RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

So the New co-T I have just came in from another school, and only started teaching English recently. she's never taught with a foreigner before either. I've been at this for 7 years now and always have a routine that my class can follow. I know how to teach certain things to different classes. Before she came, i had a routine with the previous teacher, and our classes ran smoothly. now with her around it's nothing but frustrating.

Whenever I make suggestions, she just says ok and goes on to do her own thing. For example, we do tests on the last day of every unit. We play it maybe 2 times, 3 if the students ask for it. I told her that she doesnt need to play the entire dialogue and questions again when checking the answers, cause the studetns just get tired and restless. If they didnt know the answer the first 3 times we played it, theyre not going to know it the next 2 times we play it, i told her to just check their answers. they usually do get all the answers right any way. But she never listens. She plays it mainly for herself, because she doesnt understand English that well. Doing this takes up an entire 45 mins of the class and by the end the students are usually tired and have zero energy left.

Before,  these tests took 20 mins and i would reward them with a game and they always left class with high energies.

There's so many other things that she doesnt listen to. Then she does this annoying thing of constantly cleaning and re-arranging things in class while i'm teaching. The only thing she does is plays the dialogue in the textbook and explains certain phrases in Korean when needed (and ofcourse when she plays the dialogue she takes the longest time to do it). I'd like her to be present through out the class. But instead i have to keep calling out to her to get her attention.  On top of her constant cleaning, the room has this strong perfume or aroma. it gives me such a headache to be there.

To be fair she did ask me in the beginning if i liked nice smelling things and suggested putting one of those air freshner bottles in the room, to which i said yeah, i dont mind. I did not expect it to be so strong that it actually wafts out into the hall way.

I am so tired of teaching with her. I speak to her in the nicest way possible but I'm so close to losing it. I really just want to just take over the class on do this on my own, I dont need her to click a mouse and play through the dialogues in the books. i can do that on my own. But that's the system my previous teacher and i had. The previous teacher told the new Co-T what our class routine was like and now she feels obligated to follow that but at the slowest most annoying pace ever, and makes certain changes that dont need to be made!!!

I really dont know what to do with her anymore...

So the New co-T I have just came in from another school, and only started teaching English recently. she's never taught with a foreigner before either. I've been at this for 7 years now and always have a routine that my class can follow. I know how to teach certain things to different classes. Before she came, i had a routine with the previous teacher, and our classes ran smoothly. now with her around it's nothing but frustrating.

Whenever I make suggestions, she just says ok and goes on to do her own thing. For example, we do tests on the last day of every unit. We play it maybe 2 times, 3 if the students ask for it. I told her that she doesnt need to play the entire dialogue and questions again when checking the answers, cause the studetns just get tired and restless. If they didnt know the answer the first 3 times we played it, theyre not going to know it the next 2 times we play it, i told her to just check their answers. they usually do get all the answers right any way. But she never listens. She plays it mainly for herself, because she doesnt understand English that well. Doing this takes up an entire 45 mins of the class and by the end the students are usually tired and have zero energy left.

Before,  these tests took 20 mins and i would reward them with a game and they always left class with high energies.

There's so many other things that she doesnt listen to. Then she does this annoying thing of constantly cleaning and re-arranging things in class while i'm teaching. The only thing she does is plays the dialogue in the textbook and explains certain phrases in Korean when needed (and ofcourse when she plays the dialogue she takes the longest time to do it). I'd like her to be present through out the class. But instead i have to keep calling out to her to get her attention.  On top of her constant cleaning, the room has this strong perfume or aroma. it gives me such a headache to be there.

To be fair she did ask me in the beginning if i liked nice smelling things and suggested putting one of those air freshner bottles in the room, to which i said yeah, i dont mind. I did not expect it to be so strong that it actually wafts out into the hall way.

I am so tired of teaching with her. I speak to her in the nicest way possible but I'm so close to losing it. I really just want to just take over the class on do this on my own, I dont need her to click a mouse and play through the dialogues in the books. i can do that on my own. But that's the system my previous teacher and i had. The previous teacher told the new Co-T what our class routine was like and now she feels obligated to follow that but at the slowest most annoying pace ever, and makes certain changes that dont need to be made!!!

I really dont know what to do with her anymore...

This is one of the few things that I don't miss about the typical public school life. Don't get me wrong; I've had some very good co-teachers in the past. That said, when you get one that is difficult to work with, it can make life seem so much more miserable at work. And trying to navigate communicating your needs and wants for the classroom while also respecting cultural norms here can be so frustrating.

