RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Staff dinner last night.  Samgyapsal.  Now my winter coat smells like fried pork.

At least you didn't have live abalone...

I'm just not a fan of seafood... I know it's expensive though!

Well, I don't see how anyone could complain after eating abalone. So good.

God I can't wait until I'm done with this. Jerk boss just accosted me about some work I was never told to do asking why it wasn't done. They had apparently wanted me to write questions for 28 stories from this story book, but I had initially been told - very specifically - to only write questions for 10. I showed them those, and they said that it wasn't enough questions. These are super simple stories like the tortoise and the hare, and I'd only been able to think up 5-6 questions for each because they're just so simple.

For once in her entire life she actually gave some helpful suggestions on how to write more ridiculously simple questions for these simple stories but... ugh. They way she tells me to do anything is super abrasive and confrontational and it puts me on edge.

And apparently I have to make an English newspaper by the end of winter camp, yay.

: Hey, I know you wanted to see my camp materials, but since you wanted me to focus on speaking, it's not really using a lot of powerpoints
  : I agree, since it is speaking it doesn't need powerpoint
  : So, I wrote out my camp plan to show you
  : But I already wrote the camp plan...
  : I mean the plan for my section of the camp
  : Oh ok
  : (showing the plan) So, on the first day first thing I want to ask them if there's anything they want to learn about
  : I don't think that's a good idea
  : ??
  : They are first graders
  : I know they might not have anything they want to learn about, but I want to ask them just in case, to make it fun for them
  : But there is not enough time to make a lesson
  : Oh, well I wouldn't change the whole camp for that. Maybe just one lesson. I'd have enough time for that
  : But you are the teacher. You should have already planned all the lessons
  : I... I did already plan all the lessons. I'm showing you my plan right now

Seriously, what?

 

I see what you're going for there, but I can get your coteacher's reaction, too. Back when I first started teaching here, I thought I'd try the whole 'self-motivated / choose your own lesson' thing, and it was poorly received by coworkers and students. In another educational environment, it might work well, but here it comes across as confusing and ill-prepared. Not your fault - like I said, I tried it, too.

I'm just like baffled by her insinuation that I didn't have a plan, because the plan was literally right in front of her and I was running through it.

I like to give my students choices, but I've learned that if it's super open ended then they sometimes have more difficulty. If you have a small selection of options for them to see if they learn more toward one or another, I think that can work fairly well.

I usually use a healthy cereal, like toasted muesli, however, I haven't been able to find it here, so I get the blueberry special K

I usually buy my muesli from a local store here, but I am positive I've seen it being sold in the cereal aisles in either Emart or Homeplus (could have been both, but definitely one of them).

Some bakeries will also have it, but not most -- this much seems really random, honestly.

Otherwise, there's always coupang or gmarket. xD

It's not in the homeplus in my town. I look everytime I go there, which is almost every day haha.

Man I am about ready to give up on this hospital business.

I finally got my MRI yesterday, nothing was amiss. After discussing the results with me the neurologist just went on again like "hmmmmm I don't know" and then told me I should go to a university hospital.

It's really hard to focus when you constantly feel like your head is spinning and like you're going to vomit. But I don't have that much work to do anymore, and the semester is almost over. Even if I feel sick I can just lump around or take a nap without worrying. But they told me this all needs to get done within a week. So....?????

Have you gone to see a dentist? I spent a year in agony going from doctor to doctor, to specialist to specialist and getting scan after scan done. Each referral took me closer and closer to Seoul and to bigger and bigger hospitals. The university hospital I went to put me on epilepsy medicine with the diagnosis being possible TM Neuralgia because nothing else came close to matching. That medicine was something else and then some. I decided I wanted my mommy before I stabbed myself in the head to stop the pain and flew home. Went to the dentist while I was there and found out I needed a root canal and had 7 additional holes.

Hmm that's possible. I'm a little worried about going to the dentist in Korea bc I've heard some horror stories about unanesthetized surgeries, but I'm due for a cleaning and it's cheaper than back home...

@kimchimandu - thanks, I'll try calling them

I've been to the dentist 3 times in my time here. All were very good, but they didn't look at the problem I went in about. I took my co-teacher all 3 times, he understood what I wanted, but they still didn't look at what I went in for. :\

I am so physically and emotionally drained that I'm worried I'm going to take my frustration out on someone I care about.

