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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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 Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:09 pm Post subject: 2 Open Classes a Year? WTF? |
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My school is super annoyed as apparently some offical is trying to justify his wages by insisting on two open classes a year, by the foreign teachers. I've been in my district for two years already, when I submit my paperwork I always get glowing reports and my kids win awards. If I'm doing such a terrible job then they've had more than enough oppourtunity to give my marching orders.
Apparently this measure is being put in place to 'control the foreign teachers.' My district had a lot of long timers who built up a really good relationship with out students because we aren't part of the revolving door that most public school positions are these days. I've already told my school that much as I love the area and the students in it, I'm not re-sigining again due to this kind of behavior. While they've lost a number of good teachers already because of it. |
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josesiem
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Location: Bundang, Korea
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| I had two open classes every month! I'm not sure what the big deal is. If you're doing a good job, you have nothing to worry about, right? |
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poet13
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Location: Just over there....throwing lemons.
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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forgive my ignorance....
what does open class mean? |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Eh? That's madness. One a year is quite enough for me. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| josesiem wrote: |
| I had two open classes every month! I'm not sure what the big deal is. If you're doing a good job, you have nothing to worry about, right? |
Because that's time I'm spending away from my regular classes for these dog and pony shows. I have to hussle to get through the material I need to before tests with my kids. Adding these side shows is wasting my time, my co-workers time, and most importantly my students time so that some offical (who more than likely can't speak english) can come in, sniff around and justify his wages. It also means that I get dragged to twice as many open classes at other schools, and like I said I got better things to do. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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I've only heard of one teacher in my district having to do a real open class and I think that's part of the reason why, on the whole, the teachers in my school district are very happy.
But I can see their point - some foreigners may actually be taking initiative and doing things the best way possible, and they couldn't possibly have that, could they? |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
But I can see their point - some foreigners may actually be taking initiative and doing things the best way possible, and they couldn't possibly have that, could they? |
Perhaps the paperwork is a red flag. My lesson plan templates are used by other native english teachers as are my handouts. On the other hand, I'm crappy at making slides and games so steal those off the other teachers. In the end it works out even and our students are getting stronger lessons because of it. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| If you know many other MS teachers in your district it might be fun to conspire all to do the same lesson for open class - make up a standard dog-and-pony show lesson, and every time the brass come put on the same performance, with the same jokes, same game, same song and everything. That might throw them for a loop. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| If you know many other MS teachers in your district it might be fun to conspire all to do the same lesson for open class - make up a standard dog-and-pony show lesson, and every time the brass come put on the same performance, with the same jokes, same game, same song and everything. That might throw them for a loop. |
The thought has already crossed out minds  However we all agreed that we'd slam any school that did the dog and pony show, and praise the ones that did 'real classes' |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
| ilovebdt wrote: |
P.s I think I have a clone of your lazy coworker as one of my co-teachers. |
Post photos. If yours match mine, we'll know Darth Sidious is behind it all...
If you are working at a public middle school, perhaps your school will share with mine the recently initiated delight of splitting up some of the classes into three ability levels for certain subjects, like....English. Now, I teach at a pretty poor middle school, and my low-level kids don't know anything. Half cannot read, 25% don't know the alphabet and none can put a sentence together. Which leaves me with some classes that cannot understand a thing I say, nor respond if they did. Not even if they get a full translation from the Korean teacher. I mean, I could teach phonics or something, but as you may guess, 40 of the least motivated rough kids in school aren't going to be a willing audience for "Buh-buh-buh-Ball."
So, I asked the teachers to help me with these classes. Four classes, in the whole school, I see once a month, no more. You should have seen the shyte slam into that fan. Now, keep in mind, these teachers follow me into class between 3 and 6 times a week and four of them(two are quite good and get involved) do not a thing unless I ask them to translate something that the kids are having trouble with. So, I felt that a little cooperation would not be too much to ask. JESUS they went nuts. They were so flabbergastingly and dramatically adamant the other two teachers(who thought it was a good idea) and the dept head were embarrassed. But we decided to let it go to keep the tempers down--they really were fired up.
Now, the four teachers that freaked are some of the weaker teachers, and my regular partner and I came to the conclusion that they were terrified of A) Teaching in English with me in the classroom and B) Having to compete with the native speaker teacher style(i.e., fun and engaging in addition to educational) so we decided to cut them some slack and I teach those classes some pretty simple games and phrases without help.
