Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Karabeara]

I am at my wits end with my public school. I do not want to say where it is, but I just want to let out my frustrations and anger.

First of all, this open class situation is a joke. I have no time to prepare for it properly, because of all the school newspaper articles my stupid school is having me correct. They also expect every lesson, with attached student samples, for the entire year in every class. I also have no time to dedicate to making my lessons good. I have worked over-time, unpaid, for two weeks to prepare for this joke. I have come in on Saturday. My stupid co-teacher got sick and could not practice. We now have to cram practices into every free possible hour in the next 3 days, of which I have virtually none (my schedule is already packed). They have so graciously revamped my schedule so that I can make up the hours that I am missing due to the practice for this dumb non-realistic event.

The co-teacher, who was my friend, has gotten on my nerves to the point that I do not want to associate with her. She cannot seem to get it in her head that we need to outline what we will be doing in the class that day at the BEGINNING of the lesson. She wants it in the middle, because of some reason she cannot seem to explain. She cannot speak, either, and she begs me to write out scripts for her to memorize so that her English is passable. She butchers these beyond belief in practice, and it gets worse when she becomes nervous. In short, in front of so many government people and others from other schools, we are dead.

Way to go, Korea! Your stupid, worthless program has managed to destroy the one true friendship I have been able to cultivate here.

Do I even need to outline the stupidity involved with making me sit in an open office with one other teacher during what would have been my vacation time, while the rest of the school is away on vacation? Do I need to mention the fact that I cannot be allowed a raise if I stay next year, due to some nebulous government policy?

I am told there will be a question/answer session after my open class. At this time, after everyone tells me I did oh so wonderfully, I will gladly tell them I have no intention of staying with this program, and will go back to a hagwon. At least I am paid an hour for an hours work, and do not have to put up with crazy open classes that are nothing more than a show and a massive waste of time. My school also would not reimburse us for the money we are spending on props, and so forth.

At least at a hagwon I am teaching 12 students or less per class (instead of 35 to 40), and am at least notified when I will be allowed to take vacation. At a hagwon, I will not have to teach unpaid dog-and-pony show open classes, or prepare for them. I will not have to correct student newspaper articles on my own time.

Better yet, I think I will just take my education degree with me and go home when this contract is finished.

Oh, by the way, please head down to the immigration office (on your own time) to verify your degree. Sure, I do not mind travelling 2 hours hour of my way on my day off just to do the job you dumb idiots should have done in the first place.

[plato's republic]

Whoa! Someones having a bad day at the office
Just take it as another good ole' day in the Land of the Morning Kimchi

Seriously, your situation sucks, but just try to do the best you can and I'm sure it'll pan out ok in the end. If it doesn't..well then you've always got a shoulder to cry on...

[riley]

Hey Karabeara,
Sorry to hear about that situation. I can see how that would suck. When you say friendship is ruined, do you mean w/ your co-teacher? Because maybe once everything cools down, maybe that can get better. Hope so, for your sake.

[crazylemongirl]

I'm sorry to hear that. Hiring season is coming up and there are other good gigs around plus uni jobs. If you have an education degree and two years of public school teaching under your belt it might be better to look into doing that.

[the_beaver]

[Grotto]

I had similar headaches when I did my first year of public school as well.

Key words to remember.

Okay, I'll work on that. Yeah I should have it done by the end of the month.

Remember they dont want detailed lesson plans...they want a general outline. The outline only applies to any extra/special classes that you will be teaching. Tell them that you will give lesson plans a week in advance..nothing more...nothing less...you will have to tell them that you will not compromise on this...you will do them one week ahead of time PERIOD!

Dont worry about practicing with your co-teacher...just go in do your stuff and shine.....dont worry about anything else.

Your co-teacher isnt your friend...never was your friend and never will be your friend...she/he is there to coerce/make/intimidate you into doing more than you should so they will look better.

Tell her that you think it would be better for her to write out her own scripts...its the only way that her English will improve. Having someone else do it doesnt help her at all(you could tell her that you would be glad to check them over once she brings them to you) but there is no reason for you to be doing her work for her!

You do have 15 sick days....make use of 7 or 8 of them over the vacation period...a couple here...a couple there, you know some 4 or 5 day long weekends

[riley]

Whooaah, Grotto! Don't lump all schools into the same group. Mine does want lesson plans but has wanted them the friday before that week. As far as the whole degree check, my vice-principal has been very sorry and has no problems with me taking off early to go to immigration. Doesn't mean it's perfect, there's a hell of a lot of bureaucratic bullshitease going at times. (i.e. silly workshops) Just trying to say that not all are the same, thankfully

[denverdeath]

I agree with a bit of what both Grotto and Riley said. Good points from both posters.

[ilovebdt]

[antoniothegreat]

well, about having too much work, just refuse. not rudely, but politely tell them that you feel with that workload, you must cut out a few of your classes to have enough time.
my middle school wanted students to write in a journal, twice a week, and "since it is too difficult for them" i would correct them all. ok, 2 entries a week, times 700 students, that is 1400 entries. assuming each takes one minute 1400 minutes, or only about 23 hours of extra work a week! sure what a great idea! after i did that simple math and then suggested each teacher do an even share, meaning we all could do about 6 hours a week, the journal idea never came up again.
i have learnt one thing abotu Korean schools, everyone has great ideas, but never wants to be the ones to do the work. in their culture, they simply pass the work on to a junior. dont accept it. i know you already did, so maybe you could do something like "ask again how much money you were getting for all the extra work." and when they say none, look absolutely shocked and hurt and confused, and mutter how you dont understand why you are doing the extra work then.

[anyway]

If I were the OP (and I meant what I said about going home), I would climb up there in front of the whole friggin crowd, give my KT a grinder organ, pull out the banana and DANCE, DANCE, DANCE BABY!! After which I would make the rounds through the crowd with a tin cup or some such begging device...

[plattwaz]

[Karabeara]

The public school open classes require a lot of paperwork. Every word must be scripted (although it isn\'t exactly followed to a T, it must be scripted). Our script, most of which I have written, is 15 pages in length.

There are also two student presentations within our class which also had to be scripted.

Respectfully, you are comparing apples to oranges, Platz.

[jacl]

I've been reading throught this thread and I have some advice.

Don't let anyone push you around. Teach your classes and prepare for them (if you like). At least know what it is you have to teach. These extra "doing a commercial" things are a colossal waste of time unless they learn some English out of it. I think that they might lose a lot of learning time from what you described. There are ways to do that sort of thing in a class or two. Of course one would have to guide them through it. Or even write some or all the stuff for them. As long as it's reviewed and explained properly. Making a big event out of it and hoping they can be creative in a language in which they realistically have no grap just creates a great big headache If you have to do them, do them quickly and move on. Don't worry about this student and that student not participating. If you do, you're just wasting more time and expending too much energy worrying and arguing, and...

It's not like you teach each of these classes any more than 3 hours a week. Someone at this school (not the OP) has their head up their ass. It's not like you teach one class all day and have time to *beep* around with a goddamn commerical. It's not fucking film school. It's English class. Probably 80 minutes a week or something ridiculous like that. If they're there all day, every day, then, yes, you can have Math, Science, Arts, Art, etc. It's good to have fun every once in a while though. But this sounds quite the opposite.

Anyway, don't let anyone push you around. You're the English Teacher. If they don't like it then they can fire you and you can eventually get your one month severance.

There are only so many hours in a day.

[denverdeath]