It's a small grievance but it's really starting to grate on my nerves. My school LOVES using the English room as its meeting/presentation room. I don't mind. What I do mind is the fact that they always rearrange the desks for their events and then leave them like that. Could you not take a simple 5 minutes with your group and put the desks back the way they were? 
Instead, I have to spend the first 5 minutes of my class getting the students to help me put the desks back in order. Maybe it's a sign that I'm ready to leave Korea. I only have two more months here but it seems like even the small stuff is starting to bother me. I think it's good I'm leaving soon.

I had this issue at the beginning of the semester. My classroom is "deep," for lack of a better word, so desks are at the front so students can see, and there's an area for activities or group work at the back. My desks also have numbers on them, because seats are assigned randomly at the beginning of each class.

Let's just say my classroom was unrecognizable after the first teachers' meeting held in it.

I typed up a note that says "If you move the desks in this classroom, please return them to their original place before you leave." I also left a map of how the desks are arranged, in case they forget. It's in Korean and English, and is posted in about five places. (I got permission to do this, and would highly advise at least telling your manager teacher what you're doing and why.)

I haven't had an issue with the desks since. 

Oh, and update on the situation from earlier this week: The students vent about every single teacher here. It isn't personally directed at me; they're just overwhelmed with the school's workload. Also, their opinions change on a daily basis. There have been more days where the Korean teachers have overheard them talking about "loving me" than complaining about my class. #teenagers

After I posted, though, I went to my martial arts class and worked through my feelings and decided that I honestly don't care either way. The research skills I'm teaching them are things they will seriously thank me for later. The majority of them want to attend college abroad, and I'm preparing them for that. I just wish my class counted for more of their grade, but at least it counts. I can't imagine trying to motivate them if this were just a "filler" class. 

Right now my co workers / teachers are having a big meeting about camp. This year it's changed so they're all involved. Mercifully I'm not involved. (In the planning)

Anyway I'm sat at my desk listening in to the head of English, that doesn't speak English, run the meeting, make decisions, and give her wise advice to the teacher that has been doing camps at this school for 10 years.

 

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

It's tough and though I am a bit of an assh*le, I don't feel sorry for her at all.
When you've made a conscious decision to choose a career path, gotten the qualifications and landed the gig,
you've got nobody but yourself to blame for your incompetence. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Korean society revolves around a food chain of bullying; people are constantly on the lookout for an easy target to bully
so they can cope with the anxiety of the people or institutions who are bullying them.

As you say, you have to draw firm lines. I've yet to see bullying persist when the victim fights back.

Just watched a KT super-praise a student for something several other students did much better, and this particular student does NOT need the ego boost. She actually really needs to be brought down a few pegs.

I really hate seeing favoritism coming from teachers over their students, especially when the students they favor are spoiled, two-faced little terrors. It's strange to me that as adults they play that kind of game AND that they can't see through obvious riffraff, and overall it's really detrimental to the kids.

I get having favorite students, but that's not the same as actually playing favorites. It affects the dynamic of the classroom, how the students interact with each other, and how they perform.

Feels like remnants of high school that refused to die out in some people.

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

To just play devil's advocate; didn't you anticipate that the class might be moved again since it had already happened twice in the past month?  In that situation I would have waited until you knew for sure before tucking into a full blown meal at your desk during work time.

Has there been any fallout?  Because surely the message is "StillInKorea didn't come to class because he was eating his breakfast (during work time) and refused to stop". 

Aristocrat and Dave Stepz are talking about bullying.  Did she really bully you? lol  I just think that however annoying last minute changes are (and I know they are!!) we should try and be flexible because it is a different culture.

I think that spitting the dummy just makes you come across really badly to your coworkers.

you're allowed to eat breakfast during your free period. it's not StillInKorea's fault another teacher wanted to change his schedule, without any warning. she didn't even ask him herself, just got one of her students to ask. i would have refused too

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

To just play devil's advocate; didn't you anticipate that the class might be moved again since it had already happened twice in the past month?  In that situation I would have waited until you knew for sure before tucking into a full blown meal at your desk during work time.

Has there been any fallout?  Because surely the message is "StillInKorea didn't come to class because he was eating his breakfast (during work time) and refused to stop". 

