Korean Job Discussion Forums

[schwa]

Korean has one phrase for "Nice to meet you" & "Nice to see you" & most K-teachers too are surprised to learn that "Nice to meet you" doesnt work on subsequent encounters. I've made it a small personal goal to banish "Nice to meet you" from my classrooms after day one. Write it big on the board, slash out "meet" with an X & have them suggest an alternative. They'll come up with "see" & catch the idea. Henceforth, "Nice to meet you" is greeted with gentle derision & laughter.

I'd advocate a mock-stern countenance in first meetings with hagwon classes but in my experience public school students respond best to smiles & warmth from the teacher.

I dont think elementary & middle school kids even notice what youre wearing. Your colleagues will size up your grooming but a tidy appearance is sufficient.

[taekat]

From experience I would have to say be professional. That doesn' t mean yell or slam the ruler. Make your classroom rules like: Respect your Teacher and fellow classmates .... Control your voice and body ... and then stick to them. Be willing to spend the first week or so on the rules. You will have lessons planned but don't expect to get far. The students have to know that English Time isn't Free time or Game time, it's a class just like science and music, meaning sometimes it's fund and sometimes it's not. I definitely soaked up the superstar praise at my school and I'm paying for it big time. It's alot easier to be cold and calculated at first and then warm-up later then to be easy going at first and tougher later.

I know, from teaching in Canada, that most elementary school teachers spend up to 2-3 weeks on their classroom management plans. Things like washroom + water breaks, raising your hand, answering, be quieting are learned behaviours and are taught to promote a healthy learning environment. They aren't taught becuase the teacher is a control freak.

Aaron

[mister_joseph]

the public school is working out okay so far.
everything is going okay.

RE: STUDENT relations
thanks everybody for the pointers on your starting experiences.
the beginning is the most important part.
if i see people messing around, i remember the hakwon classes, and laugh to myself, because i don't have to do anything and the environment will still stay focused on learning.
what helps as well is i meet each class only once per week.
it's easier to gain respect working in a public school, with the support of the teacher, meeting infrequently.

RE: TEACHER RELATIONS
what is striking is that the pesonality of every classroom is so different from class to class. I mean about discipline and behavior of the children.
Now, as for the student's english, it also changes from class-to-class. I believe the student's ability depends on the teacher's enthusiasm and knowledge of English.
my relationships with other teachers are only dependent on my classroom style.
i failed to organize properly a game, for the fourth graders, so i had a hard time with the fourth grade head teacher, but that's just life.

thanks again.

[inspector gadget]

Schwa,

I agree, i also explain to them in nausia about nice to meet you, nice to see you. Furthermore they say nice to meet you as soon as they see you, but we have not actually met yet.