Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

So here I'm sitting at my desk where I've been for the last 40 minutes, listening to the principal babel and bitch away about who knows what. Looking around the staff room I see that absolutely no one is paying attention. I hear nail clippers clipping away behind me, most people are on their computers and one is whispering into a handphone. And yet there goes the principal babeling away emphatically about something she apparently wasn't able to cover at this morning's pointless meeting as if people really gave a shit.

Is this just a traditional formality? Is there a good reason why they can't just pass around a memo. In a few minutes when she finally shuts the hell up I'll ask the head of English if anything important was said know there's a 95% chance nothing was. I can tolerate sitting at my desk for up to an hour, but just what the hell is the point of all this?

[SuperHero]

meetings of any kind anywhere accomplish nothing other than to waste time.

Memos are far more efficient and useful.

[oxfordstu]

Haha --- yeah I remember those pointless meetings where it's all in Korean and you have no clue what's being said. I finally asked someone and they told me they were discussing students in classes or some other nonsense. I used to bring in papers to grade but towards the end of my contract I just stopped going alltogether.

[Peter Jackson]

The meetings I used to endure here are nowhere near as frustrating as the ones I was subjected to in Thailand. Of course I have never been a big fan of meetings. I also had to suffer through daily briefings when I worked for the military back home. Memos always were far more useful.

Luckily there are no meetings at the high school I work at now.

[Lizara]

Depends on if our director is there or not. If it's just the academic director, meetings are usually short and contain useful information like field trip and test dates. If wonjangnim is there... we get stuff like, "You must teach them more phonics!" and "If you're trying to explain a new word in English and they can't understand, just keep trying different ways until they get it. Don't ask your Korean partner teacher to explain it. That's lazy." and "Use the whiteboard when you teach." Then he'll ask all about which classes and which students are causing trouble, listen to our reports, and do nothing about any of it.

I've only got a month left, though. I'm very tempted to start "forgetting" about these meetings.

[crazylemongirl]

that I can catch up on my interent shopping without being distracted by students

[TheUrbanMyth]

Usually although not always, my school schedules meetings on Mondays at four. Since I am teaching a class at the time, I almost never attend. The downside of course is that I am always the last one to hear of any change, and usually a week after said meeting.

[alabamaman]

I've never been involved in a meeting at my school yet. The Korean Teachers have their own meetings off to the side when their boss tells them they are not getting paid on time.

[Grotto]

staff meetings for FT's in Korea is more of a power trip thing.

They make you come to these meeting....why? Oh the Korean teacher get mad if you dont have to come.....the boss wants to show you he/she's the boss.... why its a little get together who doesnt want to attend one of those ........there's a ton of nonsensical reasons people go to staff meetings.....but once you figure out you arent being paid to attend them AND nothing goes on that applies to you....you conveniently forget to attend said meetings

[cornie_man]

It's the Monday morning email check. Actually, I'm really grateful for these meetings as I'm sure they would otherwise give me a class then.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[riley]

Mine are at 4 on Mondays. I went to a couple and was amazed by the sheer amount of talking by everyone at the meeting who were "listening". They spent the whole time talking to each other. I bailed on all of the others.

[willardmusa]

..

[Dan The Chainsawman]

4 pm on fridays and I will certainly be not attending for the next month until my much anticipated departure from HELL.