Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Summer Wine]

I was asked to do a winter camp by my co-teacher. She asked me to do a plan for it and present it to her. I did as I was asked and she made changes to it as she wanted.

She then presented a winter plan back to me different than what I thought I could do with what I had. When I asked her about the camp and whether she was helping, she notified me that she wasn't as I would get money for it. I believed this wasn't probably true as I never did for the summer camp.

She wasn't working here then so her ignorance is understandable. She led me to believe that there was a budget allocated for the winter camp. This led me to believe that the winter plan she proposed would be covered by the school.

When ever I tried to discuss this winter camp with her, she would say that its my camp to do and she has nothing to do with it. (except deciding what I will do at it).

This is where my rant begins, I came in this week as next week is the winter camp and it needs preparation such as working out a budget for the buying of items, organising how many students are attending, etc.

I discover that she wont be at school until next week, so I queried another teacher as to how is this winter camp going to be funded as its going to take a bit of money to do everything that she wants me to do for it.

I was notified that she told the other teachers that I was buying all the stuff with my own money. I explained to the other teacher that if they expected me to do a winter camp which is nothing more than baby sitting for my school and if they expected me to then fund my co-teachers winter plan out of my own money then they better think again. Winter camp wont be happening if I am supposed to pay for it.

My problem is that the school and my co-teacher dont discuss with me what the aim of the winter camp is, how are we supposed to budget it and how are we to aquire all the materials? Yet they just suppose that I would be willing to spend my own money for a camp that doesn't need to actually be done as my students dont need to come to school (well 3 do) but is being done because Gepik says schools need to do winter camps and because they are doing a make work situation for the foriegn teacher.

I wonder when the education system will actually discuss important issues with me rather than just setting me up to fail, or at the very least consider me when they make these decesions?

If I was in my country I would believe that I was being intentionally undermined so as to look bad. Here in Korea I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that they are just ignorant about good working relationships. Though I wonder how much longer I can consider the system to be stupid?

[Summer Wine]

(post edit)

I have not yet discussed what needs to be done for winter camp with her, but have now been notified that she will purchase the items. I hope she has a school budget as the costs for her plan will run into the 200,000-300,000 won range.

Though I would also appreciate if she would make the time to contact me and discuss this camp. I feel that I am going to arrive next week to find her expecting me to know what she has and how I am supposed to use it with no information about what she is buying and how I am supposed to teach what she has.

I know its a rant, I know if I don't like it then leave, but after a while Korea becomes a home for some of us and we want to have some input into our schools decesions.

For those who are currently teacher trainers or advisers to the Education board, please advise them that a little bit of discussion or pre consideration of issues with the NET will be helpful to both.

If they ask me to meet them outside school hrs to discuss my classes and plans for the future I can make that arrangement so long as it is in both our benefits. Teachers here can do extra if it is useful, we are not all here as people who cant be employed anywhere else. Many of us long termers actually care about the country and want to be considered as more than a waste of space.

[Triban]

You get a budget?!?!?! OMG. I get jack.

[waynehead]

Here is my expectation for camps: no one will come and I'll have no support. So I plan things that are fun and alter-able based on the number of students present, from 2 or 3 to a couple of dozen, which require minimal prep and/or using stuff I can make in the room. It's worked pretty well.

[Summer Wine]

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Make sure you have your amazing lesson plan with the budget required printed out and neatly at your desk.

Now, print out a bunch of workbooks (make you own or download them). Make a bunch of copies. If you don't get the budget that was allocated to the camp, the kids will be doing workbooks and games that require no money.

"Why didn't you do what was planned?"

"Because I didn't get the budget or support that was required."

[southernman]

Yeah I had a budget as well, But as everything I needed was just photocopied from Previous books I've made up. We didn't need to pay for anything.

So one of my co-teachers just went out and bought 240 000 Won worth of candy and chocolate pies etc. I forked out for a meal last day of each camp. Macdonalds, kids choice, so I spent about 40-50 K both weeks.

Your situation sucks and I wasn't overly impressed with mine really. All I asked for was that all my work got photocopied into a book so that the kids could take it home to show heir moms how much they had done and how well they had done. Ended up making a ring binder thing that was functual but hardly professional.

[jrwhite82]

Another case of a communication problem with a coteacher. I love how she said you were going to pay for winter camp out of your own pocket! Classic!

