| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
SeniorEnglish
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
|
 Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:02 am Post subject: The "Head" teacher |
 |
|
I was wondering what exactly makes a "head" teacher.
Last edited by SeniorEnglish on Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
poet13
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Location: Just over there....throwing lemons.
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
Perhaps after a sufficient time has passed (perhaps already), or after a particularily egregious and obvious case of fobbing off her work on you, perhaps you can insist that you sit down and clearly define your scope of work. Having been in that situation before (not in ESL though), I found that that helped to prevent last minute stuff, and other peoples "clean up".
I'm sure others have more suggestions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 2:08 am Post subject: |
|
|
Define your own work. You have to put yourself in the thinking that you are self-employed in that you're under contract to teach English. That's it, that's all. Don't do extra work. Don't give tests, do reports, etc. Do nothing but teach. If she or anyone else confronts you with this just tell them that you don't want to do it. If you're doing a good job in the classroom, they should leave you alone. Don't respond to power trips.
Just teach and go home. You're no slave. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Homer
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Jacl..isn't giving tests part of a teachers duty man?
Along with grading said tests and student evalution?
It was part of a teachers duty back home and has been here in all jobs I have taken...hmm..you must have read the new definition of the teachers duty... 
As for the OP...the head teacher does seem to want to assert power here. Your approach will depend on what his or her position really is relative to you.
Frivolous requests such as coming in early for no real reason should be turned down.
Tossing aside teaching duties (i.e. testing) will only land you on the wrong side of the argument.
Be smart about this and pick your battles. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Col.Brandon
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
At my last school the math teacher came along and gave me some math. Then geography teacher came along and gave me some geography.
Then the head teacher came along... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Beej
Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Location: Eungam Loop
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:18 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The head teacher is the one wearing the knee pads. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SeniorEnglish
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
However, in the end, we usually go with my first suggestion.
Last edited by SeniorEnglish on Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Richard Krainium
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Beej wrote: |
| The head teacher is the one wearing the knee pads. |
Thank you Beej. I just knew you'd have the answer!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Homer wrote: |
Jacl..isn't giving tests part of a teachers duty man?
Along with grading said tests and student evalution?
It was part of a teachers duty back home and has been here in all jobs I have taken...hmm..you must have read the new definition of the teachers duty...
As for the OP...the head teacher does seem to want to assert power here. Your approach will depend on what his or her position really is relative to you.
Frivolous requests such as coming in early for no real reason should be turned down.
Tossing aside teaching duties (i.e. testing) will only land you on the wrong side of the argument.
Be smart about this and pick your battles. |
When you're teaching 6 classes a day, it's quite enough work, thank you very much. Giving tests sometimes is not altogether a bad idea. I'd just rather teach. Quarterly reports. Nothing too strenuous. Public schools provide more of an environment for testing than hagwons where you're best at focussing on conversation and taking advantage of small class sizes to improve their grammar and listening skills. Tests aren't important.
Stressing yourself with needless work and work for the sake of work when you teach six classes a day is just ridiculous.
In short, the only duty you should have at a hagwon is to teach and to have a good plan. The duties your speaking only take away the benefits the child has from having a native speaker show them the ropes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Homer
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 5:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
I agree that 6 classes per day is a heavy workload.
However, this does not mean testing is not part of a teachers duties....sorry man but I don't see the logic.
If you teach, at some point you need to evaluate the progress of your students...thats done through evaluations and testing and it is a vital part of a teachers' role. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Homer wrote: |
I agree that 6 classes per day is a heavy workload.
However, this does not mean testing is not part of a teachers duties....sorry man but I don't see the logic.
If you teach, at some point you need to evaluate the progress of your students...thats done through evaluations and testing and it is a vital part of a teachers' role. |
You do what you do, and I do what I do. Whatever. Don't get me wrong. I test my students all the time. Just not formal tests. Every day is a test for them. There are certain methods you can use where your not sitting there for however much time waiting for the students to finish up writing a test. It's easy when your class limit is ten students.
My point was for the OP not to make a slave out of himself. You can give tests and do reports and the like with little effort, I suppose. Right? But, if someone's forcing you to do too much work, it's not going to do much good. All your work can be done in the classroom during class time with the occasional typing out notes to the parents and printing them out.
If someone's on my arse to put time in or do work that really doesn't amount to a hill of beans, I'm more apt to tell them to stick it.
There are only so many hours in the day and you have to use them wisely. Six classes = day over. You want more, pay me more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellum99
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: don't need to know
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The one thing that is always true is that people will take what you give them and try to get more. If you keep agreeing to do more than your expected then they will continue to ask for more until it is too much . When you finally say "no" they will act like you betrayed them. It is best to say "no" to something early, so they are not surprised when you say "no" later. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Jacl..isn't giving tests part of a teachers duty man?
it is if you are an actual teacher and the grades given actually mean anything.....if they dont you're just wasting your time!
Along with grading said tests and student evalution?
Again see above answer.....in 3 years of ESL in Korea I never felt that the tests were taken seriously nor were the marks(were they good for the students? Mixed feedback on that, I actually had one hogwan tell me NOT to test the students as it was too stressful for them )
It was part of a teachers duty back home and has been here in all jobs I have taken...hmm..you must have read the new definition of the teachers duty...
If you have time during your work day to mark tests and put together evaluations fine...but if you dont...and are not getting paid for it...DONT!
As for the OP...the head teacher does seem to want to assert power here. Your approach will depend on what his or her position really is relative to you.
Frivolous requests such as coming in early for no real reason should be turned down.
Right on brother!
Tossing aside teaching duties (i.e. testing) will only land you on the wrong side of the argument.
Just stick with the ol fall back...say: "sure no problem" and dont do anything....chances are they wont think of it for another 3 months...then repeat 
Be smart about this and pick your battles.
Absolutley! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| SeniorEnglish wrote: |
Good ideas. The head teacher where I work, is the Korean speaking English teacher that came along first. I don't even think they gave her a proper interview because they were very desperate.
I have always been a quiet one and obeyed whatever they told me to do at work. After seeing the grattitude that went along with working hard here in my previous jobs (ie. no chance of a raise or promotion) I had to rethink things. Although I still give 100% to my assigned duties, I had to break out of my clandestined(new word 4 me) character to tell them what's up.
It seems that my suggestions aren't good enough. However, in the end, we usually go with my first suggestion. Don't they (head teachers) realize that we are not just inexperienced English teachers, some of us can actually creatively solve their problems in a matter of seconds rather than hours. If they were smart about it, they would pass off our ideas as their own and gain the respect of their superiors. Not that all head teachers are as bad as this one. |
What I have found since working in Korea, is that a lot of the time the teachers who are given supervisory roles or take them on voluntarily, actually have no idea what they are doing. Hence, they palm their work off on others, they aren't organised or diligent in their work.
In my opinion, you have to earn respect. It doesn't come as part of the managerial package. I think you are right not to respect your supervisor if she doesn't show herself to be a competent manager.
Personally, I would just carry on doing your own thing and if she asks you to do something just nod your head, smile sweetly and agree to do it and then go back to doing it your own way.
ilovebdt |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SeniorEnglish
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
One of my jobs, on my second contract, they suggested me for being a head foreign teacher. But, months passed and no word. Until one day, they asked me to do the duties associated with the position, without a title 100,000.
Last edited by SeniorEnglish on Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:53 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