I've been listening to the teachers talk about how glad they are that they don't have to work on Friday and vacation starts next week, and my co-teacher turns to me and says, "I'm sorry, but foreigners have to work on Friday."

I know it's all in the contract, but my God how pointless is deskwarming? I NEED a mental health day. And then camp for two weeks.... Why do we even have camp? One of the biggest appeals of teaching is the long vacations, but we have to fill them with camps here.

More like how great is deskwarming, am I right? Literally getting paid to read a book or study. And you get to use the school's heat, water, internet, etc.

I'd prefer to have vacation, but I mean, deskwarming is kind of a unique pleasure.

Deskwarming is better than Camp, but I'd still rather have more vacation.
Deskwarming is great because I can focus on studying when I don't have the time / motivation to do it at home, but I could easily be doing nothing at home.

I think they don't realise, we need breaks just as much as the Korean teachers. We may work less here compared to them (comparable amounts in some cases, I'm sure), but we have a lot of difficulties here compared to the Korean teachers that we should get a break from. At least, camp / deskwarming makes it feel like they 'don't understand our unique situation' haha.

Finding a decent place to live in Seoul is miserable. Everything that's new or remodeled has awful built-in washing machines and gas / electric ranges. Everything older is scummy and dirty.

And everything is offensively expensive.

Should have seen the gas range offered in my first apartment here (I'm not in Seoul). It sparked when it was turned on. So using the appliance allowance, I got a nice electric one now. :D

I am so physically and emotionally drained that I'm worried I'm going to take my frustration out on someone I care about.

I've been listening to the teachers talk about how glad they are that they don't have to work on Friday and vacation starts next week, and my co-teacher turns to me and says, "I'm sorry, but foreigners have to work on Friday."

I know it's all in the contract, but my God how pointless is deskwarming? I NEED a mental health day. And then camp for two weeks.... Why do we even have camp? One of the biggest appeals of teaching is the long vacations, but we have to fill them with camps here.

More like how great is deskwarming, am I right? Literally getting paid to read a book or study. And you get to use the school's heat, water, internet, etc.

I'd prefer to have vacation, but I mean, deskwarming is kind of a unique pleasure.

Deskwarming is better than Camp, but I'd still rather have more vacation.
Deskwarming is great because I can focus on studying when I don't have the time / motivation to do it at home, but I could easily be doing nothing at home.

I think they don't realise, we need breaks just as much as the Korean teachers. We may work less here compared to them (comparable amounts in some cases, I'm sure), but we have a lot of difficulties here compared to the Korean teachers that we should get a break from. At least, camp / deskwarming makes it feel like they 'don't understand our unique situation' haha.

There used to be no camps back in the day.  Those days are long, long gone now.  :(

"Robin Teacher, you need to have a video of a class."
"Okay."
"Can you do it tomorrow?"
"Well, we've finished the book. I guess I could prepare a review lesson but we're just watching a movie in all our classes..."
"Okay. Have a plan by 3pm." [5 mins ago]

It's 3rd grade who are my least favorite students and I am out of material. Thanks for the extra dose of stress as I'm trying to get camp ready. They could have filmed any of my book lessons but no, wait until we're completely finished and then make a lesson in 10 minutes.

I am so physically and emotionally drained that I'm worried I'm going to take my frustration out on someone I care about.

I've been listening to the teachers talk about how glad they are that they don't have to work on Friday and vacation starts next week, and my co-teacher turns to me and says, "I'm sorry, but foreigners have to work on Friday."

I know it's all in the contract, but my God how pointless is deskwarming? I NEED a mental health day. And then camp for two weeks.... Why do we even have camp? One of the biggest appeals of teaching is the long vacations, but we have to fill them with camps here.

More like how great is deskwarming, am I right? Literally getting paid to read a book or study. And you get to use the school's heat, water, internet, etc.

I'd prefer to have vacation, but I mean, deskwarming is kind of a unique pleasure.

Deskwarming is better than Camp, but I'd still rather have more vacation.
Deskwarming is great because I can focus on studying when I don't have the time / motivation to do it at home, but I could easily be doing nothing at home.

I think they don't realise, we need breaks just as much as the Korean teachers. We may work less here compared to them (comparable amounts in some cases, I'm sure), but we have a lot of difficulties here compared to the Korean teachers that we should get a break from. At least, camp / deskwarming makes it feel like they 'don't understand our unique situation' haha.

