Korean Job Discussion Forums

katydid · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

I was just wondering this, as I have heard my friends who work in the same school district as I do say they are leveled, as in the "smart kids" are in the first class and the kids who are bound to go to the tech schools are in the lower leveled classes. (For the record, our school has 10 classes in each grade.) I'm not sure if this is true though, as it seems there are plenty of whip smart kids in the classes supposedly lower level, and a few of my students in high level classes might not be doing so well academically as they suffer from ADD and the like.
Anyways, I remember in my middle school being tracked, so was wondering if anyone knew if theiur school did the same thing.

Zed · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Shakedown Street

Good question. I wouldn't have much idea how to teach a class that wasn't leveled. I've only had to deal with the odd student here and there that was forced up for the sake of the mother's 'face'.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

When I worked at a girls high school, if my memory is correct, there were two or three classes which were much brighter than anyother, (out of 16 in each grade) There rest where divided into some kind of science or humanities break down. Don't know if that helps, I was never told and never given a straight answer to the same question as you have.

CanadaCommando · Joined: 13 Feb 2004 Location: People's Republic of C.C.

I work at a Middle school which has 10 classes of each Grade, none of which are leveled.

It gets very difficult, but I learned that I just have to teach to the ability average. My conversation is not too advanced, as some kids still blush when I say "Good Morning" to them. I used to have issue with what to do with the fluent kids who are in such a class (made a post to that effect) but since I have resolved that problem, now I gotta figure out what to do with the kids that are much higher than the average student, but still not fluent..argh! Plus, struggling to help through the lower students is very difficult as well.
Its not that I am not a concerned teacher, but I teach over 400 kids a week...personal one on one time is not a big option.
Alot of the time, I will try to teach things that I figure will not be taught at by Korean or Hogwan teachers, so that at least then, it's new for ALL the students. Since I create all my own curriculm, and have nobody to be beholden to, it makes for some fun and amusing classes.