Korean Job Discussion Forums

[humanuspneumos]

When I taught at various places the level of intensity varied in terms of expectations. I'll list them from least tense to most:

1. The university: The odd spat about test results. If they didn't like you they'd pretty much just not renew your contract. That's it. I've never heard of revenge. Perhaps because the power-base is far removed from the teacher. It doesn't become personal.

2. The Public/Private Schools: Since the powerbase was a little closer to the teachers- eg. some places had the director's desk at the center of the teacher's room and he "supervised." So, issues like controling the students, the fan being turned on/off, and nothing too much more serious came-up. Nothing like a mountain of lava. Perhaps the size of the facility/program/funding pushed issues of money further to the side- hey, if you have a hundred dollars and gum costs one- you don't think twice.


3. The language schools: The language schools are smaller- sometimes operating on a financial thread, the power-base is usually within proximity of all teaching that's going on. And workers are in a smaller area "going about their business." It becomes apparant that this would put stressers on the situation just by the nature of it all.

So, I will assume that "harmony" would increase with intensity or decrease- depending on the environs of the program. Since, I haven't heard anyone complaining lots about 1 & 2 (except the EPIK debate)- the question passes to "3. The language school."

My questions-

1. How do you define harmony in pragmatic terms? eg. That's when..... (If everyone has a different concept of which way it leans- how can anyone not be accused of breaking it?)

2. When is this concept of ebb and flow- everyone getting along- substantial enough to call it "harmony" or harmonious behavior? (I've never seen this concept so well laid out that it became almost tangible. Usually, what I've seen can be likened to someone changing the rules of a pool game as they go and expecting a non-response to such activity. However, is that person's behaviour fostering harmony?)

3. Are we all prey to becoming delusional- insisting that we had the harmony key in our pocket- and really only emphasize the part we're good at and failing/making excuses for the parts we're not good at within the context of the work-place?


Any thoughts on this? I'm not sure if it's interesting enough for a Friday. Likely not.