Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Wow you talk to your kids outside of class?

How interesting!

Normally I completely ignore them even if they come running up to me trying to talk to me. I will just step around them and keep on walking. Sometimes I will say hello, but that is about it.

I figure if the school wanted me to talk with them in my off time they would pay me for that as well.

[Demonicat]

Frankly, I'd have to say that they just may not give a damn. You are a teacher in one class- consider if you will, this exchange:

(You're waiting at the bus stop to go home. On your mind are thoughts of what mom is serving for dinner, whats going to happen on your favourite tv show, and getting down and dirty with some video games"
"What is the formula for density?" A voice says, its your physics teacher
"uh...(quickly thinking) D=M/v"
"And what is the ratio for dissolving gasses?"
"uh..."
"(sigs) What is the iodization/oxidation speeds for lithium?"
"uh...hahah...uh..."
"bye"
"(relieved) bye)

Remember, though English is a major part of OUR lives, to students it is just another class.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

This happens to me all the time. I'll pass two students at the bus stop.

'Where are you going?'
'Huh?'
'Are you going home?'
'Huh?'
'Jeep gasayo?'
'Oh nay, nay, nay'.

I mean, they're doing government listening tests where they have to indicate where people are going based on a dialogue, but they can't answer that?

But then there are victories, too. Last week at the gym I met a recently graduated student who was there with her mom. I could see her mom was just beaming because her daughter could hold a coversation with a foriegn teacher (and I only taught her for one semester). Later I complimented her mother with a 'joun haksang' and she seemed so proud.

[Qinella]

Well, thanks for the encouragement and attempts to comfort or help explain, everyone. A few of you have suggested that my student was simply outisde her comfort zone and caught by surprise. This is certainly a possibility. If the scenario in the OP were the only one of its kind, I wouldn't have been so unnerved.

However, this is routine, even in the classroom. For example, I was reading a story with a class of 6th graders on Friday. When I read stories with students, I stop after each paragraph and ask questions to make sure they are comprehending. So, the paragraph started by saying something like, "He brought a box with him. In the box were pieces of wood one and a half meters long, some thick wire, and some pieces of cloth." After the paragraph, I explained what a meter is, about how big it is, and then asked, "How big was the wood?" blank stares "What size was the wood?" drool beginning to accumulate on lower lips "How many meters was the wood?" durrrr "The wood was MOMO meters long." one? Then I asked, "What was in the box?" No one could answer the question.

This is all very standard with my older students. As I said, I ask tons of questions during class time, and I speak slowly and clearly, using easy vocabulary and grammar. Generally, the students have a very difficult time understanding. Sometimes, we'll spend thirty minutes practicing a new grammar point, such as "How often do you..." Then, I'll go around the room and ask each student a question with the grammar point. "Karl, how often do you eat breakfast?" Mo rago? Musseun ddeushiyo?

With my youngest students, they are generally very capable of keeping up, even though I always challenge them. Come to think of it, though, the youngins also seem to really enjoy learning English. When they understand or are understood in English, their faces glow with happiness. Among the older students, the only ones who enjoy success are the ones with this type of interest.

So, that may be all it is. The ones who look at it like just a subject don't succeed. The ones who look at it as a second language do. Unfortunately, the former group far outweighs the latter, which makes me feel like I'm generally doing a horrible job of teaching.

Anyway, thanks for listening. It's good to have a place where I can vent about this and people understand and care.

Cheers,
Q.

[Qinella]

Visitor Q, I wanted to respond to your comments separately, as your opinion was so different from everyone else's, and you seem very confident.

[Wrench]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Alias]

Visitor q = Austin?

(older board member will know what I'm talking about)

[The Kung Fu Hustle]

[Mr. BlackCat]

Now, I've only been here a couple of months, but I say by your post and my personal experience that you are doing a great job.

First, I have found that outside of class my kids have little to no interest in speaking correct English to me. Second, after months of getting my kids to use full sentences, if only based on repitition rather than knowledge, all is lost once an observer is placed in my class. Then nearly no words are spoken.

Also, there's a few of us at our school who actually care about any of this. Then there's a couple who find ways to get by, mostly on our backs, without even preping. These guys don't care, but have the best relationship with their kids cause all they do is play games and let them talk with each other.

Recently, one teacher took over a class of mine that I was having problems with and now they love him. Of course, this is my failure. I tried to teach them, he tries to be their best friend and ride out the clock with games and puzzles they do alone. And who will get a re-newed contract?

The fact that you care about your kids' progress already places you miles ahead of most foreign teachers I know here. At my school it seems that how you teach is secondary to how charming and smooth you are.

[Mr. BlackCat]

Now, I've only been here a couple of months, but I say by your post and my personal experience that you are doing a great job.

First, I have found that outside of class my kids have little to no interest in speaking correct English to me. Second, after months of getting my kids to use full sentences, if only based on repitition rather than knowledge, all is lost once an observer is placed in my class. Then nearly no words are spoken.

Also, there's a few of us at our school who actually care about any of this. Then there's a couple who find ways to get by, mostly on our backs, without even preping. These guys don't care, but have the best relationship with their kids cause all they do is play games and let them talk with each other.

Recently, one teacher took over a class of mine that I was having problems with and now they love him. Of course, this is my failure. I tried to teach them, he tries to be their best friend and ride out the clock with games and puzzles they do alone. And who will get a re-newed contract?

The fact that you care about your kids' progress already places you miles ahead of most foreign teachers I know here. At my school it seems that how you teach is secondary to how charming and smooth you are.

[Big Mac]

I don't think you are a bad teacher. Where are you from? Perhaps it is an accent issue. I know a lot of Koreans tell me they have difficulty understanding anything other than North American English. They say it's more neutral. I think they should learn how to understand all English, but nevertheless that's what they say.

I've spoken to my children outside of school and they clam up initially but then they are fine. They even send me e-mails that are legible. And they are quite young.

[Qinella]

[some waygug-in]

Don't worry. This happens to me all the time......... I mean as a Korean student. I study and study and study, on and on and then when I get into a real life situation...........my mind goes blank.

Don't feel bad about it, it happens to the best of us.

(And I'm not implying that I am the best...by any means)

[mithridates]