|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
happyinhenan
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:10 pm Post subject: Re: Please help! |
 |
|
| jen_blue wrote: |
Hello
I'm not sure what happened on this thread but please, I need some assistance tonight. Things seem to have become significantly worse and I am not sure how to handle things.
1. Co-t 1 is never happy with anything I offered in terms of activities for our lessons last year, she doesn't like PPT games and the students are at an extremely low level; five sentences is about their fill. This year she has managed to agree with my new main co-t that I should submit ideas earlier in the week and she will decide whether they are appropriate. Inevitably, nothing I've suggested has been good enough; speaking board game "too bore" I offered an alternative game which she grudgingly accepted but during the lesson criticized that the kids could cheat the game to be a "winner" This week "jobs" chapter, I know she likes realia type things so I suggested that they complete an application form. Her response is that the children don't know what they want in their future lives and it will take too long.
|
Tell the bully to get lost. If she cannot contribute to the lessons herself because of her 'lack of experience' then just stop going to these meetings, explain to her that if she hasn't got the experience to help you then you need to meet up with someone who does.
I just wouldn't go to any future meetings.
| Quote: |
| This morning I think I upset her again: she uses a bell to ask to children to be quiet and she said I was O.K to do the same... so this morning, the class would not stop talking over me trying to explain the activity so I pressed the bell 3x over around 5-7 minutes and so she moved the bell so I couldn't reach it. I asked if there was a problem and it took 15 minutes to eventually come to the conclusion that it bothers her ears and she "want me use different please make quiet" which turned out to be hands on heads, finger on lip but she didn't bloody say that, and she was friggin rude about it too. |
Tell her in English and in front of the class not to be so rude, the last thing she will want to do is to argue and lose an argument in English in front of the class.
| Quote: |
Then I had a meeting with my main co-t which I believed was just a feedback meeting and it turned out she wanted a load of lesson plans, she was not happy that I didn't have them to show  I had hoped to speak to her about the 1st co-t issue as I've spent literally all my time on trying to find a suitable activity.
Around 5 mins after the final email to co-t one requesting feedback on any of last years activities, my main co-t sent a round email stating she wanted a meeting tomorrow with myself and all my co-t's. I honestly can't imagine its a meeting in the sense I understand it and I feel I am going to be absolutely slaughtered by these people.
Tonight I stayed at school writing lessons plans until 8.30pm in the hope of some sort of reprieve. Honestly, I'm completely at the end of my tether. I would sack it and go home frankly, but I have debts to meet and I had have long term plans which involved SK. |
Now they are trying to bully you in some lame arse attempt to make you do a runner.
You aren't staying on at this school however long you stay into the night.
From now on, just stop meeting up with them, if they ask you, tell them they are wasting your time.
Like all nasty teenagers, they will keep doing it until you stop them from doing it.
I know you want to stay on in Korea but sometimes that nugget is beyond your control.
Ceding to all their ridiculous behaviour doesn't mean you are going to get a good letter of reference at the end of your contract, that is not how it works.
Politely and nicely, refuse to partake in any more meetings, do not work until 8.30pm ever again - you'll have made their year doing that, and the next time they try and be rude to you in class - admonish them publicly because they don't have the balls to have it out with you in English - especially in public. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 4:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
In Japan, this is called power harassment and people get sued.
Tiring yourself out by staying late doesn't help.
Just stick to what the contract said.
Leave when it is quitting time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| young_clinton wrote: |
Your co-teacher just doesn't like you and probably for no reason that has anything to do with teaching. Just make it all the way through to the end of the contract and see what happens. Maybe if you're lucky the co-teacher will either croak or be replaced, teacher replacement happens a lot in Korean public schools. In fact that may be what the core problem is altogether.
Everything you say sounds very similar to what I experienced without the co-teacher threats. It almost sounds like a typical public school. Keep in mind the co-teacher doesn't decide whether you stay or not, the principle does. They may very well dump your co-teacher. The best thing for you to do is make friends with the students. Be very friendly. Also try to be friendly with the rest of the school community and community where you live. Start learning Korean, it's a major plus in school relations. |
Yeah, she's a b!@tch and nothing you do will satiisfy her. I had one of these my first year. She actually gave me a burning negative review and tried to non renew me. But, it was pre recession Korea and you almost always got another contract from the ed office no matter what unless you molested a kid or something.
She just hated foriegners, hated other people, and hated life. A miserable co teacher canmake your life hell. Write down every instance of harassment and the date and time. If it continuess into the contract, go to the VP and even to the local ed office and compain about the teacher and her environment of intimidation. She wil probably try to non renew you with this attitude, so you just put a ding or two against her on the way out. At least if you can tarnish her credibility a bit and make her lose some face on the way out, it's a partial revence and might even make her not do it to someone else.