There used to be no camps back in the day.  Those days are long, long gone now.  :(

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

This would be a totally different job without camps. I can't imagine. Camp is easily the hardest part of this job.

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

This would be a totally different job without camps. I can't imagine. Camp is easily the hardest part of this job.

I'm curious why you think that? I've probably had it easy -- week long camp at most, I get to do what I want, and it usually involves candy. I'm not a superfan but it's not...awful?

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

This would be a totally different job without camps. I can't imagine. Camp is easily the hardest part of this job.

Right? Very little to no fixed focus, lack of direction, often with an incredibly small to non-existent budget, and with many NETs receiving little to no support or feedback even on the most basic details... I get that they can be made fun and used as an opportunity for teaching certain things for NETs in the right setup, but, really, in most cases, they're a huge waste of time for students and teachers alike. I'd much rather deskwarm. I feel that the time spent at the desk would be far more productive. I could easily knock out half-a-year's worth in planning during deskwarming. xD

But I might feel differently if I were in a school that actually made effective use of camps.

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

This would be a totally different job without camps. I can't imagine. Camp is easily the hardest part of this job.

I'm curious why you think that? I've probably had it easy -- week long camp at most, I get to do what I want, and it usually involves candy. I'm not a superfan but it's not...awful?

Some of us are fortunate. Others not so much. One of my friends always has to work multiple weeks of camp and has to try and fit in vacation in the midst somehow. Always tons of children and no Korean teacher. One good thing for her was a ridiculous budget.

I like camp when it rolls around but that's because I always have small numbers, manageable students, and generally get to do what I want. I spend a ton of time on prep but at least it's time spent on activities I enjoy.

For my kids in particular, I think camp is a very good thing because most are stuck on the island for the better part if not all of break and there's not much stuff they can do otherwise. At the least, they have fun getting together and hanging out.

Some schools started doing camps, while other schools didn't.

They were paid and voluntary (for the most part).

When several very vocal NETS complained that others were able to double-dip (regular salary, plus an extra 2 million for 2 weeks of camp), the administration made camps mandatory with no pay.

That is the way it went down 9-10 years ago.

Too many short-sighted mental midgets ruined a good thing for many.

I normally don't mind camp, but this year I have three weeks of 4 hours a day with 25-28 students per class, 4 different levels I'm still teaching this week and camp starts on Monday and I have to do prep on my own

As soon as camp is finished I have to prep placement tests for the new teacher. I'm sick of here. Desk warming sounds like a rainbow unicorn situation to me.

Why do you think they started camps? Pressure from the parents? Teachers complaining we have too much time off?

I've read it was because a bunch of NETs kept complaining about the amount of deskwarming they had to do, especially when comparing their own setups to other NETs who were permitted to stay home or take longer vacations at the discretion of their schools.

This would be a totally different job without camps. I can't imagine. Camp is easily the hardest part of this job.

I'm curious why you think that? I've probably had it easy -- week long camp at most, I get to do what I want, and it usually involves candy. I'm not a superfan but it's not...awful?

You've had it easy. My main school wanted 6 weeks of winter camp.
Because of when I took my vacation, it made too many half weeks during jan / feb, so they took it down to 3. Last time I checked they only had the sign ups for 1 week, so *hopefully* I'll only get 1 week at my main school and 1 week at my travel school.

And camp is both stressful and the most hardest part of this job. My main school started off with "We want 3 weeks of nothing but reading / writing / speaking / listening competitions - but didn't like any idea given to them. Now it is: "It must differ from your regular lessons, it must be fun, you have a budget of 0, it must be fun, and no watching movies." I have enough ideas for about 3 days, so most of my camp is going to be winged.

I'm anxious about camp because my coteacher was being all weird yesterday to me.... but talking with one of my friends helped me realize, well, if the camp goes badly, things won't be that much worse for me, and if camp goes well, things probably won't be that much better.

Still just tired of dealing with everyone though.

Finding a decent place to live in Seoul is miserable. Everything that's new or remodeled has awful built-in washing machines and gas / electric ranges. Everything older is scummy and dirty.

And everything is offensively expensive.

This is my current rant too. The place my school gave me has been so awful so I'm taking the pittance of a housing allowance and trying to go it alone. Been looking online for months, and it's rare I see anything passable (clean, enough space for a double bed, not an hours commute).

I know I shouldn't complain about the housing allowance yadda yadda but seriously, that amount may have been okay 10 years ago, not now.