Winter vacation hours

I come to school around 8:50 to 9.  Some days I can leave early, some I can't.  It's at the whim of my VP.

Ah. The age old Korean ESL teacher debate. What to do with the endless amount of desk warming time. Personally, I think it comes down to each individual and their situation in their schools. Some people need to utilize this time of the year to sit and plan ahead for the coming semester. Perhaps they teach at different schools with a whole mix grade levels and need to get ahead on the 22 different lessons a week they will be expected to teach. Some people teach at one school with one grade level and see many different classes. It’s not as imperative for them to use this time to “get ahead”. Plus, if your school tells you to watch movies or go home early, can you really fault the individual? It would be like if you worked at a fast food restaurant and saying “Oh so and so over there got sent home by their manager early because it was a slow night. They are terrible employee!” Now maybe they are a terrible employee irrespective of their manager’s decision. I’ve worked fast food – kind of have to growing up right? One of those jobs you can get with no experience. Just sort of walk in and sit down, manager gives you a once over and says “You’re hired!” Not many jobs like that these days. Most of our parents were able to walk into jobs straight out of high school! Could you imagine that? An 18 year old pimply faced ragamuffin strolling into Google and saying “Hey! Make me CEO today!” Sounds eerily similar to the plot of Richie Rich if you ask me. Now that was a turd of a movie. Macaulay Culkin really spiraled into crap fast. But so do most child actors I guess. Such a tough business to be in. The spotlight, the money. Yikes. I had a cousin once that tasted the sweet nectar of show business. He starred in a dog food commercial. He had to eat the same food as the dog because if “it’s good for you, it’s good for your pet”. That was the slogan he had to say after he eat a giant spoonful of the dog food. Problem was it was really watery and tasted horrible. He couldn’t really swallow it and it would dribble out of his mouth and down his face. Anyways, he showed us the blooper reel of his audition and that’s why he’s been known as “Poopy Lips Luke” in our family since Thanksgiving ’04.

wow. your username REALLY suites you 

I normally go in for work at 8:30, but during the summer and winter vacation I come in at 9 am of shortly before. Sometimes they tell me to go home early as they did on New Year's Eve. They can do the same during the time I teach English camp.

I did not do my winter English camp yet but let's see if they will let me out earlier in the afternoon.

A lot of NETs are bad at teaching. A lot of NETs think they are better than they really are. A study said the worse the teacher is, the more likely they are to not realize it and assess themself highly.

Speak for yourself.

Speak for myself? I'm speaking on human nature as a whole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority

"My planning and lessons are done and are absolutely perfect and can't be improved upon" is simply not true.

Indeed! So back to work with you again!

If you had a conscience you wouldn't be wasting time posting on internet forums instead of engaging in actual work! Now, back to work with ya!

I'm not posting from work though. Today is one of my ten winter vacation days.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” -Bertrand Russell

A lot of NETs are bad at teaching. A lot of NETs think they are better than they really are. A study said the worse the teacher is, the more likely they are to not realize it and assess themself highly.

Speak for yourself.

Speak for myself? I'm speaking on human nature as a whole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority

"My planning and lessons are done and are absolutely perfect and can't be improved upon" is simply not true.

Indeed! So back to work with you again!

If you had a conscience you wouldn't be wasting time posting on internet forums instead of engaging in actual work! Now, back to work with ya!

I'm not posting from work though. Today is one of my ten winter vacation days.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” -Bertrand Russell

Yeah, we believe ya! 

This is what you do on vacation?

It's 9pm. All three of us are posting. Clearly we are not in a school building.

Life improvement, many of us have been here a long time and our lessons are sorted. Many of us don't know which Grades we will teach next year and in some cases the curriculum is changing next year and as usual we will be the last ones to be notified of the changes.

So I am done and dusted. I don't have to desk warm as my school has English Camp almost the whole vacation and I get five days off at the end that I will spend hiking and not spend castigating people on Waygook. Suggest you do the same.

If I want to post on waygook.org during a vacation day, that is my right, just as it is your right to post on waygook.org during a Saturday (which you are currently doing).

If people write online or otherwise publicly announce they are not working during their working hours, the Office of Education will take note and find a way to give more work to public school teachers. It may be more camps, more paperwork, paper correction or something else (which may or may not be ridiculous and a waste of time). Is that what you want? A heavier work load of required work.

If I want to post on waygook.org during a vacation day, that is my right, just as it is your right to post on waygook.org during a Saturday (which you are currently doing).

If people write online or otherwise publicly announce they are not working during their working hours, the Office of Education will take note and find a way to give more work to public school teachers. It may be more camps, more paperwork, paper correction or something else (which may or may not be ridiculous and a waste of time). Is that what you want? A heavier work load of required work.

Ha ha, I am sure SMOE is scouring our pages here on Waygook so they can trap us evil foreigners doing nothing during pointless deskwarming.

Sheez, you are paranoid.

Well in the past, some people had to desk warm but many did not. Also, some people had well under 22 classes per week. Those who had a better deal bragged online which resulted in increased work load for everyone. Now, there are strict rules about vacation time, more camps, and pressure to the schools to use the NET more fully. And in many cases, NETs are working multiple schools now, certainly much more so than in the past. So yes, what people write online does matter. Partly because a bilingual worker for the Ministry of Education (Korean or foreign or both) may read it (first hand or sent to them) and make a decision based on that OR a NET may read it, be angry and jealous and then call the Ministry of Education to complain. "Why can't I go home early when other NETs are?" That leads to stricter rules. It happened in the past and very well could happen again.

