Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Insidejohnmalkovich]

At my school, which is a private English school, another foreign teacher and I each have over seven years experience teaching in Korea. Both of us are highly respected by our owner, the administration and the mothers of our students. We obviously have many solutions and suggestions for a myriad of situations and problems.

And yet the other (several) foreign teachers resent any suggestions, ideas or advice, no matter how indirectly or nicely offered. They always perceive knowledge as arrogance, experience as irrelevance and help as interference.

But of course, they are always complaining about their problems in the classroom, with the curriculum, with discipline, with activities or with pedagogy. They huddle in their cliques of inexperienced ignorance and feed off each other�s foolishness. Meanwhile casting sidelong glances of malice our way.

This is not to say that they do not have their own talents and ideas, but when they are clearly floundering in a certain situation, they will accept any idea except one from myself or the other teacher.

For example, the school has begun using a new conversation-and-writing curriculum with some classes. It is too rushed and seems to have too much writing in class. I suggested in the teachers' meeting that teachers talk out most of the writing exercises in class and then assign the actual writing as homework; furthermore I suggested slowing the pace from two chapters a month to one chapter a month, so that the homework is not excessive and so that the children actually digest and master the concepts in each new chapter. There could be other ideas, but instead of suggesting other things, everyone just complains afterwards about how I tried to highjack the meeting.

<slaps forehead> I guess in the future I could just opt out of meetings after hours. "Why are you able to skip meetings?" "Oh, was there something you needed me to say?"

There. I have let off some steam.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Smells that way.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[Big Mac]

Maybe you're just coming off as arrogant and a know-it-all. That would annoy me too, no matter how much experience a person had.

Sometimes people just need to make their own mistakes instead of having someone tell them how it should be. That's what makes experience so valuable.

[Biblethumper]

I suspect the conflict is not rooted in the advice. If someone we respect gives us advice, we might not accept it, but we appreciate their concern and wisdom.

I suspect a combination of these three factors which would make most other foreign teachers hostile to you.

1. You are a godly man amidst the ungodly.

2. You are a conscientious worker among the irresponsible.

3. You are quite a bit older than them.

Just watch out that they do not find an excuse to turn the administration against you.

[TheChickenLover]

[ChinaBoy]

[Mr. Pink]

[Scotticus]

[VanIslander]

I only have worked at one-waygook hagwons and probably always will thanks to *beep* I keep hearing about some other foreigners.

Having a foreign coworker is like having a roommate: great if a good fit, hell if otherwise.

Better to make foreign friends with those at OTHER hagwons and ps schools...

[Leslie Cheswyck]

We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain.

� William R. Alger





Undertake not to Teach your equal in the art himself Professes; it Savours of arrogance.

- George Washington


Go not thither, where you know not, whether you Shall be Welcome or not. Give not Advice without being Asked & when desired do it briefly.

- George Washington

Edit: Because I like the word thither.

[Easter Clark]

Times when it's acceptable to "give advice":

If someone wants to have a discussion with you specifically about how to approach a particular class

If another teacher comes to you specifically and asks how you would handle a particular problem

If several people are having a discussion over a grammar point, can't reach a consensus, then turn to you specifically and ask "What do you think?"

In other words, it's never acceptable to give advice on teaching.

[Hanson]

[yingwenlaoshi]

[Leslie Cheswyck]