There is an alternative school in Korea with 15 students in each grade. I asked about it and I'm pretty sure they said the schools starts with kindergarten and has an elementary and middle school. I can't remember for sure if they said they have a high school.
Having been in Korea a while and having learned so much about the system of education, it's really hard for me to believe than anyone in Korea would allow their kids to go to a school like this. Their education is tough and really determines what people go on to do with their lives. The college entrance exam means almost everything. Most parents and others would say that kids going to alternative schools or being homeschooled have no chance of doing well on the exam and therefore no chance of getting a good job. Koreans look at their kids' future as their family's future.
The kind of people who would send their kids to alternative schools must be very unique people. I'm sure that a lot of people would love to do that but wouldn't because they think their kids need the traditional education. Knowing this makes me think that the people who would go for alternative schooling are even more unique.
This reminds me that once I met a hairdresser who told me her daughters were "attending" high school online through a program based in the US. This is a good option I think for Koreans who want their kids to have English education but can't send them to an international school or to another country.
About Me
- Truth & Understanding
- So many things I want to say after spending years in Korea! Some things I still can't figure out, but most things I understand. I wish I knew it all at the start. I hope my blogs help others.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
What I'll Always Remember
First of all, maybe I shouldn't have used that title. There is a lot I will always remember and I can't fit it all here.
What I want to write in this post is this: I'll always remember the "bad" students, some horrible, that I had when teaching in hagwons. But on top of that I'll remember how the Korean teachers/staff dealt with those students. People think that Koreans are strict in schools, and it's true that they are - sometimes. What I remember though is that 90% of the problems were "solved" by a Korean staff member simply saying "It's okay." or something like that. Or simply listening to my story and then doing NOTHING.
This also happened when I spoke to Korean acquaintances or adult students about this. Very few, in fact I recall just three of them, were sorry about the bad behavior of students I had. The rest of them answered in one way or another "It's okay."
One time I remember being bothered that Korean teachers could do more in terms of handling these students. They could call parents. They could speak Korean of course and say things to kids that foreign teachers couldn't say and that would include threatening them with what they can do or telling them of rewards which they may be able to earn if they behave well.
There are so many problems in hagwons that most teachers don't stay working at one for a long time. I couldn't have worked at any of the hagwons I worked at indefinitely. I've heard of foreign teachers working at one hagwon for as long as five years. Those are exceptions.
What I want to write in this post is this: I'll always remember the "bad" students, some horrible, that I had when teaching in hagwons. But on top of that I'll remember how the Korean teachers/staff dealt with those students. People think that Koreans are strict in schools, and it's true that they are - sometimes. What I remember though is that 90% of the problems were "solved" by a Korean staff member simply saying "It's okay." or something like that. Or simply listening to my story and then doing NOTHING.
This also happened when I spoke to Korean acquaintances or adult students about this. Very few, in fact I recall just three of them, were sorry about the bad behavior of students I had. The rest of them answered in one way or another "It's okay."
One time I remember being bothered that Korean teachers could do more in terms of handling these students. They could call parents. They could speak Korean of course and say things to kids that foreign teachers couldn't say and that would include threatening them with what they can do or telling them of rewards which they may be able to earn if they behave well.
There are so many problems in hagwons that most teachers don't stay working at one for a long time. I couldn't have worked at any of the hagwons I worked at indefinitely. I've heard of foreign teachers working at one hagwon for as long as five years. Those are exceptions.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Public School Teaching
Most teachers that I know of now are teaching in public schools. However I know there are many still in hagwons. I can't say which group is larger. I can guestimate it's 50/50, half in schools, half in hagwons, but I have no way to verify this. Only Korean government officials would have this information.
Having never been in public schools myself, I can only say so much about them. I have heard a lot of stories, a lot, from teachers I've known. Also, I had a part-time job teaching classes afterschool at one school.
By and large people conclude that public school teaching is better overall and I'd agree. Two main things: shorter hours and more vacation. However, had I not had my hagwon experiences there is so much about Korean culture which I would not know.
I may include posts on teaching in public schools in this blog or another one.
Having never been in public schools myself, I can only say so much about them. I have heard a lot of stories, a lot, from teachers I've known. Also, I had a part-time job teaching classes afterschool at one school.
By and large people conclude that public school teaching is better overall and I'd agree. Two main things: shorter hours and more vacation. However, had I not had my hagwon experiences there is so much about Korean culture which I would not know.
I may include posts on teaching in public schools in this blog or another one.
Last Four Posts
The four posts which I've just published, which are just below, were made up of my writing about hagwons which was done about 1 1/2 years ago. I saved the writings then and now have copied them here but made them look presentable before publishing. If there are mistakes in spelling or whatever, if you don't like the color scheme or layout or anything else about this blog, don't worry about those things. The writing is what's important.
