RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

...
 learning how to more effectively cheat at Poker each and every class. 

Every year i teach cards once per class. At my last job i had one remarkable class for 7 straight years (kindy thru 1st year middle school five students - advanced level), so they went from Go Fish and Crazy Eights, through Black Widow, Spades, Hearts, rummy, robber rummy, cribbage, canasta, 5-card stud, 3-draw poker and Texas Hold'em.

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.

I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.

"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.

I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.

Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

I've actually played "Mao" (I called it "Rules") with my camp students, letting the winner make a new rule every round (with fewer starting rules - I think I cut some out, and replaced them with ones that were easier to remember). It's great practice for "must", imperatives, or "if/then". The students loved calling each other out if they forgot/broke a rule, and the chaos that happens when someone plays a king.

Example rules:
If you play a diamond, you must do jazz hands and say "sparkle sparkle." (failure = take a card)
If someone plays a king, everyone stands up. The last one to stand must take a card.
If you play a heart, you must tell the person on your left "I love you." (failure = take a card)

The LEARNING of new games entirely through the target language (allow zero Korean explanations) sharpens attention and stimulates excitement.
I teach new games once. I don't keep playing them in class because the learning component is gone.
"Game Day" is really ideally not about playing but learning.
I think elementary school P.E. teachers are negligent in playing dodgeball for the friggin' hundredth time rather than introduce new challenges to master.
Same goes for the ESLer who puts in a popular video and just tells the students to enjoy (no viewing task, no post-video exercise).

This is actually pretty brilliant.
Almost everybody enjoys playing new games, and even kids with very little interest in English may pay attention so that they can do well at the game.
I've played go fish once or twice, and things like Memory, and Stress, and half the challenge for the kids is so get the rules right, so there is definitely some English learning going on aside from the English vocabulary that they're supposed to be repeating when they play.

   I sometimes do outdoor lessons, and I've been trying to figure out how I can effectively implement a good game of Calvin Ball.
   The wiki says that it's a game without rules, but it's actually the opposite: there are a million rules, but they're all made up on the spot.
    That might be very educational and... interesting, if properly done! 

I've actually played "Mao" (I called it "Rules") with my camp students, letting the winner make a new rule every round (with fewer starting rules - I think I cut some out, and replaced them with ones that were easier to remember). It's great practice for "must", imperatives, or "if/then". The students loved calling each other out if they forgot/broke a rule, and the chaos that happens when someone plays a king.

Example rules:
If you play a diamond, you must do jazz hands and say "sparkle sparkle." (failure = take a card)
If someone plays a king, everyone stands up. The last one to stand must take a card.
If you play a heart, you must tell the person on your left "I love you." (failure = take a card)

Did you just teach them a kiddie version of "Kings"? Nice

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

It blows my mind how much time groups will waste. I made Grade 6 do a new subway line in our town. I gave them a printed out map on paper and let the 4 students comprising one group use a computer to use Naver Maps.

Mission? Pick 5 or 6 places in our town. Refer to the net, Make 5 or 6 dark circles on the paper where the stations woulde be. They had 10 mins.

8 mins in.

  Why don't you have any circles on your paper?

  We can't decide where to start the subway and we've been arguing about it.

Like, FFS, there FOUR OF YOU. Everyone pick one place, mark em down, and then you can quibble over the final one or two places. I don't understand. Subway lines don't have starting and ending places, at least not in their version that they're doing. Jesus.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

Tremendously dumb thing and so badly implemented.  It's like when they send the teachers abroad for 'research/fact-finding' this is one thing they'd think would be good, and like you said it doesn't work as it's just apathy from the students.  The majority of Korean teachers I know agree too.  Thing is, schools in the same city can opt-out of it while others do it.  Then the next year when they do have tests, they're playing catch up.   

But in high school, it is still prevalent.  I say this mainly among the older 40s and 50s male teachers.  There is a group of 4 or 5 bloke teachers at my school who do this.  One being my 2nd grade co-teacher.  He is perfectly good at teaching.  But yesterday, he came in saying he blacked out the night before, and he stank while talking to me.  Fine, I had no classes with him yesterday.  Then, when I come to school today his car is parked with the other notorious drinker's car who is in charge of the 3rd grade students (lest we forget, they have the uni entrance test in a couple of months).  They weren't in school early, so it's obvious to me that they were out getting wasted leaving their cars at school.  They rock up at 8:20 today, grinning, and no doubt stinking of booze.  Two days in a row.   

