Korean Job Discussion Forums

[flotsam]

Lucky for me I have great partner teachers, and they're all women. So they are generally more open-minded, but they are(or were) completely baffled by the hand gestures and entertaining noises I use in the classroom. These include a rendition of "Strangers in the Night" to the sounds of "Doo-Bap-Babi-Doo; Dya-Da-Da-Da-Da", my making a biplane diving Nyeeeoooow sound every time I draw a line on the board and my use of the phrase Yada-Yada every time there is a "blank" in a dialog on my worksheets or on the board. I also regularly suggest that boisterous students volunteer to learn to fly out the window, and ask the class if the troublemakers are sexy or not. (Resounding "No!"s every single time...) This is at a public middle school, by the way: average class size, 37.

Because I have been here a while, I knew to bring it up in a meeting with the teachers here at my new school: "Just curious, do you all realize why I do these crazy things?" Blank stares. So I explained how the Doo-Bap-Babi-Doo grabs the students attention as soon as I walk into the class, and works better than any form of "Be quiet", from "Please take your seats" to "Will you little bastards shut the fck up, finally!!!!!" How the Nyeeeow keeps them focused on the board when I am writing on it as they all love making the sound and therefore pay attention and try to anticipate when I am going to write the next line(as you may guess, I mess with them all the time with false starts, and if I draw a line without a nyeeow all hell breaks loose) and the Yada-Yada does the same for the boring process of going through dialogs. Finally, rather than yelling at or punishing the bad kids, I make them part of the lesson, use a little cheerful peer admonishing to calm and quiet them down--and--all in English.

Blank stares now complemented by gaping maws.

Although they are pretty good for Koreans, and in theory they know that an experienced foreign teacher will use different methods to theirs, they are still products of their education and culture and they really don't know how to teach outside heavy expository lectures using Konglish pronunciation, so when you actually detail what you are doing, it's eye-opening for them.

Now, there are two points to all that:

1. Keep up the gestures and antics with the kids as that is the only way to teach groups of youngsters solely using the L2/Target Language. But be careful if you are doing something like waving the partner over with your palm facing up, or(heaven forbid!) just your index finger, as these motions are rude here. But I assume you already know that.

2. Your partner sounds like an absolute fckhead. Bottom line. So, make an explanation and appeal to the other teachers. Especially if the others are younger, or women or anything more open-minded than he, you have a good chance of winning them over. In my experience, a male teacher who is that much of a ccksucker is disliked by his Korean co-workers as well, and may indeed be using you to divert antipathy from himself onto you, the easy, mute waygook scapegoat.

Don't let the bastards get you down.

[jacl]

... but if he ever comes to your apartment for some off chance reason, he'll probably try the door handle first before knocking.

[Karabeara]

If you are with the GEPIK program, for example, you should have an advisor not from the school. Find out who this person is, and how to contact them. They are in charge of collecting information from time-to-time. The problem is that they often hear from the Korean teachers, but (shock) only seek information from the foreigners maybe once per year in the form of a questionairre that may or may not even be looked at.

You need to find out who this advisor person is, and report this incident. Be calm, a little surprised at his behavior, and very friendly when you do report it. Be sure to mention that you are concerned about this teacher's English ability, and the effect that his teaching attitude is having on the students. Not to mention the fact that you can't seem to get him to cooperate (make SURE you tell them that he simply sits back and reads a book).

If you approach them calmly, rationally, and seem very concerned, it could really get the guy's ass kicked. No kidding.

[thursdays child]

[ilovebdt]

[ilovebdt]

[VanIslander]

another reason why teaching a good hagwon is much better than co-teaching in the average public school

[eamo]

As said before....It probably boils down to him being a Korean male.

It's hard to know what to do because many Korean men have the emotional maturity of a 5 year-old.

[Paddycakes]

Personally, I think you're screwed.

Unless the guy is totally nuts, the other Koreans will usually always rally around their fellow Korean.

