Korean Job Discussion Forums

wormholes101 · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

It seems most people grumble about their kindy classes. Lack of control, frustration with students progress etc...

Does anybody PREFER teaching kindy? Would you apply for a job specifically because it had kindy classes rather than adults or middle/high school?

Please tell...

The evil penguin · Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2003 4:16 pm Post subject:

No. Unless I was allowed to carry a can of pepper spray and a big stick.

Skywalker26 · Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Location: Up the Kyber Pass

Oh hell yeah!

I love my Kindy kids. Sure they can be a handful sometimes, but it sure beats the pants of teaching Middle School/High School kids that give you attitude everytime you ask them to exert a bit of effort into their studies.

I taught Junior and Senior High kids back in Australia, and totally prefer teaching these Kindy kids. We have so much fun.........and I always get kick-ass gifts from grateful parents.

But hey...........that's just what I think.

p.s. I don't have to clean the kids up after they've had a little 'accident' or hand assist them in anyway. I just get to play with them, teach them a little English, make them happy and then send them home. Couldn't ask for more really.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

I almost went full time kindy about 3-4 years ago. Not sure how that would have worked out, but at the time I loved it. Also full time kindy meant I worked like 8am-2pm. Those are definately NICE hours to work.

I think now as I am getting older, I prefer to have a job with tons of holidays so I can do other things besides be a slave for cash.

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

except for having to get up early in the morning, kindies were my absolute favorite class of the day.
they're cute, enthusiastic, and they can soak up some english. even the dumb ones will give it their best.
sometimes they will misbehave, but i find that when they do, it's usually more a reflection of me not doing my job properly rather than them intentionally being bad. they all want to please the teacher. they don't give me the finger or talk about anton ohno or anything like that. they sing, color, count, run around, whatever.
kindies f**kin' rock.
and some of their mothers are sooooo hot.
my ideal job (limited to teaching english in korea) would be teaching kindies in the early afternoon, followed immediately by teaching female university students.

wormholes101 · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

to mr pink and endoftheworld:

by reading your posts, it seems that you no longer work at kindy. would you consider going back to one? what would it take to go back?

mr pink... you mentioned 8-2 hours!? was that in korea or somewhere else? esl setting?

anyone else like kindy??

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

I like kindy.

anae · Joined: 13 May 2003 Location: cowtown

I love it. I couldn't imagine life without a kindergartener's joy of life and learning. Though I think I loved it more in Korea - ten kids to a class, no individual program plans, no teacher growth plans, no meeting with occupational therapists, very few parent-teacher meetings, no union dues....

Paji eh Wong · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

I liked it too. And I'm a guy. Everyone at my school like kindy better than elementary. It was better organized and the expectations were more resonable. It can work, just lower your expectations. With 5 year olds, your going to be teaching basic social interaction as much as anything.

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

wormholes101 · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

I'm considering going back to doing kindy classes. I used to do them about 2 years ago. Do you guys have any practical tips? If you could structure you answers rather than a stream of consciousness style, that'd be great. What do you think is the most important thing? Do you ever speak Korean with them? Are you the sole teacher?

I like teaching younger kids; have been working with grades 3-6 for quite a while now... i think i do quite a decent job. But kindy kids really are a different kettle of fish!

William Beckerson · Guest

It's a hell of a lot better than elementary. And you dont have to put up with the deep pickiness of an adult student.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

My kindy kids are like a big family. They run over to greet me in the morning with their boundless joy: they give me candies, they go wild for the games, they're so easy to please.
They react to my commands like the red army. they don't leave their seat without my say-so; they fight for the right to answer my questions. We all enjoy class!

sayangamber · Joined: 20 Sep 2003 Location: Bundang

I love teaching kindy. I think the kids are much more interested in learning English and thus their ability to soak up a second language is greater.

First, however, you must decide if you enjoy children of that age. Some people just don't. If you're one of those people don't do it.

Second, remember, you are teaching them more than just English. We teach Science, Social Studies, Art, etc. in the course of teaching English.

Third, I would respectfully disagree that kindy kids respond like a Red Army. While they are much more pliable and eager to please the teacher they have their own issues. If a kid bursts into tears during class because one of the others is faster at a game are you going to be able to handle it?

I have a great Korean co-teacher. Neither one of us speaks Korean during class and we don't allow the kids to either. (When we go on field trips and someone speaks to them in Korean some of them will look to a teacher first to make sure it is okay to respond in Korean). In their case, it has made for a group of kids that are pretty well fluent in English. With most of my students, I would say that they could be enrolled in an American/Canadian school and be able to adapt pretty well without a tremendous amount of the language barrier.

We have a program that we are supposed to use but we pull material from many different sources. This keeps the kids interested and allows them to learn about many different things.

I have to say that while many of the kindy moms are the most demanding out of all my students, they are also the most grateful. Often we are given gifts. In addition, the director of my hagwon treats the kindy teachers a little better (like taking us out for a nice dinner and ordering a bottle of wine).

Of course, I think it all evens out because the kindy teachers also have the most teaching hours in the school! Suffice it to say... if I could teach full-time kindy I would do it in a heartbeat. The kids are sweet for the most part, they soak up English amazingly well, and they are happy to be at school with their friends!

SayangAmber