He came in first period yesterday when I had no class, looking sorry for himself.  'I can't teach today with you as I'm hungover'.  Thing is, he volunteered us to do an open class next Thursday together.  So yesterday, I said, 'maybe on Wednesday next week I'll go out and get wasted so I can't teach in the open class meaning you have to lead the class'.  Cue some laughing.  Maybe I was only half joking. 

I came in today, and his car is parked in the car park again.  Three days in a row on the lash.   

Not really a venting thing.  Been here too long to be pissed off by these things and generally my classes are planned so that I don't need anyone ot help me.  Just the unprofessionalism of it all.  Am always amazed by the lack of dignity that goes with it too. 

So today is Thursday.  I came to school this morning and his car is parked in the car park, so obviously he was out on the lash last night.   

The open class will be fine, done loads, not a problem.  But don't 'volunteer us' to do an open class.  All the teachers know that I'm very organised and professional about my job and take it seriously.  I think there'll be a whole lot of scolding from me to him today on that particular issue. 

Korea:  Where 'professionalism' is only a word students memorise in the hope it'll come up in the university entrance test, then it's forgotten.

But in high school, it is still prevalent.  I say this mainly among the older 40s and 50s male teachers.  There is a group of 4 or 5 bloke teachers at my school who do this.  One being my 2nd grade co-teacher.  He is perfectly good at teaching.  But yesterday, he came in saying he blacked out the night before, and he stank while talking to me.  Fine, I had no classes with him yesterday.  Then, when I come to school today his car is parked with the other notorious drinker's car who is in charge of the 3rd grade students (lest we forget, they have the uni entrance test in a couple of months).  They weren't in school early, so it's obvious to me that they were out getting wasted leaving their cars at school.  They rock up at 8:20 today, grinning, and no doubt stinking of booze.  Two days in a row.   

He came in first period yesterday when I had no class, looking sorry for himself.  'I can't teach today with you as I'm hungover'.  Thing is, he volunteered us to do an open class next Thursday together.  So yesterday, I said, 'maybe on Wednesday next week I'll go out and get wasted so I can't teach in the open class meaning you have to lead the class'.  Cue some laughing.  Maybe I was only half joking. 

I came in today, and his car is parked in the car park again.  Three days in a row on the lash.   

Not really a venting thing.  Been here too long to be pissed off by these things and generally my classes are planned so that I don't need anyone ot help me.  Just the unprofessionalism of it all.  Am always amazed by the lack of dignity that goes with it too. 

So today is Thursday.  I came to school this morning and his car is parked in the car park, so obviously he was out on the lash last night.   

The open class will be fine, done loads, not a problem.  But don't 'volunteer us' to do an open class.  All the teachers know that I'm very organised and professional about my job and take it seriously.  I think there'll be a whole lot of scolding from me to him today on that particular issue. 

Korea:  Where 'professionalism' is only a word students memorise in the hope it'll come up in the university entrance test, then it's forgotten.

Oh shizzzz... Gettttt'ummm!  Good luck with the class (not that you need it). I am like you, an open class is a normal class and relatively easy to just do.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time. The students will be going on a field trip instead of taking exams so they just stopped caring. The book I teach has a section where they must give a presentation. I gave them 10 minutes to finish the sheet and when it came time to present, only 3 students managed to finish. I was just shocked how they can look at a teacher in the face and said "I didn't do it" without a care in the world. Co-teachers also didn't do anything about it. I remember getting in trouble for that type of behavior back when I was a student lol.

Yeah. Out of all the goofy things in the education system right now, this might be the dumbest and most poorly implemented.

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

Or it could be a behavioral problem with the students, for the class they picked for it.
I have a school, where 2/3 classes are filled with sports students that don't listen to anyone in the school.
My co-T will FILM them doing bad shit to send to their parents, and the students will pose, and laugh while facing the camera once they know they are being filmed.
Now, if an open class, for renewal was in this class, instead of say, my class where all the students listen, and I rarely even need translations from the co-T; The results would be much different.

However, what you said is sound advice, I feel it's not as black and white as: you are greatly prepared, not no prepared enough.

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

Lol have you ever seen an open class here?  It's like a Beauty Pageant at my school.  Korean teacher gets dressed up like she's going to get professional head shots taken, the students have practiced the material a million times, no talking, no messing around, NO KOREAN is spoken (hahahaha).  It's like another planet.

