give us an "incentive" to stand up more and sit less. While I agree there are times when the teacher can and should be moving around the classrooms (particularly with the younger kids), I work all day, and I'm not going to exhaust myself needlessly just because the boss thinks I'm teaching when I'm standing and not teaching when I'm sitting.

[shifty]

Don't ask the boss, he/she will definitely reply that you should stand. Rather wait to be requested and the boss's shaky English will give room for deliberate misunderstanding.

Classes that must be stood up in will make themselves apparent to the teacher ie, where authority needs a boost. In other classes, it's a liability. Students may peer at their books and daydream, because yr towering over them affords the disconnect.

You'll know what's best, not yr boss.

[peppermint]

The school I'm at now doesn't have that policy, but it's necessary, with the number of students I have. At a hagwon that I used to work at, they had that policy though- I got in trouble for sitting even though I had a sprained ankle.

[crazylemongirl]

small conversation based classes - sitting = good idea
large classes sitting = bad idea.

[joe_doufu]

I use two classrooms primarily. In one of them, the front row of desks is about two feed from the front wall. There's no teacher's chair so it's clear I'm expected to stand up. If I did, though, the kids would have to crane their necks back 45 degrees or more! Some of the teenagers have learned that if they wear baseball caps in this classroom, I can't see them. So I've started bringing a chair with me and sitting in the center aisle!

[turtlepi1]

When the classrom is laid out in a traditional classroom style standing seems like the appropriate posture for teaching. (not in every case but in general). I also think this posture is horrible for teaching conversational english.

So the first thing I did was change my hagwon classroom into a roundabout configuration. My boss never told me not to do it but even though no one else ever used the room he always changed it back to "classroom" style every time I left.

I figured either he hated it, OR he wanted the hagwon to "look" like his idea of a classroom. Sure I could have asked him. We always got along pretty well. BUT if I asked him and I didn't like what he said then it would be a "face-losing" experience for one of us. The uneasy truce to having my classroom reorganized was a better solution for me. Though I must admit I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Korean teachers rarely sit. It's true. It's true.

[hogwonguy1979]

I sit 50-60% of the time. Then again I have back and knee problems which prevent me from standing the full time. However I do walk around to check on students work etc plus where I sit its usually on a platform so I can look down on them

[d503]

I rarely if ever sit in my classrooms. The only esception being a five year old class, where the only place to put displays and stuff is on the table so I must sit to point at it.

In my classroom though I arranged the desks to give me ample moving space (I like to move around when I teach)

I think it depends more on your teaching style.

[tzechuk]

If you have to use the board, you should stand. If the kids are doing some written work, you should walk around to check on their work. If you are just playing games or having a conversation, why not sit?!

[ajuma]

CLG is right. It depends on WHAT you are teaching and WHO you are teaching. Standing up in a class of 4 adults seems ridiculous unless I'm writing on the board. NOT standing up in a class of 20+ students seems equally as ridiculous!

One thing about seating: If your class doesn't have a "fixed seating plan" (public schools, for example): I let the students know that when I look at the students, I can see the back row most clearly. It's amazing! I usually get all of the troublemakers sitting in the front row in the next class!!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Don't ask and just do whatever works best. In some cases sitting works best, in other cases standing.

[jajdude]

Depends on the room too. Is the room one big table with a bunch of chairs? Then why not sit when not writing on board?