My b!@tch teacher did it to the other foreign teacher after switched schools the following year. But, with my advice, he quickly started giving her crap back and stood up to her. Then, second semester, she got another foreign teacher who she also clashed with. Some folks just have problems. Thankfuly, I haven't faced anyone like that since. In post recession Korea, I'd probably have to pack it in uness I were friends with the VP, Principal, or head teacher.
If you got to go down, go down in a blaze of glory. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 7:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| young_clinton wrote: |
Your co-teacher just doesn't like you and probably for no reason that has anything to do with teaching. Just make it all the way through to the end of the contract and see what happens. Maybe if you're lucky the co-teacher will either croak or be replaced, teacher replacement happens a lot in Korean public schools. In fact that may be what the core problem is altogether.
Everything you say sounds very similar to what I experienced without the co-teacher threats. It almost sounds like a typical public school. Keep in mind the co-teacher doesn't decide whether you stay or not, the principle does. They may very well dump your co-teacher. The best thing for you to do is make friends with the students. Be very friendly. Also try to be friendly with the rest of the school community and community where you live. Start learning Korean, it's a major plus in school relations. |
Yeah, she's a b!@tch and nothing you do will satiisfy her. I had one of these my first year. She actually gave me a burning negative review and tried to non renew me. But, it was pre recession Korea and you almost always got another contract from the ed office no matter what unless you molested a kid or something.
She just hated foriegners, hated other people, and hated life. A miserable co teacher canmake your life hell. Write down every instance of harassment and the date and time. If it continuess into the contract, go to the VP and even to the local ed office and compain about the teacher and her environment of intimidation. She wil probably try to non renew you with this attitude, so you just put a ding or two against her on the way out. At least if you can tarnish her credibility a bit and make her lose some face on the way out, it's a partial revence and might even make her not do it to someone else.
My b!@tch teacher did it to the other foreign teacher after switched schools the following year. But, with my advice, he quickly started giving her crap back and stood up to her. Then, second semester, she got another foreign teacher who she also clashed with. Some folks just have problems. Thankfuly, I haven't faced anyone like that since. In post recession Korea, I'd probably have to pack it in uness I were friends with the VP, Principal, or head teacher.
If you got to go down, go down in a blaze of glory. |
Its amazing how one person with psychological problems can ruin the workplace for dozens of people. Its also amazing how rampant these types are in Korea.
What is worse, is how management is either totally oblivious or doesn't care. I tried to discuss this with my VP, they would not meet with me and palmed me off onto someone else who also couldn't be bothered. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jen_blue
Joined: 24 Oct 2011
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I laughed aloud at the idiocy of her statement too; absolutely ridiculous that this piece of work is given power over any other human being. I imagine she has a miserable life somewhere and can't / won't take steps to deal with it, this crappy behavior in her mind is a way of straightening things out; she is obviously not quite a full shilling in not realizing that I have no effect on her overall life....
I expected some sort of acknowledgement that I had done the lesson plans as requested and before agreed too, but there was nothing; she asked for 2pm the following day and said she would get them back to me for 2.30. She didn't bother getting them back to me until after our meeting at 3pm though.
The meeting turned out to be fairly innocuous; mainly stuff I knew already and offloading me a load of work / deadlines for submitting plans. She did state that my lesson plans were all to be viewed by the VP "in his trusted position as the Principle adviser", the folder even includes a signature sheet for each person to sign. I can't imagine that the VP is viewing all the lesson plans for the KT's somehow.
They aren't all nasty; co-t 1 is a nightmare but I'm slightly reassured as I've heard from co-t 2 (who I upset, she confirmed it) that the previous NET had a similar problem with her. The issue seems to be, in part is that they assume they should have power and that they are ALWAYS right, and are somehow above normal rules of behavior.
However, I won't be staying late again as clearly nothing I do is going to alter things in my favour. I doubt anyone is interested in my complaint; I tried to bring up the issue with my main co-t and she was like yeh, yeh whatever..... not interested, nothing to do with me! She actually emailed those statements; I suspect that she knows the lay of the land and so can effectively say exactly what she wants, make demands and change them as and when she feels like it and no-one (with any power at least) is going to suggest it might be her who is the issue.
I have started learning Korean and the kids seem to like me very much. I've even made a couple of friends (limited due to a lack of a shared language) among the staff.
If I'm not going to be able depend on getting a decent reference, what are my options in SK? Any advice on looking abroad at other countries would be much appreciated Taiwan / China / elsewhere? Do jobs in these places have similar issues? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It can happen in Japan too, but this woman is pretty bad.
