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MalFSU1
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
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 Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:41 pm Post subject: HELP!Wild 2nd Graders |
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I must teach a class of second graders at a country school once a week with no co-teacher(kinda seems like a violation of my EPIK contract, but anyways...). They are a real handful. I have asked their teacher to stay in the room, but she always seems to find an excuse to leave after a few minutes.
I taught 2nd graders last year and they were such angels and I had no problem getting them to stay on task and participate in activities. This year...no such luck. I also have no textbook provided so I'm at a loss. Which is better to teach young students who have serious problems paying attention 1.) phonics 2.) common vocabulary such as family, body parts, colors, numbers 3.) a combination of both Any advice would be appreciated greatly  thanks |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 12:03 am Post subject: |
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Explain to the school that you must have a co-teacher in the room at all times. It's Korean law, and you need this for your sanity. Don't teach without your co-teacher present.
Once your co-teacher realises you won't teach without them in the room - your classes will be much smoother. Be firm.
Good luck. |
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MalFSU1
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:35 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the reply...I probably should have mentioned that there is no co-teacher at all at this school to assist me. The girl who is "responsible" for my being at this school is a 6th grade homeroom teacher. During the day I am the only English teacher. Maybe I should take this up with EPIK provincial office. Sounds maybe like I'm in an illegal situation. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:54 am Post subject: |
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Find a broomstick, saw off about two feet, then........
walk around with it. Maybe it'll help as some Korean teachers apparently swear by this method. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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| MalFSU1 wrote: |
| Thanks for the reply...I probably should have mentioned that there is no co-teacher at all at this school to assist me. The girl who is "responsible" for my being at this school is a 6th grade homeroom teacher. During the day I am the only English teacher. Maybe I should take this up with EPIK provincial office. Sounds maybe like I'm in an illegal situation. |
You need to contact your EPIK office immediately. This situation is not only illegal - but you're being set up to fail.
(1) EPIK Jobs are co-teaching situations.
(2) There must be a licenced Korean teacher in your class at all times.
(3) If not, you will spend your entire year on classroom management - not teaching.
This is how you explain it to the POE. If no luck, contact EPIK in Seoul directly.
PS: Advice on beating young children with a broomstick (WTF). I guess you can figure out the motive for that poster's advice. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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| oldfatfarang wrote: |
PS: Advice on beating young children with a broomstick (WTF). I guess you can figure out the motive for that poster's advice. |
I hope you're not an English teacher as you apparently don't read very well. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| caniff wrote: |
Find a broomstick, saw off about two feet, then........
walk around with it. Maybe it'll help as some Korean teachers apparently swear by this method. |
Sorry if I mis-read your post. To me, anyone who walks around a school with a weapon (a cut off broomstick), is threatening to beat children, and their warped sense of values (and insecurities) will eventually see them beating children.
I taught in a school in Seoul, where teachers walked the corridors with truncheons. (If they were doing this in my country, they'd have been arrested for carrying an offensive weapon.) And these 'teachers' didn't just threaten to use these truncheons - I've seen them spread eagle kids against a corridor wall and beat the crap out of them.
So, sorry if I misunderstood the intention of your post. I realise that you actually meant to show that carrying a cut off broomstick in a school is an act of love - the Korean way.
And yes, I teach Englisheee in Korea. In over 4 years I've never had to even raise my voice to a Korean student - so I sure don't understand people who beat them (well - I guess I do, and that was the point of my reply to your post). |
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ChilgokBlackHole
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| oldfatfarang wrote: |
| And yes, I teach Englisheee in Korea. In over 4 years I've never had to even raise my voice to a Korean student - so I sure don't understand people who beat them (well - I guess I do, and that was the point of my reply to your post). |
You just lost your credibility with that last paragraph. I don't think anyone believes that. |
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yfb
Joined: 29 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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| I sure would like to see this law that says a Korean teacher must be in the classroom at all times while teaching. Despite all the rumors flying around on Dave's, I haven't seen any concrete evidence for this rule. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| ChilgokBlackHole wrote: |
| oldfatfarang wrote: |
| And yes, I teach Englisheee in Korea. In over 4 years I've never had to even raise my voice to a Korean student - so I sure don't understand people who beat them (well - I guess I do, and that was the point of my reply to your post). |
You just lost your credibility with that last paragraph. I don't think anyone believes that. |
I really don't want to hi jack this thread to a troll - but, perhaps the op might benefit from a bit of sober mature reflection.