More I've Written: What to Think About Before Coming
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO BEFORE GOING
- READ BOOKS ON ESL TEACHING IN KOREA BEFORE GOING
- THERE ARE AT LEAST 5 OF THEM AVAILABLE AT WW.AMAZON.COM
- CONTINUE TO READ THEM DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR
- ALSO READ BOOKS ON KOREAN CULTURE
- GET A BOOK, TAKE A CLASS OR FIND SOMEONE TO TEACH YOU BASIC KOREAN
- EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU’LL STAY LONG IT WILL HELP TO
- KNOW THE ALPHABET
- KNOW WORDS FOR THINGS YOU NEED
BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO TEACH IN KOREA CONSIDER THESE THINGS:
1. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY LIVE IN A ONE ROOM APARTMENT. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?
A. THERE WILL BE NOISE FROM ALL THE OTHERS LIVING AROUND
B. ESPECIALLY THE BIG CITIES ARE NOISY. THAT’S WHERE MOST TEACHERS GO.
C. KOREANS LOVE TO GO OUT AND COME HOME AT ANY TIME OF NIGHT.
D. OFTEN THERE'S CONSTRUCTION WORK BEING DONE WHICH STARTS 7-8AM.
2. IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE CITIES YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH POLLUTION
A. DO YOU HAVE ASTHMA OR BREATHING PROBLEMS?
B. TALK TO A DOCTOR ABOUT THIS.
C. DON’T ASK YOUR RECRUITER OR FUTURE EMPLOYER TO TELL YOU HOW BAD THE POLLUTION IS, THEY WILL UNDERESTIMATE IT.
D. TRUTHFULLY THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS POLLUTION BUT IT’S WORSE IN THE CITIES.
E. THE WEALTHIEST AREAS IN SEOUL ARE VERY POLLUTED.
3. POPULAR PLACES SUCH AS MOVIE THEATERS, PARKS, DEPARTMENT STORES AND OTHER PLACES ARE OFTEN CROWDED
A. IF YOU GO TO ONE OF THESE PLACES ON THE WEEKEND IN A MAJOR CITY BE PREPARED!
4. KOREAN FOOD IS SPICY!!!!!
A. EVEN IF YOU LIKE SPICY FOOD IN YOUR COUNTRY YOU MAY NOT BE PREPARED
5. KOREANS ARE HOMOGENOUS
A. THEY DON’T ALL LOOK ALIKE, BUT THERE IS A LOT LESS VARIATION
B. THEY DON’T HAVE NATURALLY CURLY, WAVY OR KINKY HAIR
C. THEY DON’T HAVE LONG OR BIG NOSES
D. THEY ARE MOSTLY AVERAGE HEIGHT
E. THEY ARE MOSTLY THIN OR AVERAGE
6. KOREANS TALK OPENLY ABOUT DIFFERENCES IN FOREIGNER’S APPEARANCES
A. SOMETIMES THEY ONLY TALK TO EACH OTHER
B. OFTEN THEY TALK DIRECTLY TO FOREIGNERS USING KOREAN OR SIGN LANGUAGE
C. PARTICULARLY CHILDREN, OLDER PEOPLE, LOWER CLASS, OR RUDE PEOPLE
7. MYTHS
A. KOREANS ARE A WELL-EDUCATED PEOPLE
B. KOREAN STUDENTS ARE ALL POLITE, HARD WORKING AND GOOD STUDENTS
C. KOREAN SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
8. GOOD POINTS
A. GOING TO TEACH IN KOREA NOW IS EASIER THAN IT WAS SAY TEN YEARS AGO
B. THERE ARE MANY BLOGS, BOOKS, SITES THAT CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF INFO.
- YOU MAY FIND GOOD PLACES TO WORK OR AVOID BAD ONES BASED ON THIS.
- YOU WILL FIND OUT GOOD PLACES TO GO IN KOREA.
- YOU WILL FIND WHICH PLACES SUPPLY THINGS YOU NEED.
- YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT KOREAN FOOD.
- YOU MAY LEARN ABOUT NICE AREAS TO LIVE OR VISIT.
- YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE LIFE IS SEOUL VS. SMALLER CITIES OR RURAL AREAS.
- YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT WHERE TO GO IF YOU REALLY NEED HELP.
- YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET SICK.
9. ONE PROBLEM THAT COMES UP NOW AND THEN – JEALOUSY
- CONSIDER THIS: THOUGH IT’S BASICALLY EASY FOR FOREIGN TEACHERS TO FIND JOBS, FOR KOREAN TEACHERS IT’S NOT!
- IN FACT IT’S NOT EASY FOR KOREANS TO FIND ANY JOB!
- AT THE MOMENT ONE OF MY KOREAN FRIENDS WHO HAS TWO DEGREES, ONE IN EDUCATION, IS STAYING OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THERE IS NO ELEMENTARY TEACHING JOB AVAILABLE FOR HER.
- I KNOW FOREIGN AMERICAN/CANADIAN TEACHERS WHO ARE TEACHING RIGHT NOW IN THE SCHOOLS SHE COULD BE TEACHING IN.
- SOME HAVE ONE DEGREE, WHILE ONE IS IN THE TALK PROGRAM, STILL A STUDENT.
