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spinner
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:09 pm Post subject: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:12 pm Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
Um...foreign teachers who work in a public school ARE classified as assistants. That is our title. ASSISTANT TEACHERS. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:24 pm Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
You might be jumping the gun there Spinner. I was told that I would be co teaching at my high school. But, that is not the case. I prepare and teach all classes myself and the Korean teacher either sits in the back and does nothing or helps out with a few translations. I am not an assistant at all. the stuff they teach doesn't require assistance. |
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spinner
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Actually I thought the same thing, but assistant referring to you as the teacher means a little something different in Korea. If it specifically says "assisting a Korean teacher" than that's different but foreign teachers can be referred to as assistant teachers without having to co-teach. Read your contracts. |
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spinner
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:30 pm Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| ilovebdt wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
You might be jumping the gun there Spinner. I was told that I would be co teaching at my high school. But, that is not the case. I prepare and teach all classes myself and the Korean teacher either sits in the back and does nothing or helps out with a few translations. I am not an assistant at all. the stuff they teach doesn't require assistance. |
Yeah true but what happens once you have built a certain level of respect, authority and friendly repor and all the sudden your "Korean" co-teacher decides to crack a joke about something you don't understand leaving everyone on the floor, what do you do than? Besides it's not just that, why in the world would you want to feel constantly monitored by someone who's going to run and tell your boss about all your flaws? Nex thing you know "oh sorry mr....I forgot you were actually supposed to be paid on that day, my mistake."
No thanks pal. It's enough I'm already left in the trunches I don't need more headache's. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
Um...foreign teachers who work in a public school ARE classified as assistants. That is our title. ASSISTANT TEACHERS. |
That sure as hell isn't my job title and I'd never put up with being an English monkey / human tape recorder to a Korean who can't even speak English, much less teach conversational English. Enjoy doing so and ultimately teaching much less effectively if playing into a defective system is your cup of tea.
As for co-teachers, in my experience:
- 1st and 2nd year middle school and vocational high school: they're potentially somewhat useful if you can get them well trained.
- Academic high school: do what you can politely to get them the hell out of the classroom, like I did. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:44 pm Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| spinner wrote: |
| ilovebdt wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
You might be jumping the gun there Spinner. I was told that I would be co teaching at my high school. But, that is not the case. I prepare and teach all classes myself and the Korean teacher either sits in the back and does nothing or helps out with a few translations. I am not an assistant at all. the stuff they teach doesn't require assistance. |
Yeah true but what happens once you have built a certain level of respect, authority and friendly repor and all the sudden your "Korean" co-teacher decides to crack a joke about something you don't understand leaving everyone on the floor, what do you do than? Besides it's not just that, why in the world would you want to feel constantly monitored by someone who's going to run and tell your boss about all your flaws? Nex thing you know "oh sorry mr....I forgot you were actually supposed to be paid on that day, my mistake."
No thanks pal. It's enough I'm already left in the trunches I don't need more headache's. |
They have no clue what they're doing and will generally sit nervously in the back of the classroom hoping they don't get embarrassed. When called upon for a translation there's a better chance one of the brighter students will know what ________ means. The students imediately around them may be less inclined to goof off but you're always better being pro-active and handling all disciplinary matters yourself in any event. |
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spinner
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 12:07 am Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
| ilovebdt wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
You might be jumping the gun there Spinner. I was told that I would be co teaching at my high school. But, that is not the case. I prepare and teach all classes myself and the Korean teacher either sits in the back and does nothing or helps out with a few translations. I am not an assistant at all. the stuff they teach doesn't require assistance. |
Yeah true but what happens once you have built a certain level of respect, authority and friendly repor and all the sudden your "Korean" co-teacher decides to crack a joke about something you don't understand leaving everyone on the floor, what do you do than? Besides it's not just that, why in the world would you want to feel constantly monitored by someone who's going to run and tell your boss about all your flaws? Nex thing you know "oh sorry mr....I forgot you were actually supposed to be paid on that day, my mistake."
No thanks pal. It's enough I'm already left in the trunches I don't need more headache's. |
They have no clue what they're doing and will generally sit nervously in the back of the classroom hoping they don't get embarrassed. When called upon for a translation there's a better chance one of the brighter students will know what ________ means. The students imediately around them may be less inclined to goof off but you're always better being pro-active and handling all disciplinary matters yourself in any event. |
Thanks you made my point. In any event I strongly believe (and I don't want to sound cheap here but), anything that benefits the school in terms of Korean teachers picking up on my methods or using my methods for further reference should be noted in one place, and that's my paycheck.