Aristocrat and Dave Stepz are talking about bullying.  Did she really bully you? lol  I just think that however annoying last minute changes are (and I know they are!!) we should try and be flexible because it is a different culture.

I think that spitting the dummy just makes you come across really badly to your coworkers.

I've been in Korea for a long time and observed that those who are too flexible always get taken advantage of, which eventually leads to them breaking down and snapping. It's much better to refuse unreasonable requests. If you don't refuse those requests, they will get more and more unreasonable.

The teacher first came to my office the previous afternoon to ask to change the schedule. That was OK. The following time, she called me at home after working hours to ask. I don't really mind a brief phone call outside of work hours, but it's not ideal (I was actually starting a multiplayer League game). This time, she sent an elementary school child to deliver the message ten minutes before she wanted me to teach an unexpected class. At that point, you have to put your foot down.

I will talk to her this afternoon and politely explain my boundaries. Having been in the Korean PS system for years, I'm past worrying about 'fallout'.

Eating breakfast during work is an allowance, not a right. You're supposed to take care of that before you come into work.

You have every right to stand your ground over short notice, NOT because you're eating breakfast during work hours (unless as part of a designated meal break time)

Eating breakfast during work is an allowance, not a right. You're supposed to take care of that before you come into work.

You have every right to stand your ground over short notice, NOT because you're eating breakfast during work hours (unless as part of a designated meal break time)

If she'd asked me yesterday, I'd have eaten breakfast earlier and been ready to teach her class in the first period. However, when you give somebody no notice of changes, there's a pretty good chance you're going to be interrupting something, which is really quite rude. In this case, it was my breakfast that she would have interrupted.

Got a new coteacher halfway through the semester. Not ideal, but okay. I'll roll with it. The original coteacher was super nice, wonderful teacher, excellent English. Completely in control of her classroom. Definitely gonna miss her, but what can you do?

Well, the new coteacher is a back just for the rest of the semester until she can retire. She can't speak English. The students don't respect her. I can't improvise in class if I need to because she can't keep up, and will stop class to have me explain what I'm doing to her. And the grade we teach together is the worst behaved grade in the school. The entire grade is notoriously poorly behaved. I can control them slightly more than she can, but I can feel them slipping away, especially as the rainy season hits and they can't really go outside during the day anymore.

I just want the old coteacher back.

Eating breakfast during work is an allowance, not a right. You're supposed to take care of that before you come into work.

You have every right to stand your ground over short notice, NOT because you're eating breakfast during work hours (unless as part of a designated meal break time)

If she'd asked me yesterday, I'd have eaten breakfast earlier and been ready to teach her class in the first period. However, when you give somebody no notice of changes, there's a pretty good chance you're going to be interrupting something, which is really quite rude. In this case, it was my breakfast that she would have interrupted.

My point is if you mention your breakfast, that kind of ruins it for you. Might as well say they interrupted your minesweeper game. Otherwise, the less said the better. Just say it's too late of a notice and that the lesson wouldn't be effective. Leave it at that. If they insist, tell them it's a movie and that's all.

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

To just play devil's advocate; didn't you anticipate that the class might be moved again since it had already happened twice in the past month?  In that situation I would have waited until you knew for sure before tucking into a full blown meal at your desk during work time.

Has there been any fallout?  Because surely the message is "StillInKorea didn't come to class because he was eating his breakfast (during work time) and refused to stop". 

Aristocrat and Dave Stepz are talking about bullying.  Did she really bully you? lol  I just think that however annoying last minute changes are (and I know they are!!) we should try and be flexible because it is a different culture.

I think that spitting the dummy just makes you come across really badly to your coworkers.

I'd hazard a guess that you haven't been here long.
I mentioned bullying because that's what it's related to. The culture, in Asia, Japan and Korea is to be non-confrontational in order to save face and not put others in a position to lose face. When being bullied or being obstructed by a problem, or issue, that will lead to confrontation, what Confucianism teaches is to:

A - Run away
B - Ignore the problem and/or endure it
C - Shift the responsibility on someone else or blame someone else
D - Play the victim

The homeroom teacher has opted for 'C', she probably got some BS errands to run for parents or God knows who as she's too weak and meek to refuse... option 'B'

Be very, very careful when doing 'favours' for Koreans at work... personal life, that's your business. Trust me, they're well aware that you're trying to be mindful of the culture and don't want to offend. Many will take full advantage of it, never has the proverb "Give him a finger and he'll take the whole arm" been more appropriate.
When my wife first came to Korea, the school got her to teach 26 classes! The kept saying there wasn't a budget for overtime and that the previous NET did it and everyone loved her, they even tried to get her to "hang out with the students" during lunch, in the English class. They specifically called it "hanging out" so they didn't have to register as teaching time.

