Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

- students groaning because the bell went to end the class, and then begging you to stay into their break. Working hogwan I did find it rather flattering when students groaned because they got the Korean teacher instead of me, but at middle / high school, students wanting to keep going after the bell has gone has really blown me away.

- going day after day without ever hearing 'shibal!' or 'geysaki!'.

- getting a PC for your home.

- getting two-bedroom-plus-study accomodation.

- having a discussion with students about feminism and discrimination.

- getting at least 10 free dinners in your first 3 weeks' employment.

The list of things that never happen at high school would be far longer!

[Ya-ta Boy]

Sounds like things are going good up north. Keep up the good work!

[kprrok]

Aren't there enough "I got a public school gig and I need to brag about it" threads on here already?

WHO CARES?????

KPRROK

[deessell]

Wait till the dust settles is all I have to say. Enjoy the first two weeks, it's all down hill after that. (BTW are your students boys or girls?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Wow ya bum and I thought I was the only teacher in Korea who had students who hated me. Actually that last post just made me feel like going to teach to day.

Or is that Edutain... bleeeh... haggies suck. Enjoy man.

[tomato]

Once upon a time, there was a hagwan which was founded upon genuine concern for the students. The staff and students all treated each other with utmost respect.

Yes, there were occasional problems, but those problems were discussed with regard for individual differences and cultural differences. Once or twice, someone was tempted to say, "Well you're the teacher, you should be able to handle it yourself!" but that temptation was quickly stifled.

The director of the school exhorted the teachers to be creative. The teachers responded with a steady stream of handmade card games, bingo games, and picture books. The teachers clamored for a teacher's workroom, equipped with a copy machine, a laminating machine, and a supply of scissors and markers.

The director said, "Where? I hate to take away any of the space which we sorely need for gross motor activity!"

The teachers said, "Take away the teacher's lounge! No one ever goes there anyway!"

"What an excellent idea!" the director said.

Whenever two or more teachers were in the workroom, the conversation centered around how classroom problems could be handled in a mature and rational manner. Occasionally, a newcomer would mimic the students in a whiny falsetto. But when that happened, the veteran teachers politely but firmly told the newcomer that such display of disrespect for the students was not allowed.

The network incorporated not only the staff and the students, but the parents as well. The staff held regular meetings with the parents, advising them on how they could help their children at home. Most importantly, they were told, the parents could help by practicing English with their children.

The parents readily cooperated. The iri-wa's were replaced with come-here's, the haji-ma's were replaced with don't-do-that's, and every other possible utterance was replaced with its English equivalent. Thus, the children came to practice Korean around the clock.

Foreign teachers were selected strictly on the basis of qualifications and merit. Consequently, only the finest foreign teachers were selected. Every foreign teacher in the school came with a deep interest in the Korean culture and the Korean language. The Korean teachers recognized this interest and responded accordingly. Just as the Korean teachers spoke English to the English students whenever possible, they spoke Korean to the Korean students whenever possible.

The foreign teachers always hated to leave the school, but it was sometimes necessary to go back to school to further their ESL careers.
After several contract renewals, the foreign teachers always left behind their goodwill and their favorable influence, to say nothing of glowing references on the Internet.

The school became more and more widely known in the community. While other local schools continued to damage themselves by their continual backstabbing and in-fighting, this school continued to grow and prosper forevermore.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Bloody brilliant, Tomato.

In fact I think that honest communication with the parents could solve most of the problems that occur at hogwans. I know a few friends who work at places like that and their teaching lives run much more smoothly. However, a director can't very well send home a report that says 'your 15yo daughter has been coming here since kindergarten and still can't put an English sentence together to save her life because all she's done for the last five years is goof off and terrorise the other kids', can he? (as opposed to fixing the problem five years ago).

[PaperTiger]

try: chuseok bonuses, New Year's bonuses, Christmas vacation or even more than two consecutive vacation days

[Snowkr]

Tomato, you've just described my school pretty well. Except for that whole "move the teachers room" thing.

Did I just get really lucky? I'm in a hogwan that is awesome. My kids speak English so well that I forget that they're Korean. My boss calls is ESL instead of EFL.

Sometimes I envy these university and high school teachers. Their hours seem so easy. I was offered a job in a public high school but I wanted smaller classes and a chance to get to know all the students. The only "complaint" I really have about this job is that all our holidays are scheduled for us. Other than that... is it possible that I've found a good hogwan?

[tomato]

Snowkr, you sure surprised me.
I made that story up because I thought it was a fairy tale.
Ever since I came to Korea, I have wanted to visit a good school to see what it is like.
Where is your school?
I would like to take off a day or two to visit your school--if I can convince my director that I'm not applying for a job there.

[some waygug-in]

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dan The Chainsawman]

I like my haggie I got an extra hour off cause a fire got started in the basement and after an hour of the fire department battling the inferno my director belatedly let me go home. Of course she had to call me at my apartment to tell me... hee hee hee.

[crazylemongirl]