If we keep allowing Korean teachers to take our lesson plans and apply them soon enough we'll be out of jobs. Why else would they want a co- teacher on board?
Attention all newbies:
Do not accept any lame contracts from a public school if they allow co-teaching. It's dentrimental for ESL opportunities for teacher's in Korea.  |
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:00 am Post subject: |
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Spinner, me again.
| Quote: |
Attention all newbies:
Do not accept any lame contracts from a public school if they allow co-teaching. It's dentrimental for ESL opportunities for teacher's in Korea. |
What is this crap? It is the LAW that a Korean be in the classroom with you at all times!!!!!!! Anything anyone else says is wrong. Anything that you do otherwise is wrong! Yeah, you won't be sued if something horrible happens but it is a way to protect Korean's jobs and also help their teaching methodology. If you don't want to be colleagial and share your teaching methods (if you have any  ), your ideas and creativity --- DON:T TEACH. A paycheck can be earned many other ways, especially not on the backs of kid's futures........
PS. Ive spoken with people in the education hierarchy and they will soon be very adamant in instructing schools, to see that all coteaching is a mutual and cooperative activity and every foreign teacher has a coteacher in the classroom with them at all times. Atleast in Seoul.
I hope you come around and see working with a colleague can be (despite challenges), professionally fulfilling and NICE. Sharing is what the real spirit of education is all about -- not schooling.
To paraphrase that old but times codger Samuel Clements -- "don't let your schooling, get in the way of your education."
DD |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:11 am Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| spinner wrote: |
Thanks you made my point. In any event I strongly believe (and I don't want to sound cheap here but), anything that benefits the school in terms of Korean teachers picking up on my methods or using my methods for further reference should be noted in one place, and that's my paycheck.
If we keep allowing Korean teachers to take our lesson plans and apply them soon enough we'll be out of jobs. Why else would they want a co- teacher on board?
Attention all newbies:
Do not accept any lame contracts from a public school if they allow co-teaching. It's dentrimental for ESL opportunities for teacher's in Korea. |
Spinner... YOU ARE A NEWBIE and you sound like an I-D-10-T.
This ain't Kansas... and if you think the rules are the same here as at home... you are in for a VERY, VERY rude awakening.
For someone who has never stepped foot here in the land of the morning calm you certainly seem to speak quickly and authoritatively without 1st hand knowledge. Spare us.
After 4 years here... I am a newbie and you are still not even off the turnip truck yet... |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:14 am Post subject: |
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Never had a co-teacher in the two years I have been in the PS system. It seems to be a regular feature in contracts, but it's really up to the school if it happens or not.
The Korean teachers don't really want to do it (all the ones I have spoken to, my wife included) and most of the foreign teachers don't want it either. I think if one can speak Korean well enough, it becomes redundant to have a K teacher anyhow.
spinner, do you think that they are always laughing at you? Why are you so self-concious? There are many other humorous things in the universe besides the foreign teacher. As for it being "detrimental", well, perhaps the fact that the school won't leave you in charge of a class alone says something you should think about.
If you are so worried about the country talking about you, learn Korean. You will soon find out that you aren't that special to them. Not trying to start something here, but you sound really insecure. And why shoot down every reply with flames?
Last edited by Demophobe on Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:19 am Post subject: |
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I don't think that's very good general advice to give new EFL teachers. We are paid to do a job that involves both teaching students and working cooperatively within the system. Our primary duty within the Korean educational system is to help students learn, but it may also entail improving the quality of Korean English teachers by demonstrating effective techniques. It's their country, their schools, their money... The Korean teachers and administrators are committed to being here a lot longer than the most all native-English teachers - some of whom can't even tolerate being in a foreign culture at all and leave after a few weeks.
Regarding the specific issue of co-teachers, there should be more dialogue with the policy-makers. At a symposium last year for public teachers in Gyeonggi province, the "co-teacher" model was stressed, and they showed a video supposedly showing how it can be a dynamic teaching tool. (Unfortunately, it was really a video of two Korean teachers who obviously had been trained at western universities - they both could speak English and Korean very well; and the students had obviously rehearsed and memorized their lines...) The manual they gave to native-English teachers for use in planning the demonstration classes purportedly monitored by education ministry officials was geared to producing a coordinated effort involving both teachers.