Well in the past, some people had to desk warm but many did not. Also, some people had well under 22 classes per week. Those who had a better deal bragged online which resulted in increased work load for everyone. Now, there are strict rules about vacation time, more camps, and pressure to the schools to use the NET more fully. And in many cases, NETs are working multiple schools now, certainly much more so than in the past. So yes, what people write online does matter. Partly because a bilingual worker for the Ministry of Education (Korean or foreign or both) may read it (first hand or sent to them) and make a decision based on that OR a NET may read it, be angry and jealous and then call the Ministry of Education to complain. "Why can't I go home early when other NETs are?" That leads to stricter rules. It happened in the past and very well could happen again.

I still think you are being paranoid, but anyhoo, not going to argue with you if you think it is going to make any difference sitting an making like you are busy and not posting it on Waygook, going for a nice walk now while you work on your PPT's. 

Public school jobs are nowhere near as good as they used to be. Each year they get a little bit worse. I would prefer not to contribute to that (speeding up their decline).

Well in the past, some people had to desk warm but many did not. Also, some people had well under 22 classes per week. Those who had a better deal bragged online which resulted in increased work load for everyone. Now, there are strict rules about vacation time, more camps, and pressure to the schools to use the NET more fully. And in many cases, NETs are working multiple schools now, certainly much more so than in the past. So yes, what people write online does matter. Partly because a bilingual worker for the Ministry of Education (Korean or foreign or both) may read it (first hand or sent to them) and make a decision based on that OR a NET may read it, be angry and jealous and then call the Ministry of Education to complain. "Why can't I go home early when other NETs are?" That leads to stricter rules. It happened in the past and very well could happen again.

I still think you are being paranoid, but anyhoo, not going to argue with you if you think it is going to make any difference sitting an making like you are busy and not posting it on Waygook, going for a nice walk now while you work on your PPT's. 

No he's pretty much spot on. Had it happen to plenty of friends back in the day.

TheEnergiser, that was caused by people complaining to their schools about deskwarming, not by writing on Waygook, big difference.

Not just complaining to their schools, but complaining to higher ups.

You think it's a good idea for NETs to publicly announce how little they work? A higher up will think, "Oh, they are not working enough? I'll give them more tasks to do/more camps/reduce the renewal re-signing bonus from ten days to five days."

Also, there is already a perception among Korean teachers that NETs are lazy and a waste of money. You want to fuel that?

Lastly, a big negative effect is it (these types of posts online) could flood the market even more than it already is. When that happens, schools can afford to be more choosy, meaning you could be replaced by a female who is younger and more physically attractive than you. Don't think it could happen? It already has for many. 

I have yet to have anything resembling deskwarming time...I'm on Waygook right now because I'm home doing lesson planning on the weekend. Didn't have time to do any winter camp planning before vacation started, as my regular classes continued up to the last day. I get to work at 8 and leave at 5, teaching four hours of camp and two hours of "afterschool" classes that start at 9 AM.

I'm tired.

Life....

Why are you so insecure? Stop worrying, a few rants on Waygook will do nothing to the bigger picture. As my co-teacher tells me NET's are not important in the bigger picture here and she is the kindest person I have met, so there was no malice in that statement.

I have been here more than 5 years, I have a good supply of PPT's and Lesson materials etc and when I make my stuff I make sure it is correct the first time round so I need not go back and re-invent the wheel.

I don't deskwarm simply because SMOE has cut our holidays so much that with the 5 weeks of camps that we have to do each year there is barely enough time for me to get my allotted vacation time.

Even if I did have to do deskwarming, I would feel no guilt in doing my own thing because when I am working on my lesson materials after teaching each day, the Korean teachers in my office are lying sleeping on the couch, doing online shopping, going out of the school to do their hair and have coffee or watch TV series online.

In addition to that my school provides nothing for English, English Camps and English teaching and for the last 4 camps that I have done at this school, I have paid for and provided the materials and snacks for the kids at English Camp.

So, my concerned friend, that is my take on it. I give 110% to my classes and teaching etc, they give me less than 0 back in return (but that is ok, because I love the kids and they love me and I don't give a flying fig about the management of my school, all I am concerned about it that the kids get taught decent English), so if and when I have to deskwarming, I would feel no guilt in doing my own thing.

Don't worry, you won't be replaced or your burden won't be made heavier by the occasional rant on Waygook. Complaining to your school or higher ups, yes, maybe, but writing here...no.

Chill and have a good day. 

Hi. We are talking about two different things. (Opposite things, really.)

If you want to complain, either online or to higher ups…

"SMOE has cut our holidays so much"

"when I am working on my lesson materials after teaching each day, the Korean teachers in my office are lying sleeping on the couch, doing online shopping, going out of the school to do their hair and have coffee or watch TV series online."

"my school provides nothing for English, English Camps and English teaching and for the last 4 camps that I have done at this school, I have paid for and provided the materials and snacks for the kids at English Camp."

"I give 110% to my classes and teaching etc, they give me less than 0 back in return"

…then I 100% support you. These are valid complaints/concerns and I think more people need to hear them. Maybe it could start a dialogue about what to do. Maybe it could lead to change in the system. At the very least it could help un-flood the market by discouraging Westerners to jump at the chance to work at any crap job with deteriorating conditions thrown their way.

"Don't worry, you won't be replaced or your burden won't be made heavier by the occasional rant on Waygook."

Yes, I know. Ranting/complaining by others on this board could benefit my life/us. (It is people bragging out how little work they do (which isn't even the case for most of us) that could hurt me/us.) 

Kyndo posted this link so it's his fault.  Anyhow, most of this was 2014 and China and other countries had not risen up yet to the same degree as recently.  Also, the Great Recession was still not fully recovered from hence in some parts of Korea employers beginning to take us for granted due to too many rushing in here after the 2009 financial crash.  The economy recovered since then but got a temporary punch in the face due to covid. 

Kyndo, it's your fault for posting the link.