Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fromtheuk]

My co-teacher will take a 2 week break starting from Thursday.

She is pregnant and feels awful. If she doesn't feel much better after 2 weeks, she will consider what to do next e.g. carry on working until the latter stages of pregnancy or take a year off work, unpaid.

So, I will be teaching alone from this Thursday, for 2 weeks. There will be another teacher with me in the room for every class, during this 2 week period.

I currently feel mildly happy about this, because I can relax more, without having to consider what my co-teacher thinks, because it will be just me doing everything myself.

I preferred summer camp at my school this year, because I felt more relaxed teaching on my own. During the next 2 weeks I'll always have another Korean teacher in class with me for regular class, which is a legal requirement and it should help me with discipline issues to have another Korean teacher present.

I also intend to take more control myself in the discipline department. If any child persistently plays up, I will get them to stand in the corner as and when it is required, sooner rather than later.

Lastly, I read a post today about a native teacher in a hogwan accused of inappropriate conduct. Some advice I have........I am never alone with any student.

I am only with students during class. I have personally sometimes felt concerned about issues of inappropriate conduct related to times when you are physically close to students.

For example, if we test their reading, if the students get to close to me, I ask them to stand back, gesturing with my hand to retain a healthy distance between us. If a group of students stand at the front of class and I am standing behind them, I blatantly hold both of my hands behind my back and keep as far away from them as I can.

I saw a native teacher at a summer English festival this year with a group of students, they were all holding his hand, and they all looked genuinely happy. At the time, it looked innocent, but even then I felt that teacher was irresponsible for doing so. Why?

Well, for me it gives anybody an opportunity to make an accusation against you. If in broad daylight, you are seen touching students, albeit innocently, it wouldn't be too hard to consider an allegation which suggested that was done while a particular student was alone with that teacher.

I personally don't like to give anybody any chance whatsoever of making accusations against me. And I find, that distancing myself from students at all times, gives me peace of mind, because I know it is much more difficult for anybody to make an allegation against me, particularly when I am never with students outside of class anyway.

I was told when I started this job I mustn't touch the students, meaning I mustn't hit them. I have deliberately taken this instruction literally and I have applied it very comprehensively.

The recent Neil scandal has made me even more aware of the importance of not getting into any situation which may appear to be suspicious.

During lunch, I eat my own packed lunch in my office, if I see students I greet them and act the silly clown that I am, but I never put my arm around any student, pat them on the back/head/anywhere else. I basically adopt an approach of zero touching.

I try my utmost to ensure if I am walking inside the school, where any possibility may occur of me even inadvertently coming into physical contact with students, I try my best to avoid it. It's like I'm trying to avoid catching a contagious disease, which can only be transmitted through touch.

I suppose my approach is overly-cautious, but I'd rather be like that, to avoid being considered the next potential pedo-scumbag.

Much of this advice is common sense anyway.

I also told my school today I intend to marry in Dec/Jan. My co-teacher congratulated me and she will attend the wedding ceremony. I'll get an extra 7 working days vacation for getting married!

[Pak Yu Man]

If you like teaching alone, ask your coteachers to take off once and while.

I worked a couple of years at a high schol and never had a coteacher. I told them I wanted to teach alone. They loved it. They enjoy free time as much as you do.

I know it's the law and all, but it's not like Koreans follow any laws that well.

[nomad-ish]

[fromtheuk]

If I were like tompatz I could copy and paste the relevant part of my contract, but for Gyeonggi Public School contracts, you get 7 days vacation for getting married, I think it is 7 working days, or it may be calendar days.

Either way, it's 7 days, paid!

Thankfully, I'm not suspected of anything anyway, but getting married would look much better for me, I agree.

[ttompatz]

[Boodleheimer]

i think it's also 5 for the death of a child, 7 for the death of a parent.

who's gotten married twice then?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

If you've been teaching for a while and can't handle it alone I sense major problems. Today my grade 1 MS co-teacher informed me five minutes before the first lesson that she couldn't make it to classes today. No problem. If I were working at a school where I thought I couldn't teach without another teacher to help me out I'd either find another school or consider another line of work. With low-level beginners a good co-teacher can really help, but shouldn't be that big an issue.

[fromtheuk]

Well I've been here now for over 5 months.

If you read a recent post of mine, you'll see the reason why I insist on another teacher sitting in with me during class, it is because a GEPIK official recently told me it is illegal to teach on your own, without a Korean teacher present, because native teachers are not licensed to teach in Korea alone, which means technically I may be breaking the law, which is not something I want.

As regards handling it, I have taught alone before during summer camp and with a homeroom teacher present at other times.

I always get vibes from my Korean teacher she is not eager to discipline the students, out of respect for her, I take a back seat when it comes to discipline.