I think Koreans would be disappointed if your open class didn't look any different to your regular ones 

I initially assumed that was some kind of collectivist mindset that everything bright is "good". Turns out, it's the parents and their belief in BS.

My CTs make sure that every light is searing through my corneas to prevent any wrath from parents. Apparently, anything dimmer than an upscale department store makeup isle, will certainly lead to permanent eye damage, according to the parents.
I'm not sure from which quack they got this information, but it's right up there with fan-death

I'm reading about how overly bright lights might be damaging to eyes. Hopefully that's not true. The other sad part is bright lights require more electricity which burns more coal which makes the air more polluted. 

Have you noticed how teachers play listening tests at an excessively high volume?

I guess that's to prevent a kid who didn't study from lying to his mother with "The sound was too low. I couldn't hear."

Ironically, this loud sound is causing hearing damage, which will reduce the accuracy/likelihood of future comprehension.

There is another widely held belief / myth that cold temperatures cause illness, so schools and other public places (like buses) crank up the heat beyond what is necessary... which dries out mucus membranes in the nose and throat, making virus penetration more likely.

Took a chance on a convenience store burger and got burned.

This "free semester" is making my job feel like an absolute waste of time.

Tremendously dumb thing and so badly implemented. 

Yeah. Out of all the goofy things in the education system right now, this might be the dumbest and most poorly implemented.

OMFGYES

They "borrowed" something from a different country with a completely different school system, did absolutely nothing to adjust it to their own school system, and now students feel free to **** around for the entire semester. They don't even provide teachers with any guidance. They just tell them to figure it out, lol.

I think what really irritates me most about the free semester, though, are the methods students employ in trying to get out of doing any work. They think they can use the same nonsensical excuses that they've used in primary school, and they expect the teachers to just roll over and give in to them.

It's like the one good thing that comes out of the free semester for me -- students eventually learn that their workload doubles when they attempt to pull a fast one on the teachers, so they're better about projects and group work the following year.

At my school they do this, but students take their regular classes, and they just aren't tested on anything.
So, grade 1 get into an attitude of not caring. and then grade 2 hits them really hard, or they just keep not caring.

i never understand the people that make a song and dance for open classes. to me this seems like your normal classes are not good enough, so you need to do something "better" than usual. treat every class like an open class. as my old director said in australia, "if you get nervous when i walk in your class, maybe you haven't prepared your class properly"

Lol have you ever seen an open class here?  It's like a Beauty Pageant at my school.  Korean teacher gets dressed up like she's going to get professional head shots taken, the students have practiced the material a million times, no talking, no messing around, NO KOREAN is spoken (hahahaha).  It's like another planet.

I think Koreans would be disappointed if your open class didn't look any different to your regular ones 

Allow me regale you with the story of The Open Class of Legend:

A few years ago, my ex-CT was sent on a 2 month government-funded trip to NZ to participate in a teacher training programme.
When she returned, I take it the higher-ups wanted to see what a generous portion of their budget was spent on so she was scheduled to do a special open class. In attendance were: the school's principal, VP, head teacher, about a dozen Korean English teachers from the biggest schools in the city, supervisor of the MOE and a few flunkies, the superintendent of the POE with a few flunkies and myself (not teaching with her, thank God).

She'd selected the 6th grade class which I thought was a bit odd, the class is small (8 students) and there are a few relatively bright kids in this class however, they can be a rowdy bunch. My CT is an odd duck as she speaks English at a reasonable pace and doesn't stutter, but about 60% of what she says can only be described as gibberish. She also some strange discipline strategies, she told me that students "will be good if you love them" Our classes have been generally ok is I take the lead and leave her to do whatever the hell she does with the weaker students, at least it keeps them occupied.

My spidey senses told me to get a good seat as something spectacular was about to happen. The bigwigs start arriving and I begin to realize "Wow, this is actually a pretty big deal".

Class starts and she begins with greetings and reviewing the previous lesson. Immediately, I notice that a few of the Korean English teachers are furrowing their eyebrows and 2 of my CTs, from my other schools, are giving my questioning looks as if to ask "Is this woman speaking English? Did she pick up some obscure Kiwi accent?" The PPT is a mess, riddled with grammatical and spelling mistakes and follows no logical structure... the borders and background are pretty though.