My first boss in Japan was bad and when they decide they don't want you renewed, not much you can do.
I got to go to the attached high school.
I guess they take turns being the boss and some of them are just passive/aggressive and difficult.
Some co-teachers are fine.
Why some people teach English but look down on foreigners, I will never get.
I guess you just stay til the contract ends and get out.
The teacher sounds like a total control freak.
Maybe they have an idea of what a "good" teacher is.
It could be a religious nutcase or someone else, but if you have a different personality, then you are bad.
It is not fair.
If they feel you are too individualistic, you are bad.
Last edited by Brooks on Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:53 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Brooks wrote: |
some of them are just passive/aggressive and difficult.
Some co-teachers are fine.
The teacher sounds like a total control freak.
. |
The hardest thing about work is surviving the bosses and co-teachers.
Korea breeds passive-aggressive control freaks like no other place on earth.
Something in the culture. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I guess it is the pride. If these co-teachers were so good, they wouldn't need foreigners at the school.
But we are a necessary evil in their minds.
We are foreign, so we cannot be expected to pick up on all the cultural nuances, and fit into the group.
I guess these control freaks can just deal with Korean-Americans, but maybe they get a hard time too for not being Korean enough. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Chaparrastique wrote: |
| Weigookin74 wrote: |
| young_clinton wrote: |
Your co-teacher just doesn't like you and probably for no reason that has anything to do with teaching. Just make it all the way through to the end of the contract and see what happens. Maybe if you're lucky the co-teacher will either croak or be replaced, teacher replacement happens a lot in Korean public schools. In fact that may be what the core problem is altogether.
Everything you say sounds very similar to what I experienced without the co-teacher threats. It almost sounds like a typical public school. Keep in mind the co-teacher doesn't decide whether you stay or not, the principle does. They may very well dump your co-teacher. The best thing for you to do is make friends with the students. Be very friendly. Also try to be friendly with the rest of the school community and community where you live. Start learning Korean, it's a major plus in school relations. |
Yeah, she's a b!@tch and nothing you do will satiisfy her. I had one of these my first year. She actually gave me a burning negative review and tried to non renew me. But, it was pre recession Korea and you almost always got another contract from the ed office no matter what unless you molested a kid or something.
She just hated foriegners, hated other people, and hated life. A miserable co teacher canmake your life hell. Write down every instance of harassment and the date and time. If it continuess into the contract, go to the VP and even to the local ed office and compain about the teacher and her environment of intimidation. She wil probably try to non renew you with this attitude, so you just put a ding or two against her on the way out. At least if you can tarnish her credibility a bit and make her lose some face on the way out, it's a partial revence and might even make her not do it to someone else.
My b!@tch teacher did it to the other foreign teacher after switched schools the following year. But, with my advice, he quickly started giving her crap back and stood up to her. Then, second semester, she got another foreign teacher who she also clashed with. Some folks just have problems. Thankfuly, I haven't faced anyone like that since. In post recession Korea, I'd probably have to pack it in uness I were friends with the VP, Principal, or head teacher.
If you got to go down, go down in a blaze of glory. |
Its amazing how one person with psychological problems can ruin the workplace for dozens of people. Its also amazing how rampant these types are in Korea.
What is worse, is how management is either totally oblivious or doesn't care. I tried to discuss this with my VP, they would not meet with me and palmed me off onto someone else who also couldn't be bothered. |
Well, she was the first and that was the first year. I had to teach some camps at some other schools during vacations during the next couple of years. (My old rural area though slack in some ways never believe in just desk warming. Get sent out to muliple schools teaching 20 hours a week during vacations, but did get to leave at 12:30 and go home.) Anyways, those camps had a couple of problem teachers out of many who did not. They couldn't report on me though.
This said, I had a lot of other schools and teachers that were pretty chill. In my bigger city I've lived for a few years, the teachers are all older and married and seem less interested in playing games. Overall, most teachers I've had have been decent. It's just the odd power tripping phsyco that you get paired up with, though I'd still say they are rare.
That said, my trying to make nice didn't fix the situation. She was just determined to be a xenophobic aggressive b!@tch. So, you get someone like that, stand up to them, and plan to move on after your contract is up. But file a complaint to the POE. Even if you are non renewed, the teacher will still have a small black mark against them, especially if someone else complains about them.
Some work places back home had folks with "games" and "hidden agendas". Find a new place to work. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Weigookin74 wrote: |
Some work places back home had folks with "games" and "hidden agendas". |
I agree its a global problem. But these types of people are far more common than you think.
| Quote: |
| Find a new place to work |
Its not fair that dozens of conscientious workers are forced to re-arrange their lives while the troublemaker stays put.
