Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mankor]

My boss seems to be unfairly making life difficult for me at the moment and I think she may be trying to make me hand in my resignation letter. Anyway, I have decided that if she wants me to leave then the only way is to sack me as I will not leave of my own accord. Is it true that if she does fire me she has to give me a months notice?
She let slip that the school was struggling financially and then a week later all the extra work and writing lesson plans, class observations etc began.
Thanks for your replies in advance.

[morrisonhotel]

[ontheway]

[DaHu]

I disagree. The school is in financial difficulty, the manager thinks that making busy work for the teacher will improve things. Thus, more observations and lesson plans. The incorrect answer for everything is "more lesson plans".

Students may be quitting because their friends are at another school or they are not having enough fun at this school. "Why aren't they having fun?" is the question the manager should be asking. The observations might find something, or maybe it's with the other staff.

Students don't go home to mommy and complain that the school isn't strenuous enough and they need to learn more. They say it's no fun, they want to go somewhere else.

While this might seem against learning, I believe students will learn better when they get some fun and entertainment, so it kind of goes together. But if their friends are somewhere else and they want to go there, there's not much you can do to keep them.

Schools typically blame the teachers for everything, so get ready for that.

[edwardcatflap]

[PastorYoon]

[ssuprnova]

[Zackback]

Pastor Yoon's posts (from what I have seen lately) are spot on.
Pull a runner.

[Bruce W Sims]

[Mankor]

[Bruce W Sims]

Thanks, Mankor; that really helps frame things for me.

What I have found in my own Teaching career is that often a teacher has to accomplish their mission almost in spite of the institution or agency for which they work. You are probably aware of the phrase "under the radar", yes? In fact you noted the behavior of others who are just time-structuring with their students. Still, they can do this because they are able to keep what they do under the management's "radar", right? Unfortunately, your teaching ethics and approach did not allow you to stay under the radar AND feel good about your impact on the students---both at the same time.

The interview process is suppose to help the teacher and the institution determine whether there is a goodness-of-fit between the teacher's approach and the institution's approach. From what you have shared it sounds like this didn't happen and your more professional approach to teaching may have come into conflict with a more mercenary sensibility of the business. I don't think a lot of newbies-fresh-out-of-school would be sensitive to this distinction. From what I read in the postings here, not a few of the contributors to these threads don't view their positions as actual teaching assignments and there are probably a lot of agencies and institutions that feel that same way.

IMHO your experience was a valuable (if costly) lesson. If you are going to be a professional, expect to be a minority. Most students cross pathes with Education because they are being compelled to or because they are seeking some sort of pay-off. Folks investing in Education for the sake of working up to their potential are few and far between. Its sounds as though your Teaching model assumes a higher level of motivation than than what your placement provided. Now you know that and can look for it in the next position.

Hold tight to your Teaching values and keep an eye open for people who think like you do. You didn't lose a job; they lost a teacher. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[northway]

[Bruce W Sims]

[PastorYoon]

[northway]