Be professional and have your boundaries.

A sixth grade teacher has changed the 6th period class on Tuesday to first period on two occasions this past month. Both times, she asked me the day before so it was fine.

Today, at 8.45, a student from her class came to my office to say that from now on, the teacher wanted to have our class in the sixth period. Seemed a bit odd, but the teacher is very anxious, so I figured she just wanted to clarify everything.

A few minutes later, the student came back out of breath, explaining that his teacher wants our class to be in the first period from now on. I've complained many times about not having proper notice of schedule changes, and was in the process of eating breakfast and drinking coffee, so I told the kid to tell his teacher that I was eating breakfast and I'm not going to accept schedule changes without being told the day before. Ten minutes is not acceptable notice.

I do kind of feel sorry for that teacher as she's extremely anxious and cannot control her own class. She's even had parents insulting her over Kakao Talk which brought her to tears. But in the Korean workplace, you have to draw firm lines unless you want the crap to roll downhill onto you.

To just play devil's advocate; didn't you anticipate that the class might be moved again since it had already happened twice in the past month?  In that situation I would have waited until you knew for sure before tucking into a full blown meal at your desk during work time.

Has there been any fallout?  Because surely the message is "StillInKorea didn't come to class because he was eating his breakfast (during work time) and refused to stop". 

Aristocrat and Dave Stepz are talking about bullying.  Did she really bully you? lol  I just think that however annoying last minute changes are (and I know they are!!) we should try and be flexible because it is a different culture.

I think that spitting the dummy just makes you come across really badly to your coworkers.

I'd hazard a guess that you haven't been here long.
I mentioned bullying because that's what it's related to. The culture, in Asia, Japan and Korea is to be non-confrontational in order to save face and not put others in a position to lose face. When being bullied or being obstructed by a problem, or issue, that will lead to confrontation, what Confucianism teaches is to:

A - Run away
B - Ignore the problem and/or endure it
C - Shift the responsibility on someone else or blame someone else
D - Play the victim

The homeroom teacher has opted for 'C', she probably got some BS errands to run for parents or God knows who as she's too weak and meek to refuse... option 'B'

Be very, very careful when doing 'favours' for Koreans at work... personal life, that's your business. Trust me, they're well aware that you're trying to be mindful of the culture and don't want to offend. Many will take full advantage of it, never has the proverb "Give him a finger and he'll take the whole arm" been more appropriate.
When my wife first came to Korea, the school got her to teach 26 classes! The kept saying there wasn't a budget for overtime and that the previous NET did it and everyone loved her, they even tried to get her to "hang out with the students" during lunch, in the English class. They specifically called it "hanging out" so they didn't have to register as teaching time.

Be professional and have your boundaries.

But there's a huge difference between your wife's situation and StillInKorea's.  She was being asked to do things not in her contract and well outside the realms of reasonable "extras".  I'm all for standing your ground there and having boundaries.

StillInKorea refused to teach a class because he was annoyed at the short notice.  He literally refused to do his job.  A world of difference!

I don't get this crusade to try to change Korean culture.  Trust me, the lesson that StillInKorea thinks he taught his co-teacher is totally lost on her.  She's not going to be hit with the epiphany "You know what?  This foreigner has really opened my eyes.  My culture really is sh*t isn't it?!!"

I don't get this crusade to try to change Korean culture.  Trust me, the lesson that StillInKorea thinks he taught his co-teacher is totally lost on her. She's not going to be hit with the epiphany "You know what?  This foreigner has really opened my eyes.  My culture really is sh*t isn't it?!!"

One of the best points i've seen on here in a while.

what Confucianism teaches is to:

A - Run away
B - Ignore the problem and/or endure it
C - Shift the responsibility on someone else or blame someone else
D - Play the victim

Dude, you could say that about anywhere. And there's plenty of conflict here. While there can be tendencies or greater odds of something happening, you're statement is far too over-broad and generalized.

Half of America blames the other half for those very things whenever they yell at each other about politics. Not sure how much "Confucianism" has to do with it in that case.

Humid today.

Humid today.

Not until cyanae says so