Ideally directors of organisations and companies would become aware of the problem, take steps to eliminate these types of people.
Manipulators may be expert at creating the right impression wherever its needed to maintain their position but in reality they cost their company money in terms of high staff turnover and productivity. (its hard to work well when you're the target of under-the-radar passive-aggressive harassment from a co-worker). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Chaparrastique wrote: |
| Weigookin74 wrote: |
Some work places back home had folks with "games" and "hidden agendas". |
I agree its a global problem. But these types of people are far more common than you think.
| Quote: |
| Find a new place to work |
Its not fair that dozens of conscientious workers are forced to re-arrange their lives while the troublemaker stays put.
Ideally directors of organisations and companies would become aware of the problem, take steps to eliminate these types of people.
Manipulators may be expert at creating the right impression wherever its needed to maintain their position but in reality they cost their company money in terms of high staff turnover and productivity. (its hard to work well when you're the target of under-the-radar passive-aggressive harassment from a co-worker). |
Yeah, in some companies. In others, they let the problem worker or manager stay and don't care. Maybe eventually, it'll catch up with them but not before many have left. It sucks and it isn't fair. I worked for a couple of bad companies before coming to Korea, though others were fine enough. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ippy
Joined: 25 Aug 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
If i was in your position and having a coteacher constantly sniping but offering no input, by around the second time of asking i would tell her in no uncertain terms that it was a waste of both of our times and would no longer be consulting her for feedback. If the vice principal is the final arbiter on their quality i would begin to submit my plans directly first thing on a monday morning every week and completely bypass her until the VP starts wondering why the hell theyre getting all this paperwork.
I would ask her to either participate in the class or quietly do her work without interrupting it. I would also remind her that as 'an inexperienced teacher' (who relies too much on Korean in her class - add that in for good measure), she actually undermines the learning objectives of immersive English education. I would make a strong point that im not there to surrogate teach her classes as a Korean teacher would, but to offer the students a chance for immersion. Id remind her that she does not understand this, and thus her critique of lesson objectives is unwarranted and damaging. I would be driving home the point that her presence is disruptive in my lessons, her critiques are misguided and her competency as a support teacher is under question. I would then tell her that that her presence is only a legally mandated requirement and nothing else in order that she understand her presence is not required in my lesson. However if she doesnt turn up at class, i would go to the staff room whilst the class was in session and remind her in as sweet a way as possible about the legal mandate to have a fully qualified teacher in the class at all times in front of the Vice principal.
All the while, i would be smiling sweetly at the vice principal, keeping up happy relations with the rest of the teaching staff and chatting cheerfully with as many kids as i could grab. Basically id be cutting her out and creating an issue.
To do this youd have to have a lot of faith and confidence in your teaching ability and be able to back it up with regular lesson planning. You cant do this if youre slack. You dont sound slack. You sound committed and willing to teach responsibly. She is undermining your confidence by forcing you to jump throuigh all these stupid hoops for her approval. I would therefore strongly recommend you fight back a bit and have a little faith in your own abilities. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ippy wrote: |
To do this youd have to have a lot of faith and confidence in your teaching ability and be able to back it up with regular lesson planning. You cant do this if youre slack. You dont sound slack. You sound committed and willing to teach responsibly. She is undermining your confidence by forcing you to jump throuigh all these stupid hoops for her approval. I would therefore strongly recommend you fight back a bit and have a little faith in your own abilities. |
This is precisely why Korean bosses deliberately opt to hire only the least experienced unqualified youngest people.
Because they enjoy victimizing foreigners and they are intimidated by people with expertise.
It sounds nonsensical to anyone who has not been in korea or had a glimpse of the Korean mindset. But what they've done here is set up an English programme for show then deliberately sabotaged it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Chaparrastique wrote: |
| Korean bosses deliberately opt to hire only the least experienced unqualified youngest people. |
This is true. It seems unbelievable until it is personally experienced, but age discrimination here is very, very real. So many employers prefer applicants as close to 22 as possible (and in the case of the TALK program, even younger- 20). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jen_blue
Joined: 24 Oct 2011
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 4:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'm no where near 22, around 10 years off it, in fact. Whatever it is that makes the "perfect" NET, I haven't got it, nothing I do despite much effort is ever quite right....
I need to know what my options are, can anyone give me some clues?
Can I transfer to another school within the public school system? Or will I have to look at other providence / countries altogether / private schools or academies etc?
What about textbook writing? I've heard that every hogwan writes its own textbook and they often employ a copywriter to check the work, any reasonable recommendations on companies to apply too? What about adult / in-company jobs, say at Samsung etc?
Am I beholden to the reference these people give me?
Thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