Seemingly unfazed by those present, the students start acting up and shouting "무라요" and "no jem", while my CT is trying to elicit the vocabulary and expressions they'd "learned" from the previous lesson. While attempting to elicit answers, the only responses she got were silence and those mentioned above. Honestly, I don't blame the students inability to comprehend the CT as she was speaking in a way that can only be described as mumble-rap meets Borat.   

Skipping the presentation or practice phase because honestly, who needs the PPP method? She jumps straight to explaining the game. It's a pretty effective game, which I still use today. Get a bunch of ice-cream sticks and give each student 2 or 3 and have them walk around using the key expression, then RPS, winner takes one stick from the loser and the student with the most sticks at the end of the game is the winner. Simply, right?

She spends 20min, yes 20min, trying to explain this game. When she fails to explain in English, she resorts to Korean ( a big no-no in an English open class like this). The students continue to chorus "무라요" and some boys begin entertaining themselves by throwing sticks at one another, a few break their sticks and the girls are mostly just doodling in their books. For reasons still unknown to me, I decide to step in and interject. First, I get the students attention, then I take 3 sticks and do what should've been done 20min ago, I ask me CT the key expression, she responds and I RPS her. I lose, give her one of the sticks and I pull a sad face, the kids laugh, the adults laugh. I repeat again, I win and my CT gives me a stick. The students go "ahhhhh", my CT asks if they understand and they affirm. I sit down.
 
The game starts, or rather... the maelstrom starts. These kids are usually rather rowdy, but today, they're out of control. The conspiracy theorist inside my entertains the idea that she drugged them with some kind of sedative before class however, she must've mixed it up with what must've been some unholy concoction of Red Bull and Flakka. The kids immediately ignore the activity or the environment and are throwing sticks at one another, my CT is chasing a boy around the room like a freakin Tom and Jerry cartoon, the girls are at the board doodling and writing BTS army and everyone can hear a few "씨발" being hurled around by the boys.

I gaze at those present, most are looking at their shoes, some teachers are covering their mouths, with wide-eyed expressions. The MOE and POE look furious and seem to be engaging in a quiet, yet serious discussion while observing the spectacle.

The bell rings in the middle of the chaos... time management would be the least of the criticisms. She somehow gets the students to their seats and dares to ask "Did you have fun?" "No", "", "no jem", "무라요". She makes a deflated and feeble attempt to elicit the target expression to no avail. The students run out mid-greeting.

The CT nervously thanks the audience who... claps... they clap. Outside the class, the CT is having a conversation with the other English teachers and with every breath she can muster, she's throwing every one of her students under the bus, blaming so and so for having mental issues etc. I'm glad I wasn't doing the open class with this piece of work. Well, mine would've gone smoothly, I damn well guarantee you, but if something did go wrong, you can bet your ass she'd throw me under the bus in a heartbeat.

Before the open class, she was scheduled to transfer and she did... without a hitch. She transfered to a bigger city in a bigger school. Korean education sparkling! 

i have a splitting headache, my body aches, my sinuses are making me feel like hell yet I can't go home. I have 1 day and 3 hours left of my sick leave left. I know I'm going to get sick again during winter or I keeping it as an emergency day if my senior dog ever needs me to take a day off for him if he gets sick.

There is a nurses room that the teachers go to, yet, the nurse teacher doesn't like me sleeping there.  It's always either busy or she's busy or there's no space, all of which are never true because the beds are in clear view. I was told by  my co-teacher to use that room, and that teachers often do. She caught me sleeping at my desk, because the nurse bitch refused me again. There's no point in telling my co-teacher that she doesn't want me there. She won't understand, and will probably just side with the nurse bitch and say, yeah it's been busy.

I don't know what they're worried about anyway, whether the darker color of my skin will rub off on their pillows and sheets and dirty it... fckers.

Rant over, I feel like crap :(

Nice story Aristocrat. A few spelling mistakes in there has me wondering does she teach you English privates on Skype? 

무라요 up there with Jamsimayo in the waygook.org Korean spelling mistakes chart. 

Nice story Aristocrat. A few spelling mistakes in there has me wondering does she teach you English privates on Skype? 

무라요 up there with Jamsimayo in the waygook.org Korean spelling mistakes chart. 

My friend texted me today and said he was gonna get bimbop.

I made fun of him so he fixed it to bimpbop.

JESUS

My friend texted me today and said he was gonna get bimbop.

I made fun of him so he fixed it to bimpbop.

That's amazing.