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How can a KT not know what backwards and silly mean?

 
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:40 pm    Post subject: How can a KT not know what backwards and silly mean? Reply with quote

How is it possible to have a master's degree in English education and not know what formal, casual, backwards and silly mean? I mean how is it humanly possible to study English for six years at middle and high school and five or six years at university and not know this? They were typed so it wasn't a problem with my messy handwriting. I know what they are in French and there's no bloody way I should be a public school French teacher. And I failed French in secondary school and most of what I remember comes from having had a French gf who couldn't speak English (any better than the new English teacher at my middle school).

Isn't it convenient to have a staff room full of people in various types of dress to point to when trying to explain something like this when preparing a lesson on clothes? I'm going to have to quiz my evening high school writing class to see how many of them know what these words mean. I'm guessing all but a couple of them do.
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Real Reality



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:13 pm    Post subject: Re: How can a KT not know what backwards and silly mean? Reply with quote

Yu_Bum_suk wrote:
How is it possible to have a master's degree in English education and not know what formal, casual, backwards and silly mean? I mean how is it humanly possible to study English for six years at middle and high school and five or six years at university and not know this? They were typed so it wasn't a problem with my messy handwriting. I know what they are in French and there's no bloody way I should be a public school French teacher. And I failed French in secondary school and most of what I remember comes from having had a French gf who couldn't speak English (any better than the new English teacher at my middle school).

School English Classes: Quality of Teaching Appears to Be Diminishing
English teaching at primary and secondary schools here appears to be diminishing. According to a recent survey, a growing number of Korean teachers of English conduct their classes in Korean only, contrary to efforts in creating an environment in which students can be better immersed in English.
Editorial, Korea Times (June 7, 2006)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/opinion/200606/kt2006060717004354050.htm

FKI Calls for English Education Reform
Claiming that "Korean people are among the least competent English speakers even in the Asian region, and college graduates deserve no higher than an F grade for their English speaking competency, which is not enough to use at work at all," Kim Yoon, the president of Samyang Corporation... Kim stated, "Koreans start learning English even in elementary school, but our English ability is very limited," and demanded that the right surroundings be fostered "in order to learn the international language in our daily lives and develop a new English education system designed to improve the fluency in English."
Donga.com (October 21, 2006)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2006102143818

However, remember the Korean English teachers in public schools receive tenure, promotions, benefits, and allowances.

Teachers in Korea have guaranteed tenure until they reach the mandatory retirement age.
Annual teacher salaries, public schools (with minimum training) (US$)
Starting Salary: 25,177
After 15 years: 42,845
Top of Scale: 68,581
Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers
Country Note: Korea
John Coolahan, Paulo Santiago, Rowena Phair and Akira Ninomiya
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Directorate for Education, Education and Training Policy Division
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/49/31690991.pdf

More Education Means More Pay
The monthly pay of workers with bachelor's degrees averaged at 3 million won during the nine months to September, while that of workers with the same length of service but with only high school diploma stood at 2.06 million won.... Those with a master's degree or doctorate earned 4 million won a month on average.
By Kim Sung-jin, Korea Times (December 12, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200512/kt2005121217335210230.htm

Giving Gifts for Teachers Day
May 15 is Teacher's Day in South Korea, and to honor their teachers, students will be bring them flowers, write compositions in appreciation of them, and even participate in sports competitions with them. Parents also often give gifts or gratuities to the teacher. According to an article in the Nishinippon Shimbun, surveys indicate that parents spend a minimum of 100,000 won on these gifts (roughly US$100.00), while cash presents can go as high as 30 million won (roughly US$3,000). Instead of cash, reports the paper, it is not unusual for teachers to receive gift certificates, gold bracelets, Western liquor, foreign cosmetics, or nutritional supplements.
Japundit, Polishing the apple (May 15, 2005)
http://japundit.com/archives/2005/05/15/polishing-the-apple

According to the Samsung Group's chairman, Lee Kun-hee, to succeed globally, Korea must forgo the thought that Korea and being Korean is superior, and foreign specialists must be treated with respect.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200206/14/200206142349223599900090109011.html
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Hotpants



Joined: 27 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I knew a teaching assistant who didn't know the word 'silly', but knew 'a sillybilly'. I laughed and taught all my kids 'sillybilly' from thereon.
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