- THEY HAVE NO EDUCATION DEGREES
- DURING MY HAGWON TEACHING DAYS I LEARNED THESE THINGS ABOUT KOREAN TEACHERS I WORKED WITH
- THEY MADE A LOT LESS MONEY THAN ME, SOMETIMES HALF OR LESS OF MY SALARY.
- THEY HAD NO BENEFITS SUCH AS THE APARTMENT OR AIRFARE.
- THEY SOMETIMES HAD TO WORK LATER, WEEKENDS OR HOLIDAYS.
- THEY DIDN’T GET ANY VACATION OTHER THAN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND A SUMMER VACATION RANGING FROM FIVE DAYS TO ONE FULL WEEK.
- WHY SHOULDN’T THEY BE JEALOUS?
BTW I’D LIKE TO ADD HERE THAT ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT’S WANTING TO HAVE LOTS OF FOREIGN TEACHERS IN KOREA, AND I BELIEVE THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE START OF THE TALK PROGRAM WHICH BRINGS COLLEGE STUDENTS WITHOUT DEGREES TO TEACH IN KOREA SIX MONTHS OR ONE YEAR, CAN YOU ALSO CONSIDER ALL THE KOREAN POTENTIAL TEACHERS WHO CAN’T GET JOBS?? COULD SOME OF THEM BE TEACHING PART-TIME IF THEY CAN’T GET FULL TIME JOBS, OR COULD THE ONES WHO SPEAK ENGLISH WELL TEACH ENGLISH CLASSES IN SCHOOLS AS THE TALK PROGRAM MEMBERS ARE?
MORE THINGS I'VE WRITTEN: PROFILE OF FOREIGN TEACHERS
A PROFILE OF HAGWON TEACHERS BASED ON ALL MY EXPERIENCE
- IN THE RICHEST AREAS OF KOREAN CITIES
- TEACHERS ARE ALMOST ALL YOUNG
- IN THEIR 20S
- OFTEN RIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE
- CAUCASIAN OR OF KOREAN DESCENT
- NOT CERTIFIED TEACHERS
- USUALLY FROM US/CAN
- OFTEN WITH DEGREES NOT RELATED TO ENGLISH OR EDUCATION
- SOME HAVE A TESOL CERTIFCATE, OTHERS DON’T
- MOST HAVE BEEN IN KOREA LESS THAN TWO YEARS
- MOST ON THEIR FIRST OR SECOND YEAR OF TEACHING
- MOST NEVER HAD A FULL TIME JOB BEFORE COMING TO KOREA
- MOSTLY WITHOUT ANY REAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- BUT THEY MAY HAVE TUTORED, TAUGHT AT CAMPS
- THEY LIKELY NEVER HAD A FULL TIME TEACHING JOB WITH A CONTRACT IN THEIR COUNTRY
- MANY WOULDN'T BE HIRED AS SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES
- MANY DON'T WANT TO BE SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES
- MANY TEACH IN KOREA FOR A SHORT-TERM EXPERIENCE, TO TRAVEL, REPAY DEBT OR SAVE
- IN MIDDLE CLASS OR LOWER CLASS AREAS IN AND OUT OF THE BIG CITIES
- THERE ARE TEACHERS OF ALL AGES
- ALL RACES AND ETHNICITIES
- MOSTLY UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS
- FROM ANY ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY AND SEVERAL NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING ONES
- OFTEN WITH DEGREES NOT RELATED TO ENGLISH OR EDUCATION
- 10-20% HAVE A TESOL CERTIFCATE, MOST DON’T
- SOME HAVE BEEN IN KOREA LESS THAN TWO YEARS, SOME HAVE LIVED THERE A LONG TIME
- THEY LIKELY NEVER HAD A FULL TIME TEACHING JOB WITH A CONTRACT IN THEIR COUNTRY
- MANY WOULDN'T BE HIRED AS SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES.
- THESE TEACHERS ARE IN KOREA FOR A LONGER TIME
- SOME ARE SETTLED IN KOREA AND TEACH TO EARN MONEY TO SUPPORT FAMILY RATHER THAN TO TRAVEL OR SAVE
- SOME ARE STUDENTS WHO TEACH TO PAY FOR SCHOOL AND LIVING EXPENSES
Been Thinking to Write a Book
POSSIBLE TITLES FOR BOOK:
I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND BECOMING AN ESL TEACHER IN KOREA , BUT I CAN’T: HOWEVER HERE IS WHAT I WANT EVERY TEACHER TO KNOW
WHAT I'D SAY TO ANYONE WANTING TO TEACH IN SOUTH KOREA
I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND TEACHING ESL IN KOREA BUT I CAN'T (RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE)
I CAN’T RECOMMEND TEACHING IN SOUTH KOREA BUT I CAN GIVE ADVICE
WHY I CAN'T RECOMMEND TEACHING ESL IN SOUTH KOREA
WHY I'VE TAUGHT ESL IN KOREA 5 YEARS BUT STILL CAN'T RECOMMEND IT
WHY CAN’T I RECOMMEND IT?
- THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS. HERE IS WHAT I CAN COME UP WITH OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
- FIRST REASON: THOUSANDS OF HORROR STORIES GOING BACK 10-15 YEARS.
