Thursday, July 15, 2004
This one goes out to the teachers
So I get to my school today, and the director tells me pretty much not to talk to the kids any more. I'm just supposed to play the tapes and make sure that they have lots of chances to listen to the inane conversations repeatedly. I think to myself, "why hire a native speaker of English? Why not get a Korean to do that? Or a reasonably advanced monkey?" I look at her, not asking any questions, and she decides to explain further.
It's because the kids are only tested on listening, so that's all I'm supposed to teach.
Let me repeat that, because it's important.
The kids are only tested on listening, so that's all I'm supposed to teach.
Am I teaching English? Nope. I'm teaching "listening to canned English phrases." I might be better off taking a class to teach my kids how to play the tapes themselves, and then taking up a hobby such as hang gliding or smoking.
I am now a paid babysitter.
And yesterday, our schedules were completely changed ... about 45 minutes before we had to teach 7 or 8 classes in a row. Aaaaahhhhhwhat?
I have no stress anymore. I have entered the world of educational apathy. I love my kids ... they're my favorite people here in Korea, but I can't teach them any more. I can't really talk to them. I can't really care about them any more.
I now understand how Koreans can take English class for 10 years, go to English acadamies like mine, and still not be able to speak any more English than I learned of Korean in 9 months. You know who's to blame?
The mothers.
That's right. The mothers. They push these kids into English acadamies and then demand that the acadamies NOT teach them English. The mandate to not talk to the kids came from the mothers. Some of these kids spend about 80 hours a week in school, in acadamies, or studying. And during exam week the kids aren't allowed to sleep for more than two hours. Who says this? The mothers.
I've known this for a while, but now it affects my daily life. Just another reason to dislike the ajumma.
It's because the kids are only tested on listening, so that's all I'm supposed to teach.
Let me repeat that, because it's important.
The kids are only tested on listening, so that's all I'm supposed to teach.
Am I teaching English? Nope. I'm teaching "listening to canned English phrases." I might be better off taking a class to teach my kids how to play the tapes themselves, and then taking up a hobby such as hang gliding or smoking.
I am now a paid babysitter.
And yesterday, our schedules were completely changed ... about 45 minutes before we had to teach 7 or 8 classes in a row. Aaaaahhhhhwhat?
I have no stress anymore. I have entered the world of educational apathy. I love my kids ... they're my favorite people here in Korea, but I can't teach them any more. I can't really talk to them. I can't really care about them any more.
I now understand how Koreans can take English class for 10 years, go to English acadamies like mine, and still not be able to speak any more English than I learned of Korean in 9 months. You know who's to blame?
The mothers.
That's right. The mothers. They push these kids into English acadamies and then demand that the acadamies NOT teach them English. The mandate to not talk to the kids came from the mothers. Some of these kids spend about 80 hours a week in school, in acadamies, or studying. And during exam week the kids aren't allowed to sleep for more than two hours. Who says this? The mothers.
I've known this for a while, but now it affects my daily life. Just another reason to dislike the ajumma.
Comments:
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Orderliness, is it a pan-Oriental concept? Independence does not lead to orderliness. Instead it leads to messiness and then some kids might be ahead and other classes might be behind and then when they get to the next class some are lost and so we avoid that by teaching everyone the same.
The ajumma would be driven mad by Differentiated Instruction. Check out Kathy Nunley's web site (http://help4teachers.com ) for her take on DI
Every kid gets what they can handle and have a number of avenues to get to success. More complex tasks for the A, less complex for B. Multiple Intelligences where everyone has innate talent that can be tapped into to achieve the standard. Gardner is the guru there.
Ask language teachers about receptive (listening) comprehension and expressive (speaking) language. Comprehension skills are somewhat different for each. I'm with you I think listening only is totally short sighted.
Methods
How about after school "speed coffee hours" like speed dating. Each two students has a certain short time to speak to each other on a particular topic (preset). You say "time" the pair break up and the have another partner to speak and listen to on the same topic. Both are getting receptive and expressive practice. I'm sure there are some fine points of the speed workouts that could be fine tuned. But if they start out with some pop topic and some news topic you pick, they'd get into it.
Do the kids have internet access? I forgot, how old are these kids. Have they ever read Seuss?
Oh, by the way, welcome to the region otherwise known as "Whale shit on the bottom of the ocean." You'll find many good teachers there. You will always wonder how administrtors got to be where they are especially with half their brain missing and for some of them with a heart "two sizes to small".
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The ajumma would be driven mad by Differentiated Instruction. Check out Kathy Nunley's web site (http://help4teachers.com ) for her take on DI
Every kid gets what they can handle and have a number of avenues to get to success. More complex tasks for the A, less complex for B. Multiple Intelligences where everyone has innate talent that can be tapped into to achieve the standard. Gardner is the guru there.
Ask language teachers about receptive (listening) comprehension and expressive (speaking) language. Comprehension skills are somewhat different for each. I'm with you I think listening only is totally short sighted.
Methods
How about after school "speed coffee hours" like speed dating. Each two students has a certain short time to speak to each other on a particular topic (preset). You say "time" the pair break up and the have another partner to speak and listen to on the same topic. Both are getting receptive and expressive practice. I'm sure there are some fine points of the speed workouts that could be fine tuned. But if they start out with some pop topic and some news topic you pick, they'd get into it.
Do the kids have internet access? I forgot, how old are these kids. Have they ever read Seuss?
Oh, by the way, welcome to the region otherwise known as "Whale shit on the bottom of the ocean." You'll find many good teachers there. You will always wonder how administrtors got to be where they are especially with half their brain missing and for some of them with a heart "two sizes to small".
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