Korean Job Discussion Forums

[joebj1178514]

Hi all,

I'm slated to start a high school teaching position in Gangwon Province in a few weeks. I was just wondering if some of the members here can enlighten me on some of their experiences teaching high school. Any stories, pros/cons, anything relevant.

Thanks.

[Snowkr]

Doing it right now.
Will post more after I finish this 2nd period class!

Korean high schoolers are a hoot...

Just finished up my morning class for the day. I have three more this afternoon that I expect to be pretty good.

Teaching in this high school for me has been fun but very frustrating as well.

1. My classes are called "conversation classes" and there is no assessment whatsoever. The students don't take them seriously, and why should they?

2. Classes are over 40 students each and in many of them, only 4 of 5 will actually bring a pencil or something to write with.

on the flip side...

High school students can be a riot. Still young enough to make an impression on, but old enough to have enlightening conversations with... if you can get them to talk.

Co-teaching is a lot of fun for me. I love having the Korean teachers in the classroom with me.

I have complete freedom to create just about any kind of lesson I wish. The trick is, of course, as always... to make it fun.

I have a lot more patience for these high school students than for some of the lazy Korean university students I taught last year in the U.S.

[JiH]

Welcome to the world of teaching Korean High School Kids...

The biggest thing to remember is that first impressions are very important. What you want to accomplish, expectations, etc need to be laid out in the beginning and enforced right away. You are awarded a kind of "grace period" of being a rock star initially.

You need to establish the agenda, rules, and lessons with your co-teachers and administration. Some schools take English Conversation seriously and have a genuine interest. Other schools just treat it as a "fill in the block" kind of requirement imposed by the education board.

If possible, I'd push to have your class have some kind of relevance. Whether it's for a grade or some of the material is on their English exam, etc. Otherwise, the class is just there.

And just like any student, when there's no incentive to learn outside of your own interest, you'll lose a large portion of the class once the novelty wears off. Having viewed many high schools, the ones that have the best English programs are the ones where there is some kind of incentive or relevant correlation between the "native teacher class" and the rest of their education.

Also it's a good idea to try to establish a repertoire with the students outside of the classroom, be it in the hallways or during lunch. High school students are a lot more sociable and open when not in the classroom environment. This also extends to the teachers.

Good luck!

[joebj1178514]

Thanks for adding guys. Please keep em coming, anyone.