But now that I will be in control of the class I plan to tell students to stand in the corner of the room, whenever I feel it is appropriate, instead of not doing anything, because I sense disapproval from my co-teacher. In fairness, my co-teacher has stated she wouldn't mind if I participated more in disciplining the students.

I also previously refrained from discipline issues because I was told at the start of my job the Korean teacher would deal with that.

I've re-read my post and feel a bit surprised how Yu_Bum_Suk got the impression I couldn't 'handle it alone'. My post was about how good I feel that I can be in charge of class instead of feeling frustrated about the demands that working with a co-teacher can put on an individual.

I am not a blow-my-own-trumpet kind of person, but today my co-teacher told me she had no concerns about my ability to teach alone, because she said I was excellent or perfect.

I can't remember exactly what she said, but I remember the feeling of shock when she uttered such glowing praise, which I wasn't even looking for.

I also feel after 5 months, it is generally useful to have a co-teacher with me when I teach, but the point I was making is I can't help but feel a bit uptight when I am with somebody who may/may not be monitoring my every teaching-move. I am sure paranoia plays its part here.

I also feel a co-teacher in many ways are important to native teachers. The attitude which says 'I am not in need of anybody' is a little pompous. My co-teacher translates things to students which are often crucial to various activities working smoothly.

I also think it is nice to be able to share ideas/techniques with others.

If in theory it was legal for us to teach without any other Korean teacher in the same room, I could keep everything under control and deliver a good lesson. But I don't see myself as a bona fide teacher, simply a graduate, teaching English.

Our job title is assistant native teacher, so we are not obliged to go it alone anyway, nowhere in the job does it state you are expected to take sole responsibility for everything. It's meant to be team-teaching, at least that's how I understand it.

It's just so nice to be able to feel like I can relax a bit more than normal, at least I hope so!

[stevemcgarrett]

Not to belittle your concerns, but just what is this need so many EFL teachers in Korea have for assistance?

I mean, in China, this is seldom offered and, frankly, one's ability to command both the respect and attention of your students is probably increased as a result.

Now if it's required by law, well, that's a big problem.

I think having the foreign teacher take the lead in all aspects of class management is far more beneficial and my 25 years in teaching and providing teacher training only reconfirms that much for me.

Good luck.

[nomad-ish]

[peppermint]

I taught solo, no co-teacher, rarely a homeroom teacher for the first 8 months or so of my two year stint at an elementary school, and then again, for a month towards the end of my last contract, and it was like night and day

The first few months, I was trying to work from a Korean teachers manual (pre GEPIK, no translations) so I kind of made it up as I went, and the kids were interested enough to listen most of the time. Rough on me, and them but we managed

Towards the end of the second contract, I know I was a better teacher, I'd developed a mountain of material and could teach the lessons in my sleep, but it was much harder to control the kids, as they'd gotten used to having my twit of a co teacher (who spoke less English than half the students, when she arrived) translate everything for them, and stopped making any effort.

My advice to the OP, discipline is about consistency. They'll only get confused and angry if you're much stricter than your co worker. If you really feel it's necessary, than try to be proportionally more generous with praise and/ small rewards for the kids who behave to balance things.

[JustJohn]

Not sure about your situation, but in my school I'm only an assistant teacher which means it's required by law to have a Korean teacher present at all times.

[ehsann24]

yeah right, Koreans are always breaking the law and contracts. I have been teaching alone for the past one year. nobody at my public school even speaks English and I do not have a co-teacher.

[fromtheuk]

Thanks for your thoughts everybody.

Another important thing to consider is, if it is truely illegal for a native teacher to teach without the presence of a licensed Korean teacher in the room, if Minsu or Mina were to fall off their chair, crack their head open and die (I hope this never happens) what position would you be in, legally?

I quite like ESL in Korea, but I don't want to end up in a cell next door to a convicted Chris Neil, or even worse, share the same cell, and all because I felt shy about asking for a licensed teacher to share the classroom with me, as required by law.

Today, my co-teacher asked quite a few students to stand in the corner, I think she, like me, is getting a bit tired of their awful behaviour.

[MarionG]

In the US accusations of impropriety with children are so rampant (although it seems to be calming down a bit, after peaking 5 to 10 years ago) that men (it's seldom women who are accused) are often hesitant to even grab the hand of a clearly lost toddler and take them by that hand to a security officer in a Mall, or similar situation, for fear that they will be accused of some wrong doing.

Fortunately, things have not come to that pass here. Any man or woman who is teaching small children is going to have children wanting to hold his or her hand, sit on teacher's lap, cuddle up against one, etc. I think it's a disservice to those small children to be so fearful of misinterpretation that you push them away.