Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JongnoGuru]

Grotto, without knowing however many times you've gone out of your way for your school or your boss in the past, and assuming you don't have anything planned for Saturday, I'd probably fall in line with their wishes this one final time. BUT, I'd make very sure they understood and appreciated that you're being magnanimous in granting their favour, not sheepishly knuckling under to their pressure. (And just what the hell am I doing telling GROTTO this?? ) Yes, it's a mind game and yes, it amounts to the same thing in the end. But perceptions of power relationships are all-important on the job here. (Maybe not so important in Grotto's case, since he's leaving there pretty soon. But as a general rule...) Grovelling at the workplace is always grim, but at least make sure the proper parties are doing the grovelling. It's not the foreign teacher who should be grovelling to keep his day off sacred, but the school for presuming to ask him to give up that day off.

Oh, and one last bit. I'd make sure the book browsing & buying on Saturday started and finished BEFORE NOON like my life depended on it.

[Grotto]

You do know I work at a public school right?

I have made trips to the store on Saturdays in the past, its just that with regular classes finished and pretty much nothing going on I dont feel like giving up 3 hours of a Saturday..I would much rather give up 3 or 4 hours of my Thursday

[OiGirl]

What is a floater teacher? Sounds like a professional sitter-around.

[Grotto]

The floater at my school usually helps out with one of the disabled students we have....the rest of the time he fills in for other teachers if they are sick, have an appointment or whatever. When everyone is at the school though he sits around....alot!

[Homer]

I see your point Grotto but still think you made too much of this.

[Grotto]

thats okay Homer I forgive you

[kermo]

[cubanlord]

Hmmm...lots of money to spend?!?!?! How about having a.... "foreign teacher's exhibition". Invite all of us and cater it?!?!?

J/K

[Badmojo]

LOL. I didn't even see that myself. I had about two or three other errors in that post that I edited and corrected, but I didn't see that one.

Come to think of it, a pubic school job may have some value. That might be worth something.

I'm curious. What did you learn from the public school experience? And would you do it again?

[kermo]

[Grotto]

Things I have learned from my public school experience.

Patience. I have learned to be patient with students, teachers, administration and government officials.

I have realised that there are students in my classroom that will never understand the phrase 'How are you' All I can do is try to teach them.

I have learned how to reach students using different methods....trying different activities and how to supplement the curriculum.

I have learned that you cannot effectively teach English without teaching reading and writing too. The students in my special classes that I forced to read and write on a daily basis are now light years ahead of their classmates....their English is improving much more rapidly and they have more interest in learning it. This crap about just learning to speak it first is exactly that C R A P!

I have learned how to manage a class of 40 students without raising my voice.

I have learned that just because a student is quiet doesn't mean they dont know the material(in a test one of my quietest students got 99%)

I have learned that hogwans are effective in improving a students English...you can certainly pick out the kids that attend hogwans over the ones that dont.

I have learned that 99% of the students in the school are good kids and the other 1% are just misunderstood. They dont goof around to piss you off they are just kids and they are stuck in school.

I have learned that the quality of Korean teachers varies widely.

I have learned many things about teaching and dealing with my students and co-teachers.

I have learned that it is sometimes smarter to bite your tongue and be silent.

I have learned that common sense in Korea is a truly rare animal.

I have learned that a rat can chew its way through a solid wooden door, climb up a table and eat a hell of alot of candy.

These are just a few of the things I have learned.

[crazylemongirl]

[OiGirl]

[Homer]

Oigirl,

I agree that it might be puzzling to be teaching such young kids English. However, I have been helping my nieces here in Busan with English for about 5 years. My oldest niece started working with me on English when she was 4 and in one year she has shown considerable progress. I don't even teach her, just speak English to her when we spend time together on occasion.

Kids soak it up even if you don't see it.

Another example, is that while my parents spoke English only at home, my mother is french and spoke to her family in French. I did not yet master English when I started blurting out French from what I had heard her say to her family. By the time I was 8 I was fluent in both languages.

Kids do learn.

Oh and Grotto...thanks for forgiving me...!

[JongnoGuru]