- ONE WILL HAVE TO TEACH SOME STUDENTS WHO DON’T HAVE ANY INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH OR ARE IN FACT DETERMINED NOT TO LEARN IT (AND DO THEIR BEST TO SEE THAT OTHERS IN THE CLASS DON’T LEARN EITHER.)
- LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH KOREAN BOSSES: ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEM.
- BOSSES ENGLISH LEVEL RANGES FROM GOOD TO NONE.YOU WON’T FIND ONE WHO SPEAKS PERFECTLY, BUT HAVING ONE WHO SPEAKS WELL IS GOOD ENOUGH
- NO DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH KOREAN PARENTS
- COMMUNICATION OCCURS IN A BIZARRE WAY, TRIANGLE, QUADRANGLE
- TEACHER TEACHES KID, KID TALKS TO PARENT, PARENT TALKS TO HAGWON, HAGWON TALKS TO TEACHER
- MINUSES: NO WAY FOR A TEACHER TO DEFEND HIM OR HERSELF.
- SOMETIMES KIDS MAKE UP STORIES, SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT THEIR TEACHERS WHO SOMETIMES DON'T FIND OUT, OR FIND OUT FROM THE BOSS.
- IN SOME CASES VIDEOS OF CLASSES CAN BE USED FOR THIS BUT NOT ALL HAGWONS HAVE THESE
- SOME KOREANS DISLIKE OR ARE RUDE TO FOREIGNERS.
- SOME KOREANS DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OTHER CULTURE.
- SOME KOREANS EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW THEIR CULTURE PERFECTLY.
- AND EVEN SOME KOREANS EXPECT YOU TO SPEAK KOREAN WELL.
- THE DIFFERENCES IN ENVIRONMENT FROM THE US , CANADA , UK , SA
- KOREA HAS HIGH POPULATION DENSITY.
- IF YOU’RE USED TO SEEING LOTS OF LAND, ATTRACTIVE HOMES, MANICURED LAWNS YOU’LL HAVE TO ADJUST TO SEEING ONLY APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND OTHER BUILDINGS.
- CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: PROBLEMS ON BOTH SIDES
- TEACHER HAS EXPECTATIONS OF BOSS AND JOB:
- SUCH AS BEING PAID THEIR SALARY IN ITS ENTIRETY AND ON TIME
- FOLLOWING THE CONTRACT
- NOT MAKING CHANGES AT MOMENTS NOTICE
- NOT ASKING TEACHER TO WORK MORE HOURS THAN IS STATED IN THEIR CONTRACT
- HELPING WHEN THERE IS A PROBLEM
- ONE PROBLEM EVERY HAGWON HAS IS DISCIPLINE PROBLEM
- KOREANS PREFER TO BLAME TEACHERS
- BOSSES DON’T WANT TO BLAME STUDENTS OR PUNISH BECAUSE
- STUDENTS WILL TELL THEIR PARENTS
- PARENTS WILL CALL
- FEATHERS WILL BE RUFFLED
- PARENTS WITHDRAW THEIR KIDS AT ANY TIME
Some Things I've Written About Teaching in Korea (In Hagwons)
- THE DAILY KIMCHI WRITER, www.thedailykimchi.blogspot.com SAID THAT HE AND HIS GIRLFRIEND/WIFE WERE DECIDING BETWEEN KOREA AND OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN THEY CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT KOREA OFFERED FREE AIRFARE. FROM THE WAY HE WROTE IT SEEMS THAT WAS THE DETERMINING FACTOR. THEY WENT TO KOREA .
- YOU KNOW IT SEEMS GREAT, BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN HERE A WHILE, I’D LIKE TO SAY TWO THINGS:
- FIRST: THE REASON THIS IS OFFERED MAY BE BECAUSE KOREANS KNOW THAT TEACHERS ARE TRYING TO DECIDE BETWEEN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, NAMELY JAPAN , AND THEY JUST MIGHT THINK THAT IF THEY OFFERED SUCH A PERK IT MIGHT PERSUADE TEACHERS TO COME TO KOREA OR DISSUADE THE ONES WHO HAVE DECIDED ON JAPAN .
- SECOND: NOTHING’S GUARANTEED. NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED IN KOREA AS AN ESL TEACHER HAS GOTTEN FREE AIRFARE. CONSIDER THESE POINTS:
- IF IT’S NOT IN THE CONTRACT IT MEANS THERE’S NO PLAN TO GIVE IT TO YOU.
- IF YOU’RE HIRED FROM WITHIN KOREA YOU MAY/MAY NOT GET IT.
- IF YOU DON’T FINISH YOUR CONTRACT YOU WON’T GET IT.
- THIS VARIES CASE BY CASE BUT YOU MAY FIND YOU HAVE TO REPAY YOUR WORKPLACE FOR THE MONEY THEY SPENT TO GET YOU TO KOREA
- AND OF COURSE IF YOU DON’T FINISH YOUR CONTRACT YOU WON’T HAVE THE TICKET TO GO HOME.