But then, just today, I was told that our school has to do a demo class on team-teaching for other Gyeonggi teachers, as many of us have done I am sure. And I simply told the English Dept:
"Sorry, I've never experienced team-teaching, so I can't take part."
That's when the sh*t hit all of their lazy mugs.
I would say small vengeances can be so sweet, but Buddha's Birthday is upon us and that might seem viciously smug.
So let's just call it karma. |
Quoting myself from another thread as the situations are related.
What irks me is the levels of hypocrisy, inconsistency and flippancy from the uber-levels that dictate this kind of nonsense. "We don't use team-teaching or power point in the class(though it sounds like you are pretty organized there CLG) but we want you to jump through hoops for the visiting bureaupologists. I heartily concur: W  T  F
CLG, are you in Gyeonggi by any chance? Just seems coincidental that you got this announcement roughly the same time I got word from my school and I would like to gauge the parameters of this fresh fad in the greater trend of BS. I have informed my school that if they push it, I'll leave. (We are also in the middle of negotiations over the absence of air-conditioning in any of the rooms I am supposed to be teaching in during June, July and August. They still aren't taking my, "No fucking way." seriously.)
I see a lovely desk at Seogang University's KLP for this little boy this summer. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Yup, I'm gyeonggi. The Korean teachers at my school (who are fantastic, always in class rarely late and help out where required), are really pissed about this. So much so, we're aren't bothering to do the second class and if someone shows up they can just see my regular class. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| Yup, I'm gyeonggi. The Korean teachers at my school (who are fantastic, always in class rarely late and help out where required), are really pissed about this. So much so, we're aren't bothering to do the second class and if someone shows up they can just see my regular class. |
Nice. Like I said, I have a 2:4 thing going on in my dept. In the end, it will probably work out, because I am popular with the students, do a good job and have enough experience to be an asset to the school: the Koreans, too, have horror stories of the newbies and freaks they have to deal with. I met a banned poster from this site who worked at the girls high school near my MS whose, I'm sad to say, letters, complaints and antics are the stuff of legend in my school district(one of my good partners is the Bundang rep for teachers, not part of GEPIK, so I get all the juicy scoops); he seemed like a nice enough guy in the right contexts, but those contexts were quite limited.
What is the central issue to me, however, is the matter of potential longevity of tenure. As you mentioned, it just don't seem like they want the good teachers to stick around, but at the same time complain buckets about not being able to find qualified teachers. This is just nonsense cubed.
I think it is a classic example of crossed wires, of the subconscious:
We really need experienced teachers like flotsam and Ya-Ta and YBS and ilovebdt and CLG too. Why can't we find them or retain them?
We need to protect our jobs and keep whitey from showing us up. We also need an endless supply of young attractive whitey coming in. Don't eat the �����--it's SPICY!! Uri nara Uri DDANGGGGGGG!!!!!!
Which results in all kinds of half-assed manifestations in doctrine and policy. (Compounded by the somewhat relevant fact that they don't really know what we do, or what they want us to do, very well anyway). And that keeps people who might want to stick around for quite a long time, or make teaching here part of a much larger plan from ever being able to conceive of their plans as secure or feasible.
Which is massive, hairy, sweaty wildebeast bollocks. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| Yup, I'm gyeonggi. The Korean teachers at my school (who are fantastic, always in class rarely late and help out where required), are really pissed about this. So much so, we're aren't bothering to do the second class and if someone shows up they can just see my regular class. |
I'm in Kyounggido too, but have yet to hear about this little gem of an idea. So, I am keeping stum.
Ilovebdt |
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thursdays child
Joined: 21 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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Heard the '2 class news' yesterday too. Last years' one went really well - but the build up to it was absolutly diabolical..... But, this year I think I'm doing it with a like-minded co-teacher. That will make all the difference.
Just go with the flo. |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| josesiem wrote: |
| I had two open classes every month! I'm not sure what the big deal is. If you're doing a good job, you have nothing to worry about, right? |
Because that's time I'm spending away from my regular classes for these dog and pony shows. I have to hussle to get through the material I need to before tests with my kids. Adding these side shows is wasting my time, my co-workers time, and most importantly my students time so that some offical (who more than likely can't speak english) can come in, sniff around and justify his wages. It also means that I get dragged to twice as many open classes at other schools, and like I said I got better things to do. |
Whatever happens, good luck to you. I had to do three of these open classes in a row last year when I had bronchitis and a fever. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. |
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