Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gollum]

Hi all Kindy Killers...

I've been teachin' some kindy a bit, and this school likes my teaching, but wants to transfer me to another branch that's only a few years old. Seems they're going to fire the one western teacher they have there.

I pushed them on the issue, and they claim he doesn't know he's going to be fired, and that he is a discipline problem -- doesn't put stuff away after he uses it, comes to work late, etc. Anyway, they are looking into letting me talk to a gal who used to teach before him.

The thing that I'm really wondering about is... how many students is too many? I would be the sole teacher of 12 students at a time during the mornings (one class for each age: 4,5,6). Twelve students sounds like a HECK of a lot for those ages. It was a lot when I taught elementary, at times!

How many kids do you teach in your kindy classes?

[Mr. Pink]

I had about 10-12 when I did kindy.

I taught 3 kindy classes with about that many students. Wasn't really a problem.

[waterbaby]

[Mr. Pink]

[Guest]

I'm curious if you are more concerned with the number of students per class versus the subversive activities that you suggest are going on within the schools' system ?

Do you think that they are large enough of issues that maybe that should be your focus for input and decision making so that you aren't on here in a month or two saying how you're getting screwed about how you were fired for not putting the crayons back on the bookshelf and that you were given no notice even though another employee had known you were being fired before you did ?

Everyone can moan and groan about my high and mightiness if you want, as usual, but reading between the lines I think that the issue is one that you focused on as opposed to the subject you noted ...

Just my thought

[Gollum]

[Gollum]

[Beeg]

DO NOT GO INTO A CLASS WITH 12 KINDY KIDS

I teach up to 7 or 8 and that can be really hard, especially when they start crying or when they pee themselves.

However the most important thing to remember is that small children need personal attention; when they do activities you need to watch they do not try to eat the glue or stab another student with a pen; when you actually get around to teaching them, which may be never with 12, they really need to be engaged on a very personal level, as they become distracted very easily.

If you feel that you are able to do this with 12 then fine, but I would warn you against it.

[SweetBear]

[ryleeys]

I fully admit that at this point, I'm not even remotely qualified to teach young children... right now I have a few classes with 4 students and even those can seem a major challenge to me. The classes I do the best with only have 2 students... 12 would just be too much for me to handle and 30 sounds like the 7th level of hell.

[kangnamdragon]

You think teachers in North America only have 12 in a K class? come on....some have up to 30 or 35. 12 should not be a problem....

[ryleeys]

I couldn't cut it in North America... not teaching young kids... I had no problem back home teaching large high school classes, but young kids are just too much for me.

[Ilsanman]

Remember, this is an ESL classroom. Much more difficult to control kids.

[Derrek]

Funny... I always saw 2 teachers in my classroom when I was in Kindergarten. My friend, who teaches in Nebraska, also co-teaches with another.

They have maybe 20 kids.

[anae]

When I taught kindy in Korea, I had 10-12 students on average with all of my classes (3, 4, and 5 year-olds). In my opinion, this is an optimal number.

Now I teach in public schools in Calgary and the numbers in kindergarten can be anywhere from 15-29 kids in a class.

Somedays I sure miss Korea.