Here is what I would do. If she doesn't call you back or email you then prepare for the wrost and hope for the best.

Try to follow her lesson plans that she made you do. Stick to them as closely as possible. Make a bunch of extra worksheets, activities, etc. (things that are free) for the kids to do. That way if you show up on Monday and she has nothing, you are covered. If you show up and she is ready to go, then you are ready too.

Remember that the important thing here is providing these children with a worthwhile winter camp. So make that your priority until you can work things out with your coteacher.

We NEVER have to pay for the kids materials unless you want to. Sure it is nice to treat them, but that is a personal choice.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Indeed. I love treating my kids to snacks and tea. This year, my school bought a bunch of cookies and choco pies, as well as hot cocoa packets. We ran through these in about a week and a half, though, so for the rest of the time I bought chips, green tea, and other snacky things for them. I always had a prize for the winner of the "champion" game at the end of the day. Today's was ramen bokki.

In the summer, I had the same 3 or 4 kids every day, so used to take them out for snacks at a shop across the street from the school. Ddeok bokki, noodles, chicken sticks, etc. It was fun, and they had to ask for what they wanted in polite English. It was a fun bonding experience and these are the same kids who visit me during lunch to chat.

Huzzah! I've only got a few hours until 3 glorious weeks off!

[Summer Wine]

The winter plan is pretty basic but will cost some money and time to prepare for.

Its make sandwich morning with all the ingredients, e.g. tuna, salad, peanut butter, cheese, ham etc. and letting them choose what they want to make from it.

Teaching the words, drawing pictures etc and then making the sandwichs.

Buying all the ingredients is not going to be cheap and we have to do it for all the classes. Thats the biggest cost.

The afternoon is teaching scrabble and monopoly board games. We dont actually have the games, so I will need to go into Seoul to try and find a shop that may sell them.

(any idea of a shop that would sell them?, its too soon to order in from overseas)

The idea is a fun time for them, but its going to take more time than simply turn up on the day. Our school is approx 30 mins out in the country from the nearest city or town, (we are really rural, like as rural a school as you can find anywhere) so I cant just run out the door.

The paperwork, exercises I am trying to sort out this week, but the food and the games are the central part of the lesson and so I need to make sure its confirmed before the actual day.

[oldfatfarang]

OP. Please, please, please don't pay for any materials/meals etc for your camp. This just encourages Korean schools/admins. to push their expenses onto NET's.

Bottom line. Winter camp is considered baby sitting (by students, parents, and Koreans PS's). The kids are tired, their mums want them off their hands during the day. The school want's them 'studying'. The POE wan't to extract as much Englisheee out of the NET before they fly away to sunnier climes.

Read this again - and think about your 'camp'. Once I learned this lesson, my camps have become much less stressful for me (and the kids). I have a bunch of lessons (with handouts) that can be used/swapped around on a daily basis. I use plenty of art, free talking - and music videos to fill in time around the lessons.

It's not a perfect yo-fun bells-and-whistles camp - but it keeps everyone reasonably happy (and baby sat).

Hint; Every activity H/O should be kept and made into a Camp Diary. The kids get to show their diaries to mum (and your co-teacher) and then everyone's really happy because they have a record of how hard they studied in camp (got it?).

Cost = nil (unless we do cooking and then the kids only have to bring 1 ingredient each). Minimal cost and we use re-cycled paper and the school's colored markers/crayons glue etc.
Good luck.

[jrwhite82]

[southernman]

[nathanrutledge]

A note on the budget - I wanted to laminate things this year. I was told we had the machine, but i had to pay out of my pocket for the lamination sheets. I wanted construction paper to make some colorful posters to hang on the walls; I would have to pay for it.

Then, the end of the semester, I was given a 10k Happy Money - it was what was left over from the English budget we supposedly didn't have. All the teachers got a gift card (and there are 7 of us!).

I agree with OFF, don't spend a single won of your own money. It just sets the expectation that it is acceptable, when it is completely not.

[jrwhite82]

I'm pretty sure that if your school is planning to hold camps than you have a winter camp budget. Whether or not you are allowed to use your discretion with how it is spent is up to your administrators. I wouldn't be surprised if they were using some "creative bookeeping" and that money was being used for other programs or .....well let's just leave it at other programs and not go there.