However, it was noted in the manual that many teachers - including Korean teachers - have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the co-teacher system. I think that much more pressure was put on the Korean teachers to do well in the the demonstration class, and, apparently, the hope is that they will improve their English teaching by working alongside native-English teachers. I see no compelling "job opportunity" issue that would justify non-compliance with this directive. There are many positions as yet unfilled in both the public and private sectors. Public officials have repeatedly asked for feedback and suggestions from native-English teachers. Whatever policy they see fit to implement for advancing their system is mainly their business. I don't think that we are in a position - as outsiders - to make demands when even established Korean teachers are obliged to follow the bureacracy. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| ddeubel wrote: |
What is this crap? It is the LAW that a Korean be in the classroom with you at all times!!!!!!! Anything anyone else says is wrong. Anything that you do otherwise is wrong! |
Sorry but I'm calling BS on this one. I've never seen any such 'law' anywhere. Does the same apply for winter and summer break lessons? When the school's running on a skeleton staff during winter break they're supposed to take a KT off winter holidays so she can sit in your classroom and do nothing? What about private tutorials or preparing for speech contests and the like during the last block of the day? If I go up to the doksa-sil to do some extra work with my students for extra tutorials we've scheduled by ourselves do I have to take a KT with me?
Maybe you have some kind of weird contract with such a provision but I've never seen anything to confirm this nonsense in my life. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:07 am Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| spinner wrote: |
In any event I strongly believe (and I don't want to sound cheap here but), anything that benefits the school in terms of Korean teachers picking up on my methods or using my methods for further reference should be noted in one place, and that's my paycheck.
If we keep allowing Korean teachers to take our lesson plans and apply them soon enough we'll be out of jobs. Why else would they want a co- teacher on board?
Attention all newbies:
Do not accept any lame contracts from a public school if they allow co-teaching. It's dentrimental for ESL opportunities for teacher's in Korea. |
Here I have to disagree very strongly. My school's not going to replace me because a few teachers are borrowing some of my ideas. I want my students to learn as much as possible and if KTs find things I do potential helpful, please steal away. The geography teacher and Korean literature teacher sometimes sit in on my early morning vocational classes (they wanted a teachers' course so I just invited them to a class) and one of them was telling me how interesting she finds it; she was very surprised how I keep everyone awake and generally attentive. I tried suggesting that if she perhaps tried a few more activities, and didn't just lecture for 50 minutes straight, maybe her students would be a bit more attentive, too, and she seemed interested in trying some new methods. As for myself, I'm always picking up stuff, ideas, and tips from talking to my friends like Derrek and a few other experienced high school teachers I know and am always on a learning curve. There's nothing to gain whatsoever by hoarding knowledge and ideas.
Last edited by Yu_Bum_suk on Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:07 am Post subject: Re: Your thoughts on co-teaching |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| spinner wrote: |
Personally I think it's a drag. I am ready to turn down a highschool over this, and not because i'm picky. I'm the most adapting person you can possibly meet but no way in hell am I going to have some teacher talk a different language to my students IN MY CLASS!
It must be embarrassing at times, imagine your co-teacher and the class is laughing all of the sudden and you're standing there bewitched.
Hell no. No one wants to fee like an assistant. |
Um...foreign teachers who work in a public school ARE classified as assistants. That is our title. ASSISTANT TEACHERS. |
(1) That sure as hell isn't my job title and I'd never put up with being an English monkey / human tape recorder to a Korean who can't even speak English, much less teach conversational English. Enjoy doing so and ultimately teaching much less effectively if playing into a defective system is your cup of tea.
As for co-teachers, in my experience:
-(2) 1st and 2nd year middle school and vocational high school: they're potentially somewhat useful if you can get them well trained.
- Academic high school: do what you can politely to get them the hell out of the classroom, like I did. |
numbers mine
1. At the orientation periods we had, we were given handbooks for our use. The handbooks clearly stated for "assistant teachers". That is how we are seen, regardless of teaching method.
2. I teach elementary. Again at the orientation periods we were told by the education bigwigs that teaching elementary kids without a Korean teacher in the classroom was illegal. ILLEGAL.
With a Korean co-teacher you don't need to be a English monkey or human tape recorder. She teaches part of the lesson then you teach part of the lesson. It flows back and forth naturally. Sounds like someone needs a hug  |
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