Here goes, when teaching in Korea, I have never, repeat, never raised my voice to a student. I have not punished any students either. Perhaps if you find yourself doing these things, you could look at your teaching practice. Myself, I prefer the kind grandfather teaching style - to the cowardly bully teaching style.
However, I will admit that I team teach with Korean teachers, and I've seen them do some terrible things to my students. I was not re-signed at my first PS job because I refused to associate with 2 'teachers' because of the way they treated our students. I actually had to stop teaching with one teacher for a week, because his violence was simply out of control.
Our discussion is over. I hope some of this helps the op. |
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Triban
Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Location: Suwon Station
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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| oldfatfarang wrote: |
| ChilgokBlackHole wrote: |
| oldfatfarang wrote: |
| And yes, I teach Englisheee in Korea. In over 4 years I've never had to even raise my voice to a Korean student - so I sure don't understand people who beat them (well - I guess I do, and that was the point of my reply to your post). |
You just lost your credibility with that last paragraph. I don't think anyone believes that. |
I really don't want to hi jack this thread to a troll - but, perhaps the op might benefit from a bit of sober mature reflection.
Here goes, when teaching in Korea, I have never, repeat, never raised my voice to a student. I have not punished any students either. Perhaps if you find yourself doing these things, you could look at your teaching practice. Myself, I prefer the kind grandfather teaching style - to the cowardly bully teaching style.
However, I will admit that I team teach with Korean teachers, and I've seen them do some terrible things to my students. I was not re-signed at my first PS job because I refused to associate with 2 'teachers' because of the way they treated our students. I actually had to stop teaching with one teacher for a week, because his violence was simply out of control.
Our discussion is over. I hope some of this helps the op. |
Without threats of discipline the students will walk all over you; you might not have had to raise YOUR voice, but I assure you your co-teachers have punished the children behind closed doors...stop acting holier than thou. Children will behave like children until they see repercussions for their actions, I tried to cool teacher role and it doesn't always work.
A hitman and the person who hires him share the same guilt.
Furthermore, when I was growing up in school we got taken out and were spanked, beaten with wooden paddles, did push ups, held heavy objects over our heads until the teacher got tired, etc.
This "OMG you're abusing the child" crap is getting so freaking old; it taught us that there are consequences for our actions and to respect and follow the rules, a good life lesson and the lax disciplinary policy in schools now is what is wrong with children today. |
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MalFSU1
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm taking this issue up with my EPIK office. So no more bantering back and forth about the merits of intimidation of the students is needed... unless you want to start your own thread. |
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thoreau
Joined: 21 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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Part of the problem with discipline in the classroom is unclear instructions of the task. If the students don't know what is going on they tend to wander - first mentally and then physically.
I'd imagine that with 2nd graders this is even more of a problem. Without a co-teacher it is next to impossible in that situation because you can't communicate to the students even the most basic instructions.
I would try to do some artistic stuff - drawing basic animals and such. Maybe some shapes, some numbers, etc.
Put up a photo, PowerPoint slide, or your own drawing and start to copy it. Then give the students some art supplies and say 'picture' or 'draw.'
Hopefully they'll get engaged in the drawing that you can walk around and reinforce the given vocabulary word.
If they get antsy have them stand up and play some active game - hokey pokey or duck duck goose.
You're in a losing situation so don't try to do too much. They're 2nd graders and you are without a KT - survival is success. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| oldfatfarang wrote: |
| MalFSU1 wrote: |
| Thanks for the reply...I probably should have mentioned that there is no co-teacher at all at this school to assist me. The girl who is "responsible" for my being at this school is a 6th grade homeroom teacher. During the day I am the only English teacher. Maybe I should take this up with EPIK provincial office. Sounds maybe like I'm in an illegal situation. |
You need to contact your EPIK office immediately. This situation is not only illegal - but you're being set up to fail.
(1) EPIK Jobs are co-teaching situations.
(2) There must be a licenced Korean teacher in your class at all times.
(
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No. The new EPIK contract states that foreign teachers can be asked to "lead the class[es]" ( read teach alone).
And when I worked for GEPIK in a country school and asked Bain about teaching alone she said that "we give rural schools more leeway" |
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ChilgokBlackHole
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| thoreau wrote: |
| If they get antsy have them stand up and play some active game - hokey pokey or duck duck goose. |
In Grade 2, these kids are 9. In my hakwon they'd be learning Phonics. You're playing duck-duck-goose? |
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