Korean Job Discussion Forums

beekeeper3000 · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Seriously. Every two weeks I get called into a meeting with my boss where she tells me, "Your classes are awful, quite frankly." I really care about my students and I like teaching, but I am so gpddamn angry I want to scream at her. She says she "is afraid to criticize me" (not because she is afraid of ME, but because she knows she cannot say anything that will make sense to my thick, stupid skull) and will have another teacher sit in on my classes.

It feels like she is thinking she made a mistake in hiring me. I feel awful and I don't want it to impact my classes. I also don't want to become depressed. And I REALLY don't want to be treated like shit for the next 9 months of my contract.

It's my first time teaching anywhere. What can I do?

Homer · Guest

winnie · Joined: 08 May 2005 Location: the forest

Tell your boss to make a lesson and teach it the way he/she thinks it should be done, and you can observe and make notes on the way it "should" be done. You obviously need to see a "role model" Laughing

That will shut them up, they probably won't want the extra work, or won't know what to do........worked for me. If they can't prove that they can do it better...then they have to shut mouth.

I tried it, and no complaints since.

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

Hey!

Great advice everybody......and yeah, you shouldn't feel like "shit" for the next 9 months. I really believe that if the teacher is sincerely tryin'.....sincerely doing the best that they can be....that will win the day.

I have a co-teacher and she teaches horribly....sometimes I just almost like the song "fade away". She is so bad. Anyways, I love her so because she is always asking me how to do better, how she might improve. And she is 61, one year from retiring!!!!

So do your best and if part of that is learning from other teachers....do it!!!! PM me and I can give tips, meet and give lots of materials. We should help each other.....go fur it.

Cheers ,

DD

PS> the best tip and the best thing a teacher can do is "see" from the students side. Always comb your lesson from that vantage point and see it from the student's side......revelations happen that way...

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Anytime your boss is telling you that you arent doing a good job ask for specifics.

Exactly what am I doing wrong? If they cant answer you blow them off...they are just jerking you around.

If they have specifics discuss how you can improve in those areas.

The big questions are....................do the students like you? Are they learning?

beekeeper3000 · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

the specific complaint is that the girl (who is 14) is not talking enough. her momsays she is normally quite talkative and always speaks her mind. but guess what? when you put a korean schoolgirl in a room with a 26 year old american guy, she ISN'T THAT TALKATIVE. who knew?

i'm more wondering if i am being overly sensitive to this junk or if this is just par for the course. i care about my students and i want them to learn. this is a class where i am to "prepare her for america" - those were my only instructions.

beekeeper3000 · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

and yes, my students like me. and yes, they ARE learning.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

I bet the girl is just shy around you.

With this info I would tell your boss to bugger off.

You can lead a student to a classroom but you cant make them think/participate/talk unless they want to!

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I'd be very hesitant to take comments - good or bad - that Koreans tell you about your teaching seriously, unless it's from someone you've observed who's actually a good converstational English teacher (and you won't find many Koreans who are). As for the one tutorial - teach about culture as much as anything. Bring lots of photos. Do you have Net access? Bring up a US high school website and stuff like that.

Yes, you're probably being too sensitive your concern demonstrates that you're already headed in the right direction.

Demonicat · Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: Suwon

Find out what the girl is into, that's a big thing. Then follow up with it. Even if you have to make an ass out of yourself, find her interests. A suggestion, go to www.brainpop.com and sign up for the free 14 days (1 per email, I'm on number 9 hehe). Then let the girl pick which flash cartoon to watch. This will give you an idea into her interests. From there revolve the classes around that until she relaxes.
Example: You go on and Hae Un chooses "Comets". Watch the video on comets, then maybe slip one in about the solar system. Talk about it. Ask her which is her favourite, and what is its name in English and Korean. Then make worksheets or readings based on space (maybe www.nasa.com, student articles). You see the routine, and you can do it with any subject. Yes, parent smight object about it not being a class entirely based on learning English, but they can bugger off- its a conversation class, have a conversation.

Demonicat · Joined: 18 Nov 2004 Location: Suwon

Oh, and F(!) the boss. Korean's don;t do the positive reinforcement thing, only negative and they tend to over react a bit. Look at the disciplane methods: beatings, yelling, kneeling on concrete floors. She's doing the same to you, but in a way that hurts you- telling you that you are a bad, awful, and smelly monkey that she barely tolerates. No worries, most of us get that in the beginning.

lastat06513 · Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 5:15 am Post subject:

I remember my first teaching experience in Korea

All the Korean teachers got together and went into the director's office and demanded that they fire me. They said the students were saying dreadful things about me and some were even demanding their money back.

Needless to say, I never really spoke to them during the 10 months I was working there and I never really cared to either.

In my second school, the head teacher and I had a great relationship, but he was terribly scared about hurting my feelings if he spoke to me, so he would give me letters to explain what was going wrong in my classes.
Sometimes, I felt like throwing in the towel and saying "f^ck it!"
But I took a good look at myself and what I was doing and I thought of some ways to change.

I know that criticism is reacted differently by different people, so I can't tell you what to do except if you think it is your school that is wrong, you need to bring up the problems with them (because it seems they have no problems bringing up the problems with you) and if the problem is you, then self-reflection is a good way to resolve those issues.

Don't give up and don't snap~~ Everyone's first time at teaching is a hectic time for them.
The more you learn about your job and your students, the more fulfilling you'll feel.

As for handling a bad day~~ I have a handicapped brother and one of the things I've learned from him is;

"If today is bad, you will always have tomorrow. So wake up and think of the morning as a beginning of a new day"

Wishmaster · Joined: 06 Feb 2003

Take Grotto's advice...because it is true.

I've had the conferences in the past with my "director" and they've always bitched up and down about students complaining about my classes. Fine. Who is complaining? Then they would say that "all" of students and their parents. Okay, can we have a meeting? Then they would be fidgety and hem and haw. Then I said, "Well, maybe you need to find a new teacher". That did the trick. They immediately gasped and said, "No...that is not the problem".

See, Koreans think that if they bitch at you long and hard that it will somehow make you work harder or become "korean". It does the opposite to me. Stand up for yourself and if the fire gets too hot...quit. Life is too damn short and 9 months of suffering here is absolutely unacceptable.