- KEEP IN MIND EVEN IF YOU ARE SURE YOU WILL STAY FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR CONTRACT (ONE YEAR) YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE IT. CONSIDER THESE:
u SOMETIMES HAGWONS CLOSE
u SOMETIMES AN EMERGENCY AT HOME FORCES A TEACHER TO GO HOME SUDDENLY
u SOMETIMES A HAGWON MAY LET A TEACHER GO BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT MAKING AS MUCH MONEY AS EXPECTED
u SOMETIMES A HAGWON MAY FIND SOMEONE MORE DESIRABLE (OFTEN SOMEONE WILLING TO WORK FOR LESS $$ OR FEWER PERKS) AND LET THEIR CURRENT TEACHER GO.
l IN SOME SPECIAL CASES A TEACHER MAY NEGOTIATE SOMETHING LIKE A 6 MONTH CONTRACT WITH RETURN/ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE BUT THIS IS NOT THE NORM AND IT WOULD DEPEND ON NEGOTIATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND TEACHER. IF I WERE A NEW TEACHER NOW I MAY LOOK INTO THIS. LIVING IN KOREA ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY.
l BTW A LOT DEPENDS ON NEGOTIATIONS. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GOT SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL GET IT.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Kid Who Couldn't Bring His Book (Pencil, Eraser, Notebook, Etc.)
This was one of the biggest problems actually though it's surprising to think that it is - kids not bringing books and pencils, sometimes notebooks, erasers or other things they need. Those who haven't worked as teachers can't appreciate this problem
A pencil can sometimes be borrowed but at times each kid says they don't have one, either they have just one pencil/pen for themselves or they don't want to lend one. I remember one story: in one class I had of kids who were about 2nd grade there was one boy who couln't bring his pencil for anything. Ironically, he carried a backpack stuffed with books, possibly notebooks or other things, but no pencil. I remember at the start of class finding out he didn't have one. Then I looked in a pencil can on the teacher's desk (it wasn't really my classroom) and picked out one pencil, then another finding them all to be either broken, unsharpened, too short or whatever. I think I did that at least two times. Also I got a Korean teacher to come in my room and told her. She looked at the students and said okay. I'm not sure if she actually did anything about it. When I told her this the boy even acted like he would cry but he continued to come pencil-free as long as I taught him, as I recall.
Books are a bigger deal. If a kid didn't bring his book to one of my hagwon classes one of the following happened:
1 - I took my book or antoher kid's book to the office where there was a copy machine. Many hagwons have copy machines which don't work well and it could be a struggle to get copies out. And, the machine may have been turned off at times. It takes a bit for a machine to warm up after being turned on. It took around five minutes to get back and forth with the copies, 5 minutes from a class which is usually 50 minutes, but some were 25 tor 40. A lot of time to take to make copies for one kid which is all it often was. Could be just copying 1-2 pages. A few minutes or five seems like nothing to a non-teacher but it is useful teaching time. It's enough time to get the class started and working on something. And if the teacher leaves for five minutes the kids will sit and talk. When the teacher returns they may have gotten comfortably just sitting and talking and not want to stop. Then it takes time to get them to quiet down. I don't remember that happening to me but it could happen. Depriving all the students of that time isn't fair. Also it's frustrating to struggle with the copy machine knowing that you are losing class time. When I talked to owners of one hagwon about students not bringing books they said I can make copies. They didn't have this experience I think.
1.5 - After a kid got copies they were often lost or thrown out after class. One class I had didn't use any book. I made worksheets for them for each class. After it had been going on a while one day one kid opened his backpack and I could see every worksheet we had ever done in his bag.
2 - Another option is asking the kid next to that kid to share their book. Seems like an easy, workable idea, doesn't it? But it didn't work. I have memories of two boys sharing one book. I went to their desks and placed the book so that it was in the middle of their space. Then after a few minutes I looked back to see the book's owner had pulled the book back onto his desk and the bookless kid was either staring into space, had his head down or possibly playing some little game. I saw this many times. I can't say it happened every time but enough that I don't think this is a solution to a kid not having a book. When I saw this I had to go back to their desks and re-position the book so they could both use it.
One class I had where students sat two by two. For some reason two boys in the front brought their books but two girls behind them didn't. This went on for a while. I think one of the girls had lost it or her parents wouldn't buy it but didn't want to say. The other girl I think just didn't bring it. I took one of the boys books to give to them. The boys likely weren't happy about it but didn't say. It really isn't fair.
In another case a Korean co-teacher I had must've been told by the kids that it was hard to bring books back and forth for some reason. She said they could put them in a space on my shelves. The problem was I sometimes gave homework from the books and of course the kids coudn't do it with no books. I remember one day after class the kids all ran to the shelf to put their books in and ran out as they often do after class when they are kids full of energy. I had wanted to say to them to not do this because of the homework but they moved so fast and I hesitated and then it was too late.