Some Korean men are okay to work with, but most of them confirm the Asian steryotype of Korean men: Short Tempered, ignorant with an inferiority complex bigger than the Sea of Japan.

The sense of hurt and false pride in Koreans runs deep: you have to deal with them with kid gloves.

Personally I would say quit your job before the chilly climate sets in. If you want to be a teacher, go back to North America and get a real teaching job.

I haven't taught ESL for a long time now, but one thing is for certain: It may sound racist, but I will never work for Asians again so long as I live.

[UncleAlex]

Sorry to hear about that irrational and unprofessional outburst by your co-
teacher. It seems, by the way he exploded, that he has been harboring pent
up feelings towards you. The fact that he was at the back of the classroom
reading a book shows what little respect he has for you and may have lost
a while ago. The problem is that it could be difficult for you to get to the truth
of the matter by discussing his demeanor and behavior towards you with him
or another co-teacher whom you rerlate well with. Koreans don't usually open
up with foreigners when it concerns their personal selves or other Koreans.
And approaching the principal would definitely give the other teachers reason
for loathing you. I knew a female teacher at a middle school who experienced
a similar poor relationship. When she lodged a grievance with the principal
and then the local Education office, she was ostracized and resented by her
Korean colleagues for having ventured so boldly and far. Her principal even advised
her to resign at that point because "nobody liked her anymore." Again, we are essentially
outsiders at public schools here. The undignified treatment you and the other
teacher have experienced is proof of that. And I could give countless other
examples if I wanted to now. Chances are the principal will deny you a contract
renewal at the end of the year because of how the other Korean teachers feel
about you. As you suggested, it could all boil down to petty jealousies because
of your popularity with the kids. But those ill feelings can be tamed by maybe
being a little more solicitous to your co-teachers. If they feel that you like your
students more than you like them, since you're not socializing with the latter,
and maintaining an aloofness, that can expain the "evil" feelings everybody
has towards you. Try to mend your relations with your colleagues without appealing
to a higher authority. Instead reflect upon how to bulid a friendly relationship
with your co-teachers. If it turns out that you have been reasonably sociable
and friendly, but your colleagues have kept a distance, then it might be better
to quit after this semester and seek a position elsewhere.

[Francis-Pax]

Bottom line: He is out of line. Assuming your side, I would say that you need to take action. If I were you, I would talk to the vice-principle and/or the supervisor.

His behavior is totally unacceptable and unprofessional. I would refuse to work with him. I was in a similar situation in a public school in Seoul. My co-teacher did not like foreign teachers in the classroom with her and they spread lies (terrible things!) to get me fired. When I found out what was happening I really put up a fight. I met with the the entire administrative staff and the district supervisor. I got justice.

After being here as long as I have, I don't take crap from any Korean anymore. You have to fight for yourself too. Just taking it is not the answer.

[periwinkle]

[own_king]

I'm a little put off at the OP for letting this guy away with that and some other posters here for making excuses for the guy. Never in a million years would I put up with something like that in my classroom from the kids or especially a jacka$$ Korean co-teacher. Unless the gesture you gave him was the middle finger, he has no cause for being offended when asked to do his job. So many co-teachers just want to sit at the back and do nothing just liek the OP described and get pi$$ed when asked to actually get up and do something. Whether a female or not, that is no excuse for putting up with garbage, especially in front of the students. How can you even go back to that class with any self-respect after receiving such a tongue lashing from some loser who makes less money that you do? I'm not trying to come down to hard on you, but you gotta stand up for yourself or Koreans will always think it's OK to behave in this way because we're too afraid to say anything back to them.

[Homer]

The co-teacher over-reacted for sure.

The OP perhaps waved him over the wrong way, in front of the students, hence the co-teacher perhaps felt some sort of loss of face.

Is he considered senior teacher in the class?

That could have played into it.

He should not have flown off the handle like that however.

If the OP wants to settle the issue...discuss it in private with the co-teacher...not by going above him.

[jacl]

If he had done that to me, I would've... Well, he wouldn't have done that to me.

Tell him to fark off.