Korean Job Discussion Forums

[keponekid]

I bit off a little more than I could chew with this new job. I'll be teaching kindergarten at a Christian school in an affluent part of Seoul, so these kids are going to have rich and demanding parents.

I'm don't think I'm incapable of doing, but (for a guy like me) it's intimidating so I could use all the help I can get.

Thanks!

[northway]

What kind of help are you looking for? Give us a bit more of your background and we can help you more. Right now we'd just be shooting blind.

[luckylady]

chances are you'll have a Korean co-teacher to help you by translating to the kids basic instructions - if you do, take full advantage and be sure and let her know you appreciate her assistance.

mostly you'll be singing songs (parents love that), alphabet stuff, basic words.

try and make everything a teaching moment, such as sit down please, quiet please, raise your hand, those kinds of things.

one school I was in I made a ton of 8x10 flashcards - if you have a laminator in the office, works great. make one word or simple phrase, download a pic off the internet, put them on there and hold them up for the class to learn. make some funny pics so it's fun for them.

kindy is ok if you work with the kids, don't let them overwhelm you, they're just children. it can be fun (but am glad it's you not me !! ha ha)

[JustinC]

As you're already in Korea why not spend a few hours observing lessons at the school, before you officially start? You can then chat with the teachers about their methodology.

[kimchi_pizza]

Be firm, but affable and in control of your class.
The moment you let parents interfer in your lessons they WILL
sense your lack of confidence and begin to doubt your capablilities
as a teacher of their children and like blood in the ocean, they will sense it and go after you.

If you really feel you're in over your head, then you probably are and
should look for other employment.

Personally, I make it a STRICT point to never let parents interfer or offer
advice and if they do, then my reply is, "Thank you for your advice, I'll think about it~"
They are NOT teachers and their emotional, (excess) devotion to the education
of even four or five years olds is...a lot. I've stood my ground
with doctors, lawyers, the wealthy and even the children of gangsters. And I've always
managed to win them over and gain their trust and confidence.

Confidence with a smile is key.

[Whistleblower]

If the school has an IWB get Genki English, loads of songs, games and activities: http://genkienglish.net/

[northway]

It's hard to say what to expect, as schools differ wildly in what the expect of their students. Some schools (and entire chains) focus more on singing and dancing, while others are more book oriented. I taught kindergarten for two and a half years and felt that I did a very good job, but my school was tailored much more towards hard learning and less towards the song and dance routine.

As someone noted, you will probably have a Korean teacher in the classroom to assist you. That said, they shouldn't be translating for you very often, particularly this late in the year. By now students in an immersion kindergarten should have a solid enough grasp of English that they will understand basic commands without issue. If this isn't the case then whoever you replace was a jackass and you have your work cut out for you.

Kindergarteners can be extremely easy to manage in an immersion environment, as they have yet to reach the age where they realize they can argue with an adult. The key is to establish rules and guidelines early on and be extremely consistent with those guidelines. If you do that, the kids will usually end up following the rules out of habit. This isn't to say you won't run into some bad ones, but on the whole, your life will be much easier.

I'd also recommend establishing some kind of rewards/points system and being very consistent with it. I like to use points on the board, which can then serve as both a carrot and a stick. With young kids it really doesn't matter whether they get anything for these points (though they should get something for them), they usually just appreciate being recognized for good work, and will often be somewhat competitive in attempting to get the most points/stickers/etc.

It's very important to pay close attention to what the teacher before you did. I'd recommend maintaining the course if it seems to be working, but don't feel beholden to it just because you're new if it seems that their strategies were failing or that they don't work with your teaching style. Take what works, discard what doesn't.

Bottom line: kindergarten can be a blast to teach, and it doesn't have to involve singing and dancing. A lot of the people who talk trash about kindergarten on this site are folks who have only taught a few hours a week of after school classes, where they never have enough time to really make progress with the kids. Kindergarten kids, being the age they are, are extremely capable of picking up language, and you get to have these kids all day, every day. If you're consistent and firm in both discipline and instruction, you'll likely see astounding progress. It's not for everyone, but if you like kids and go in with an open mind, you may end up really liking it.

Good luck.

[ttompatz]

Old threads about this particular topic that are full of useful information about teaching kindy kids:

[luckylady]

[northway]

[Skippy]

Damn! Tompatz beat me to it. The growing tomato list. I actually thought there was more?

[sojusucks]