3 - Let a kid have the teacher's book. Many times I let at kid use my book. Seems fine but it was inconvienient for me. I'm not just saying that. With a book I could hold it up to show kids and to see for myself, tell them what page to turn to. Show them what they should be looking at. With no book what I did was while walking around the class I would look at the kids books from time to time and give instructions that way. Now that I think about it, I realize it's more clear for the students to see my book held up in the front of the room than for me to say something like: "Go to page 15 and look at the top." Some kids in English hagwons honestly don't understand English well. And none of them understand it the way they understand their native language. Pointing and showing clearly helps. As I write this I remember that when I told classes to turn to a certain page, many times some students did and some didn't. Could be half and half. I can't say for sure whether they didn't understand me or they were tired or maybe half-understood or just didn't want to do it. These times I went around and opened books to the right page for them.
At the last hagwon where I worked my boss told me that when students lose their books, sometimes the parents won't buy another. And I think he also said that some don't want to buy it at all. Actually I did hear from one hagwon teacher (not someone I worked with) that she had to copy entire books for students. Likely their parents didn't want to pay. Hmm, so you pay more than 100,000 won ($100) for a class and won't pay 10,000 ($10) for a book which the whole class is based on? I can understand that Koreans pay so much for kids' education and want to save where they can, but when you are paying so much each month does this little bit really make a difference?
Now the story of the kid who couldn't bring his book. I had one kid who had lost his book and came to class each day without one. I heard him say in Korean that he didn't want to buy another. He wasn't a good student anyway and I remember very well that during class after the kid next to him had taken back his book that I had asked him to share, this boy was either off in his own world or in some way not participating at all in class. I told the boss and Korean co-teacher about it. After this had gone on a long time I was talking with the boss one day and I remember saying I will pay for his book. I would rather pay 10,000 won than have him come with no book continuously. My boss who wasn't the greatest guy told me I didn't have to do that. I knew that much - I wanted to. Within the next few days the boy's sister found the book in their home someplace like under a stairwell. When the boss told me this I said: "He didn't bring his book for three months." Looking back now I don't know why me or the boss didn't come up with the idea to copy a book for him. I may have thought that he would find the book. Likely he would've lost the copy or forgot to bring it. We were using the Smile book series which I like. I copied pictures of them below.
One could say Korean kids have too many books already and too many classes in a day, however these books were the size of a Time or Newsweek and would fit into any pack and not add any weight. There was a regular book called a student book and a workbook - both same size and weight. The boss also said to me once that kids may ctome direct from school and not have time to go home to pick up their books. Considering, as I said, that the entire class was based on the book, I think they should prepare in the morning. I don't mean to be hard on kids, but this is important enough to take a little extra effort. I remember getting ready for school when I was young. I remember preparing what I needed for after school activities before I went out.
What's funny is not long after the kid found his book he stopped coming. I heard form his sister I think, who would make another interesting story, that he wasn't interested in coming/didn't really want to come or something like that. I really don't think I was disappointed. Students like this boy who have such low interest and don't seem to have much ability should not go to hagwons, in my opinion.
One quick story: another class I had at a different hagwon also had the book problem. One day I just decided the only way they will bring the books and notebooks which we used then was to give them stickers for it. So I did and I remember that it worked. Each day start of class I asked them to show me the books and notebooks and they each got a sticker. Later one teacher was complaining to me during break time about the book problem and I told him what I did. He replied, "Should I reward them for coming to class?" He didn't think we should have to give stickers for bringing books.
Another quick story: this story angers me each time I remember. One girl was attending my class for a while. She brought her book off and on, I can't say if it was more off than on or vice versa. When she was bookless she shared with her friend who sat next to her. I don't recall this being a problem. But what should happen. When we finished one book, which was also a Smile book, and moved to the next level (Smile has levels 1-6) the girl came in and (as I understood from her limited English) said her mother looked at her old book and found it was not finished so she said she wouldn't buy the next one. Duh if you don't bring your book so many times it won't be complete. Having no communication with the students' parents, there was no way I could talk to the mother to explain. I also didn't say anything to my boss. I probably didn't know what to do about this.
To conclude, every hagwon needs some solution to this. If you have to talk with kids and parents seriously about this or even require the kids to keep books in hagwons or make copies of entire books instead of requiring kids to buy them.
I'll add one more story about notebooks. So I had some middle school classes once. Not me but the boss decided that some classes would write diaries two times per week in a notebook which they bought from teh hagwon. I gave the kids the books and instructions and ... next class I saw maybe one notebook with a diary in it. I remember asking where they were once and one student said I have it but it's at home. Either that class or another I asked students one day to take out notebooks so we could use them to write something. Students gave me various responses such as "I have a notebook but it's for another class" or "My notebook is at home." After all these experiences I decided to have one class use a notebook for writing stories or diaries. Knowing about the notebook problems, I simply decided to buy the notebooks myself and keep them with me in my office. If they went home some would come back and others wouldn't. It worked out. I bought notebooks with different designs and let the students choose. When the class finished I gave them to the students. Each notebook was only 500 won (50 cents). People might say I should'nt have had to do that but it was the best option I could think of. By the way in the classes assigned to write diaries, only a few students actually did.
Quick story: The Eraser Story. Especially with young children, if kids wrote down one letter or word and realized it was wrong, they often shouted out "Jee-oo-gae" which means eraser. Then another kid would take one out of their pencil case and give it to this kid. If kids all had their own it would mean fewer interruptions.
