Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pest2]

I teach at this one elementary school where the Korean teachers dont even stay in the class while I am there. They go down to thier lounge and drink tea and talk about whatever stupid things it is they talk about. Awhile ago, they started me teaching 1st and 2nd graders-- all alone. 1st and 2nd graders dont even know ABC. Fun. But then 2 weeks ago, they replaced that class with another one that consists of 3rd 4th 5th and 6th graders (its a small school and that class has 20 kids). In a way I could take it either way; when I was teaching the 1st and 2nd grade kids, I would just make some coloring paper for them to do for 40 minutes and make sure they weren't hurting each other. If I teach the older kids, I am actually teaching. But when I teach only the older class, because I used to have one 40 minute block with them after the 1st and 2nd graders, I now have to teach them for 80 minutes... not a problem since I do that for one other school and it works fine WITH A COTEACHER.

However, today, all the girls in the3,4, 5 and 6 grade class WENT ON STRIKE. There is one boy in that class who goes to Hakwon. He is a lower-intermediate level speaker. The girls somehow resent it when he is present because I can communicate with him a little better, and sometimes I even use him to help communicate instructions about games or whatever (which is what a co teacher should be doing but since there's no coteacher....) The girls wanted me to make that kid just leave the class... Of course, I said he's a student, he should be here too, etc etc. I was having the students learn how to write names of nearby towns in English from Korean (부 산 = busan). The girls refused to be receptive to any of it until I agreed to make that kid go away. The boys didnt seem to care. I told the girls we wouldnt play a game until we finished the lesson. The girls actually got up and walked out! Almost funny...

I complained to the Korean teachers after the class. Thier solution was to tell me to go back to teaching the 1st and 2nd graders for 1 block and the older kids for the other I can't decide whether they are more lazy or stupid, but its probably a combo of both. My plan is to tell my main coteacher to tell them I will not stay in any class to teach from now on unless there is a K teacher present.

How do others of you out there with these kinds of issues manage?

[Roch]

I have the same problem at my public school. The teachers are also prone to spreading lies about me. For instance, I've received reports from my recruiter who told me that he heard that I sleep in class and check e-mail.

Sometimes I think that this country will always be a backwater due to its deeply entrenched racist attitudes and hatred of people who're different than them.

[lowpo]

[The_Conservative]

[Fresh Prince]

The_Conservative is giving great advice.

Right now the girls are running the class and you are answering to them. They want you to kick out the one kid that actually cares about learning. Not good.

[crazy_arcade]

Take control of the classroom situation.

[Sody]

Pest, you've got to grab control of that class quickly. I know it sucks because I faced the same problem the first year I taught in Korea. I was left to teach most of the classes myself. One of my classes was 60+ students! It sucks but you've got to forget about the KT, they won't help you now because you've already lost a lot of respect from the students. There are so many of those types of teachers in Korea because they aren't used to our teaching styles. It even scares some of them, believe it or not.

You've got to figure out a way to control the class without the KT. Sorry to say this.

Sody

[spliff]

My co-teachers have never missed one class w/ me...well one time one had an important bizztrip so I taught alone...but no problem.

[Colorado]

Why should you have to teach a class in public school without a co-teacher. The K teachers have those classes on their schedule and are being paid to be there. I would insist that they be in the room.
With a class of 35 middle school boys, and me not speaking the language, it is exhausting to try to teach and manage the class alone. I concentrate on the lesson and the K-teacher is responsible for discipline and making sure the students are paying attention. I have taught these classes alone in the past and will continue to do so in an emergency, but it is the duty of your co-teacher to be in the class with you, not drinking tea in the teacher's lounge. You are being taken advantage of.

[bosintang]

[Colorado]

At my school, being in the classroom to help with classroom management is the ONLY role of the co-teachers. There is nothing more that I ask of them, and no other "favors" they are able to grant me.
Agreed it may be different at other schools, but if the co-teacher is not even in the room, why have them at all?

[bosintang]

[cdninkorea]

I feel for you, OP.

In my last public school job I had a co-teacher who was really great. Then she was diagnosed with cancer and had to have surgery (it was successful and she's recovered, by the way). While she was gone there was no replacement for her, so the homeroom teachers had to stay with me.

Of course they didn't want to do this, and would often take off before I could get there to one of the teacher's rooms. What did I do? I found them each time they tried it and brought them back to class. Surprisingly they never put up a fight about it.

[icicle]

At least some of the new contracts from this year do specify specific roles for us and co-teachers. Mine specifies planning together and co-teaching with them. Of course the difference that this makes in practice does depend on the school ... but at least it gives a negotiating point if you are not happy with how things are going.

Icicle

[The_Conservative]