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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| donalruane wrote: |
thanks for that - i can't wait to go now!!!
are you a somewhat disillusioned korea veteran or is this just your experience from the front line? |
It's my experience from the front line. The children can be nice but it's the case where you can't turn your back on them. Larger the class, more you have to ride the herd. It's important to come with noble ideas. I came with them too. However, also be prepared for your illusions to be shattered.
FIRST DAY ON THE JOB: "How can I best open their eyes to a big, beautiful, exciting world, a world where English is one of the keys to a brilliant future and possibly an excellent position at Microsoft?"
SECOND DAY ON THE JOB: "How can I get them to all shut up for just five minutes?"
DAY THREE THROUGH DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY: "What system of rewards and punishments, short of a messy prefrontal lobotomy with my chalk holder, will turn them into attentive or at least docile students? Candy? Time outs? Stickers? Dunce caps? Cash payments? A day in the box?"
DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY ONE UNTIL YOU RETURN TO YOUR NATIVE COUNTRY: "Kid, you talked. Get out of my classroom. Go stand in the hall and I don't want to see your face until you've completed your military service." |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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There are a lot of hogwans where you can teach both kids and adults. That way, I suppose, if you don't like one you always have the other.
Another advantage to a newbie teaching adults is that you'll probably make some very helpful friends who are happy to help you out with things. Younger, educated Koreans are usually a lot of fun to hang out with.
If you have no experience teaching, ask yourself: what age group of people would you really want to be around? When you're together with a group of families at a family gathering, community event, church, etc., are you the one who likes to help organise things for the kiddies, go shoot hoops and play frisbie with the teenagers, or only sit back and chat with the adults?
Good luck with things - just remember that while some constants remain things change dramatically from kindergarten to kiddie hogwan to middle / high school to uni and to adult academy. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| There are a lot of hogwans where you can teach both kids and adults. |
True. A good number of academies run blocked shifts of progressively older classes, from elementary up through adults. Thats how I started out & it was a nice way to sample the benefits & drawbacks of each level.
My problem was I quite enjoyed them all, for different reasons. I'm in public middle school now which also provides me adult contact time with teachers classes, but I was missing the little ones, so I've angled some elementary classes into my schedule now too.
I'm most content with a mix, but I'm sure others might have preferences. You wont know till you try. A situation like Yu_Bum_suk suggests might be best for the undetermined.
(I'd say avoid split shifts in any case. I couldnt fathom doing that -- it would feel like 2 jobs a day.) |
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