Quick story: Shar-puh. The Korean Konglish name for mechanical pencil is Sharp. Koreans pronounce it shar-puh. In many classes the teacher and students work together to complete something. It matters that they all stay together. Well sometimes kids, particularly one I remember, the girl who couldn't bring her book, used this when the other kids had pencils. One time or more times I remember she was having trouble with it so took lots of small pieces of lead and layed them out in front of her. Then I guess what she did was put them in one by one. Meanwhile the other kids and I were completing our work. When I said to her something like come on, do this she answered: "Teacher, shar-puh!" An easy way to say she was having trouble with it. By the time she got her shar-puh in order we had finished the work. I can't remember after that but usually at times like these the other kids have to sit and wait while the one kid finishes the work they have already finished. It doesn't seem like such a big deal. Hagwons are casual overall. Some are strict and require a lot of work done in each class. Most aren't. However if you are a teacher and want to finish other things during your class, having to wait on one kid for a few minutes does make a difference.
If you are reading and think I'm making much ado about nothing or am too uptight, let me tell you that all these things DO matter. They affect teachers ability to teach.
A pencil can sometimes be borrowed but at times each kid says they don't have one, either they have just one pencil/pen for themselves or they don't want to lend one. I remember one story: in one class I had of kids who were about 2nd grade there was one boy who couln't bring his pencil for anything. Ironically, he carried a backpack stuffed with books, possibly notebooks or other things, but no pencil. I remember at the start of class finding out he didn't have one. Then I looked in a pencil can on the teacher's desk (it wasn't really my classroom) and picked out one pencil, then another finding them all to be either broken, unsharpened, too short or whatever. I think I did that at least two times. Also I got a Korean teacher to come in my room and told her. She looked at the students and said okay. I'm not sure if she actually did anything about it. When I told her this the boy even acted like he would cry but he continued to come pencil-free as long as I taught him, as I recall.
Books are a bigger deal. If a kid didn't bring his book to one of my hagwon classes one of the following happened:
1 - I took my book or antoher kid's book to the office where there was a copy machine. Many hagwons have copy machines which don't work well and it could be a struggle to get copies out. And, the machine may have been turned off at times. It takes a bit for a machine to warm up after being turned on. It took around five minutes to get back and forth with the copies, 5 minutes from a class which is usually 50 minutes, but some were 25 tor 40. A lot of time to take to make copies for one kid which is all it often was. Could be just copying 1-2 pages. A few minutes or five seems like nothing to a non-teacher but it is useful teaching time. It's enough time to get the class started and working on something. And if the teacher leaves for five minutes the kids will sit and talk. When the teacher returns they may have gotten comfortably just sitting and talking and not want to stop. Then it takes time to get them to quiet down. I don't remember that happening to me but it could happen. Depriving all the students of that time isn't fair. Also it's frustrating to struggle with the copy machine knowing that you are losing class time. When I talked to owners of one hagwon about students not bringing books they said I can make copies. They didn't have this experience I think.
1.5 - After a kid got copies they were often lost or thrown out after class. One class I had didn't use any book. I made worksheets for them for each class. After it had been going on a while one day one kid opened his backpack and I could see every worksheet we had ever done in his bag.
2 - Another option is asking the kid next to that kid to share their book. Seems like an easy, workable idea, doesn't it? But it didn't work. I have memories of two boys sharing one book. I went to their desks and placed the book so that it was in the middle of their space. Then after a few minutes I looked back to see the book's owner had pulled the book back onto his desk and the bookless kid was either staring into space, had his head down or possibly playing some little game. I saw this many times. I can't say it happened every time but enough that I don't think this is a solution to a kid not having a book. When I saw this I had to go back to their desks and re-position the book so they could both use it.
One class I had where students sat two by two. For some reason two boys in the front brought their books but two girls behind them didn't. This went on for a while. I think one of the girls had lost it or her parents wouldn't buy it but didn't want to say. The other girl I think just didn't bring it. I took one of the boys books to give to them. The boys likely weren't happy about it but didn't say. It really isn't fair.
In another case a Korean co-teacher I had must've been told by the kids that it was hard to bring books back and forth for some reason. She said they could put them in a space on my shelves. The problem was I sometimes gave homework from the books and of course the kids coudn't do it with no books. I remember one day after class the kids all ran to the shelf to put their books in and ran out as they often do after class when they are kids full of energy. I had wanted to say to them to not do this because of the homework but they moved so fast and I hesitated and then it was too late.
3 - Let a kid have the teacher's book. Many times I let at kid use my book. Seems fine but it was inconvienient for me. I'm not just saying that. With a book I could hold it up to show kids and to see for myself, tell them what page to turn to. Show them what they should be looking at. With no book what I did was while walking around the class I would look at the kids books from time to time and give instructions that way. Now that I think about it, I realize it's more clear for the students to see my book held up in the front of the room than for me to say something like: "Go to page 15 and look at the top." Some kids in English hagwons honestly don't understand English well. And none of them understand it the way they understand their native language. Pointing and showing clearly helps. As I write this I remember that when I told classes to turn to a certain page, many times some students did and some didn't. Could be half and half. I can't say for sure whether they didn't understand me or they were tired or maybe half-understood or just didn't want to do it. These times I went around and opened books to the right page for them.
