Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poet13]

So yesterday afternoon, I received an email asking me to change a lesson plan to "schedules". (See other thread.) It was for my secondary school. It was part one of their english camp for this year.
I did it.....until about 2:30 this morning. I came up with the entire lesson plan, developed my talking tree (if these general responses, then X, if those general responses, then Y...and an option list), and plotted a day planner, a week planner, etc. As an exercise, I hand drew a map. I'm a cartographer so it actually looked kind of cool. Then I took it to a pc room at midnight and had the guy scan it for me. That exercise was a follow-on to two "directions" lessons. The idea was to have them create an activity schedule, ie; go shopping, meet a friend, play soccer, pc room, etc.... Then they were to time plot it on their map and talk about it. Actually much simpler than it sounds.
I sent it back in an email for acceptance. Received back, "This will be fine. Very interesting."
Cool!
So I did the two directions lessons. The vice-principal was doing pre-task, I was doing task, another was doing post-task.
After lunch was to be the schedules lesson. I handed out the maps. I started to explain what they were for. "Teachu, teachu!!!", and they all pulled out their already completed maps.
The post task teacher had taken my entire lesson plan, quoted it nearly word for word, photo-copied my map, and quite literally ripped it off instead of doing the post task review of the second lesson plan. I was furious. I was furious because I was standing in front of a class of kids, and I didnt have a freakin' clue what to say or do. I have never been so embarrassed as a teacher before. I ended up doing a hard left, and we talked about what a city must have, why it must have those things, etc....It was LAME. The kids knew it too, and I lost them. They were really stoked to be in front of me demonstrating what they knew, and they went from noisy, "ME ME ME!!!" to virtually silent.
The camp ended with a bunch of kids shuffling out the door as if it were just another day.
On the way back I rode with the vice-principal. We did an AAR on the camp, lessons learned, etc. I let him know what happened and how embarrassed I was. He was supportive and said that he would ensure that we had better communication and that the other teacher understood what was expected during his post-task lesson.

Rant over.

Has anybody ever had this happen to them? What did you do? Am I being juvenile to be so bent about this?

Flames, comments and suggestions welcome.

[Missile Command Kid]

Have you thought about talking to the teacher who did this to you? Explain how incredibly rude it is to take somebody's lesson plan and teach it without your permission, especially since you were planning on teaching it to your kids on that same day?

I would have been very choked too. There's absolutely nothing you could have done and I don't think I would have done anything differently.

[poet13]

Well, I thought about it....but it happened at the end of the day, and for real, I was so bent, I might have said something that would damage my relationship with that school. (It is a school I teach one day a week at)
I did talk to the vice-principal about it. He was the third teacher. He picks me up ever time in my city about 40 klicks away, so we have lots of time to talk. He's one of these guys who goes to every professional developement seminar he can and loves tlaking about how to improve teaching skills et al. FOr the most part, a professional to emulate....
His english is also much better than the english teachers, so it was easier to make understood what my variety of issues were than trying to communicate that to someone who says 'thank you' when I say, "how are you?"....lol.

[passport220]

I think you did the best you could with your students. It seems you are a conscientious teacher with good ideas. I think you students will know that and know something just went wrong this time.

I would first approach the situation with the Korean teacher as if it was in fact a misunderstanding and not an intentional �hi-jack� of your lesson. I am not ruling out the teacher ripped you off but I think it would be in your best interest to try your best to understand exactly what happened with the other teacher before you assume. If it turns out to be a sincere misunderstanding just laugh it off as �one of those things� and feel proud that your students did benefit from your hard work.

[poet13]

Part of me wishes that you were right.... I would like to think he didnt intentionally rip it off, except that he is NEVER prepared....and did it cause he didn't have anything else to do.....I emailed the lesson, which he received and had time to review before class this morning, and in addition, we had a meeting before the camp to define our roles. I think he was just desparate....and decided that the best way out was to use my LP (lesson plan).
But.....his stated task for the day was to teach POST-task, which is REVIEW for the previous lesson, not PRE-task(vice-principal), or TASK(me)..... The vice-principal was doing pre-task, (preparation for the next lesson) and he (the vice-principal) did that.

I guess I'm most bent about being embarrassed in front of my class. I work my @ss off to be a good teacher, even though I've never had any kind of training, and I dont know about all the teaching theories and stuff like that. I take great pride in that when I do a camp, the kids don't want to leave. (yesterdays camp) Yup, I'm bragging a little. Sorry, but I love teaching and I really felt like I got F-ed over today....

[CiCi78]

Common sense would dictate that "post-task" does not mean teaching a lesson prepared by another teacher. It really sucks that happened. I'd be pissed too. Pass him some of that aromatic gas.

[poet13]

Not only common sense, but it was cleary defined BEFORE we ever saw the students.



Ok, I didnt' really need to say that, but......bump?

[SuperFly]

Kind of teaches you to be careful with what you share with other people... and don't kid yourself...you were ripped off. It's time to start thinking about [strike]shovel to the back of the head[/strike] payback.

[poet13]

Yes, it does, but if there's a kicker, here it is....
It was the vice-principal who asked for the plan change, not the other teacher. I couldnt refuse that.
At our meeting, if we are following a pre-task, task, post-task lesson plan, then there really isn't a choice in sharing. (maybe next time I will teach "occupations", and give him the "recycling" lesson plan .
Then we can see who looks like a clown (as I did ).

[poet13]

Forgive me, but I'm going to bump this in the morning....

[postfundie]

have you ever thought about doing the same lesson plan again...with kids it's a little hard but if you add the let's speak faster contest to it...it might work....People don't just need to learn to say things one time but they need to do it again...whenever I had anybody who said..."hey i did this lesson with another teacher" then I 'd say wow can you say this things as fast and as well as I can...and then give them an example....invariably they say no and end up doing the lesson.....then I could pile on new vocabulary to what they had already learned..

ps. I know that this is more difficult with kids...

[poet13]

I would not have thought about that....doing the lesson plan twice. Actually, I dont think I would do it. Students know when they've already done a lesson plan, and I use tongue twisters for speed and enunciation drills. They're a blast.

[ilovebdt]

HI Poet13

I am so mad for you. I had a similar thing happen to me when I worked at a hagwon. They didn't take the lesson plan, but they took an exercise I had used with the kids altered it a tiny bit and then used it again.
I mean what educational value does that have????
Don't they have an original idea in their head????

I think you should write an e-mail to this teacher who ripped off your lesson plan and ask them if they understood their part in that particular lesson.

I don't imagine saying that that vice-prinicipal will say anything to the teacher in question.

I think you need to make it clear to this co-teacher that it shouldn't happen again!!!

ilovebdt

[postfundie]

Poet....have you ever learned a foreign language as an adult, and when I say 'learned' I mean up to where you are testing into advanced levels..?? somehow i doubt it

[poet13]

Actually, I can manage quite well in several languages....but what's your point?


ilovebdt.....I think the vice-principal will actually take him to task about it. I think he eats, sleeps, and dreams teaching methodology.