Korean Job Discussion Forums

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:29 pm Post subject: Is teaching your calling?

I always enjoyed being on stage and organizing events.

But not until coming to Korea did I realize how much I love TEACHING.

Of course, for me, it's about the hagwon elementary student crowd: My way or the hallway, seeing progress daily, making fun part of the process for everyone.

Still, the same point applies to all of us: How much do you like teaching English?

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

I LOVE teaching when the students are interested in learning..... nothing worse than doing a whole lot of prep, and giving a lot of time and energy to the students only to find that beating your head agains a brick wall would be just as effective. For the first 7 months of my first contract I had no problems with my students and I was ready to go back to university and make teaching a career. But then I talked to some of my friends who are teachers back home and its nothing like teaching over here of course, and also my students behaviour isnt as good as it used to be so the rosey stars in my eyes faze is long gone. Still love to teach willing students though.

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Surprisingly I love it and I think I do alright at it. But, I don't feel that it's really my thing -- it's more of a really cool hobby that I get paid for.

ChuckECheese · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

I love it. I taught many other subjects in the secondary school back home, but I especially like teaching EFL.

Students are great. Even if I farted in the classroom, students would love learning about the word "fart". I would teach them different context of the word "fart". Laughing

Natalia · Joined: 10 Mar 2006

I never set out to be a teacher of any sort. But somehow ever since I was about eighteen I have found myself in teaching jobs all over the world. Not just teaching English either. It seems like someone is trying to tell me something. Confused

Teaching English is generally a great thing to do, but Korean children are a real challenge compared to children elsewhere.

Privateer · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Location: Easy Street.

Novernae · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

I enjoy teaching, but EFL is not my thing.

PimpofKorea · Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:55 am Post subject:

Banking easy money is my calling....teaching....well thats yet to be determined.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I like it most of the time even when it isn't easy. I like the need to be creative (such as in explaining things) and the challenge of keeping classes interesting. I dislike some things too, of course, like lousy materials and students who don't give a fiddler's fart. I also struggle with youngsters who have such a short attention span and get too easily bored or distracted. I believe kids get bored more easily now than in the past, have a shorter attention span, and may be more likely to be rude. On the other hand they seem more sophisticated and aware of things outside their little worlds, perhaps a little bit keener to the fact that English is a big deal and it is not going to go away.

Anyway, I'd say I like it around half the time with half the classes -- I figure that's not bad, and a realistic enough level to enjoy one's job, or enough to keep me going anyway, looking forward to classes I like and surviving the painful ones.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

I don't really dig teaching English - but I LOVE teaching business (my major) and am so glad to have landed a biz teaching job to start next march!

Homer · Guest

My calling but not necessarily in the strict "teaching in the classroom" meaning.

I like to work in education and training. I love teaching in the classroom but also love to work in training and education in a professional setting. That is why I do consulting here. I apply what I learned as a teacher to a different field and mix that with some other passions of mine.

As for classroom teaching, I love it. I try to keep improving and to come up with new ideas and strategies to enhance the lessons. I enjoy interacting with students (kids or adults) and I like the freedom I have with my teaching here compared to back home as a High School teacher.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

trubadour · Joined: 03 Nov 2006

Its a difficult but really important question.

How am I to know if it is what I was born to do? Is it supposed to just feel right? I'd like it to, but it's a struggle too. But where does it say a calling is going to 'just feel right' and be magic or easy, like some dream?

totally dig the little blighters though! Couldn't stand (though have recently wished for) an office job.

Love to let them be happy and have creativity and fun rule. It can be cool to converse with them and be an adult from out of the ordinary, though it gets quite tiresome.

There is currently some reason for concern regarding my ability to get the best (sometimes any) results but love the challenges and constantly try to improve, through which I learn about myself and people in general.

Although, I must say that I agree with whoever said its a miracle that children ever come out of formal education with anything resembling an imagination.

These guys are suffering. Much of their life conspires against them being happy and free and open to the world. They are always judged, measured and beaten to fit some mould. As such they sometimes appear dull and unresponsive, always looking for the easy way out. They don't have the opportunity to discover the joy of life or of knowledge or of being human aka 'learning'.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Teaching secondary school age and adult students is my calling.

Teaching liberal arts is my calling.

Teaching and working with people of another culture is my calling.

I feel like the jury's still out on whether I'm meant to be an EFL teacher but all in all, teaching English at a Korea middle / high school where I'm generally taken seriously has proved to be a great fit.