At the last hagwon where I worked my boss told me that when students lose their books, sometimes the parents won't buy another. And I think he also said that some don't want to buy it at all. Actually I did hear from one hagwon teacher (not someone I worked with) that she had to copy entire books for students. Likely their parents didn't want to pay. Hmm, so you pay more than 100,000 won ($100) for a class and won't pay 10,000 ($10) for a book which the whole class is based on? I can understand that Koreans pay so much for kids' education and want to save where they can, but when you are paying so much each month does this little bit really make a difference?
Now the story of the kid who couldn't bring his book. I had one kid who had lost his book and came to class each day without one. I heard him say in Korean that he didn't want to buy another. He wasn't a good student anyway and I remember very well that during class after the kid next to him had taken back his book that I had asked him to share, this boy was either off in his own world or in some way not participating at all in class. I told the boss and Korean co-teacher about it. After this had gone on a long time I was talking with the boss one day and I remember saying I will pay for his book. I would rather pay 10,000 won than have him come with no book continuously. My boss who wasn't the greatest guy told me I didn't have to do that. I knew that much - I wanted to. Within the next few days the boy's sister found the book in their home someplace like under a stairwell. When the boss told me this I said: "He didn't bring his book for three months." Looking back now I don't know why me or the boss didn't come up with the idea to copy a book for him. I may have thought that he would find the book. Likely he would've lost the copy or forgot to bring it. We were using the Smile book series which I like. I copied pictures of them below.
One could say Korean kids have too many books already and too many classes in a day, however these books were the size of a Time or Newsweek and would fit into any pack and not add any weight. There was a regular book called a student book and a workbook - both same size and weight. The boss also said to me once that kids may ctome direct from school and not have time to go home to pick up their books. Considering, as I said, that the entire class was based on the book, I think they should prepare in the morning. I don't mean to be hard on kids, but this is important enough to take a little extra effort. I remember getting ready for school when I was young. I remember preparing what I needed for after school activities before I went out.
What's funny is not long after the kid found his book he stopped coming. I heard form his sister I think, who would make another interesting story, that he wasn't interested in coming/didn't really want to come or something like that. I really don't think I was disappointed. Students like this boy who have such low interest and don't seem to have much ability should not go to hagwons, in my opinion.
One quick story: another class I had at a different hagwon also had the book problem. One day I just decided the only way they will bring the books and notebooks which we used then was to give them stickers for it. So I did and I remember that it worked. Each day start of class I asked them to show me the books and notebooks and they each got a sticker. Later one teacher was complaining to me during break time about the book problem and I told him what I did. He replied, "Should I reward them for coming to class?" He didn't think we should have to give stickers for bringing books.
Another quick story: this story angers me each time I remember. One girl was attending my class for a while. She brought her book off and on, I can't say if it was more off than on or vice versa. When she was bookless she shared with her friend who sat next to her. I don't recall this being a problem. But what should happen. When we finished one book, which was also a Smile book, and moved to the next level (Smile has levels 1-6) the girl came in and (as I understood from her limited English) said her mother looked at her old book and found it was not finished so she said she wouldn't buy the next one. Duh if you don't bring your book so many times it won't be complete. Having no communication with the students' parents, there was no way I could talk to the mother to explain. I also didn't say anything to my boss. I probably didn't know what to do about this.
To conclude, every hagwon needs some solution to this. If you have to talk with kids and parents seriously about this or even require the kids to keep books in hagwons or make copies of entire books instead of requiring kids to buy them.
I'll add one more story about notebooks. So I had some middle school classes once. Not me but the boss decided that some classes would write diaries two times per week in a notebook which they bought from teh hagwon. I gave the kids the books and instructions and ... next class I saw maybe one notebook with a diary in it. I remember asking where they were once and one student said I have it but it's at home. Either that class or another I asked students one day to take out notebooks so we could use them to write something. Students gave me various responses such as "I have a notebook but it's for another class" or "My notebook is at home." After all these experiences I decided to have one class use a notebook for writing stories or diaries. Knowing about the notebook problems, I simply decided to buy the notebooks myself and keep them with me in my office. If they went home some would come back and others wouldn't. It worked out. I bought notebooks with different designs and let the students choose. When the class finished I gave them to the students. Each notebook was only 500 won (50 cents). People might say I should'nt have had to do that but it was the best option I could think of. By the way in the classes assigned to write diaries, only a few students actually did.
Quick story: The Eraser Story. Especially with young children, if kids wrote down one letter or word and realized it was wrong, they often shouted out "Jee-oo-gae" which means eraser. Then another kid would take one out of their pencil case and give it to this kid. If kids all had their own it would mean fewer interruptions.
Quick story: Shar-puh. The Korean Konglish name for mechanical pencil is Sharp. Koreans pronounce it shar-puh. In many classes the teacher and students work together to complete something. It matters that they all stay together. