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MedellinHeel
Joined: 16 Jan 2014
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 Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 4:25 am Post subject: Elementary vs. Middle |
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After teaching middle school before I stupidly agreed to teach elementary this year.
IMO
Elementary is way more demanding and harder to teach. You have to constantly be on kids to keep them on task and focused. Disciplining them is harder as their brain is just not at the appropriate level of understanding how to properly act. Teaching is harder as you have to be very careful in the words you use as they simply do not understand a lot of English. Lots of talking which puts strain on the throat.
Its not all bad though, elementary kids are much cuter and can actually be enthusiastic about learning English.
Anyways, thought I would share some thoughts on this matter. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| I prefer middle school, with the exception of all boys schools. Boys are horrid, and after a semester in elementary I can see why. Elementary teachers tend not be to that strict when it comes to elementary students. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 12:27 am Post subject: |
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Agreed. Little kids many times just don't know that they are a-holes and don't take discipline seriously especially when their parents coddle them so much.
I will never teach elementary again. I did it for one year at a hagwon and it was horrible. I've taught middle school all the rest of my years and it's much better. |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 2:56 am Post subject: |
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| Middle school and 5th and 6th grade elementary students are the best. 3rd year middle school students are good until about mid way through the year. They start slacking off because they know that high school is just around the corner and they want to enjoy their time. Out of the middle school students, I enjoy teaching the 2nd year ones the best. |
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What the Book
Joined: 23 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject: Re: Elementary vs. Middle |
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| MedellinHeel wrote: |
Elementary is way more demanding and harder to teach. |
Oh dear God you said a mouthful.
All other things being equal, the older the students were, the less exhausting the class.
I would have preferred to teach any size class of any other grade than Kindergarten. Teaching kindergarteners could be like herding cats, and during class I seldom if ever had time to notice how cute they were.
Having at all times have something for them to do was one thing... but having something they could understand could be something else! |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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| nicwr2002 wrote: |
| Middle school and 5th and 6th grade elementary students are the best. 3rd year middle school students are good until about mid way through the year. They start slacking off because they know that high school is just around the corner and they want to enjoy their time. Out of the middle school students, I enjoy teaching the 2nd year ones the best. |
Middle, and high schools are great in December. Usually the tests ares done by the 2nd week of December, and all you do is show movies, and stuff.
High school seniors are probably my favorite at the end of the year. You just sit in class, and students really come out of their shell and really tell you what they think, and hope for. Since grades at that point are all submitted. Or they just gossip, and do their nails, but are fun either way.
Also, you've always got to remind yourself, you can't help every student... |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 6:46 am Post subject: |
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| jvalmer wrote: |
| nicwr2002 wrote: |
| Middle school and 5th and 6th grade elementary students are the best. 3rd year middle school students are good until about mid way through the year. They start slacking off because they know that high school is just around the corner and they want to enjoy their time. Out of the middle school students, I enjoy teaching the 2nd year ones the best. |
Middle, and high schools are great in December. Usually the tests ares done by the 2nd week of December, and all you do is show movies, and stuff.
High school seniors are probably my favorite at the end of the year. You just sit in class, and students really come out of their shell and really tell you what they think, and hope for. Since grades at that point are all submitted. Or they just gossip, and do their nails, but are fun either way.
Also, you've always got to remind yourself, you can't help every student... |
I should have mentioned I work in a hagwon. It sucks for me during that time because I'm teaching debate classes. Those students start slacking because they know school is about over and the hagwon doesn't matter now. |
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trueblue
Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Location: In between the lines
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:00 am Post subject: |
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O.P.
It all depends on....
1.. Which age group can you have the most fun with.
2. How thick is your skin?
3. What are willing and not willing, to let go?
4. Where does you sense of humor lie, in terms of the age group?
Go with the direction, in which, you are confident you can do your best. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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| trueblue wrote: |
| How thick is your skin? |
This is key, Koreans in general will say rude, insulting stuff (for whatever reason like second language issues, culture, etc.) but still like you. They are pretty rude to their BFF's, at least what we consider rude.
ex:
"Your mole makes you look very ugly, but you are still handsome."
It's a kick in the nards, and a compliment at the same time. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: Elementary vs. Middle |
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| What the Book wrote: |
| MedellinHeel wrote: |
Elementary is way more demanding and harder to teach. |
Oh dear God you said a mouthful.
All other things being equal, the older the students were, the less exhausting the class.
I would have preferred to teach any size class of any other grade than Kindergarten. Teaching kindergarteners could be like herding cats, and during class I seldom if ever had time to notice how cute they were.
Having at all times have something for them to do was one thing... but having something they could understand could be something else! |
Yeah, don't work with young children unless you speak some basic Korean and have a silly personality to act goofy with them on. I did public school kindergarden, but with some Korean co teachers. Their English was atrocious. So, I used some of my Korean knowledge and playing lots of you tube animations and videos. I also bought some coloring books and picture - letter cards. I drilled English words into them through repetition in funny voices. I said the word in English, then Korean, then English. After a while, I spoke only English. Kids learned fast. Were a real pleasure to teach and their enthusiasm was great.
Local ed office and some parents wanted a female. So, second semester, they put in a pretty white young female who spoke no Korean and had no outgoing energy to excite the kids with and the experiement was a failure. Ed office cancelled it the next year and I moved to another city by then.
So, buy yourself some good picture cards, learn to encourage repitition in funny voices, and know some basic Korean. Then, you're good to go. |
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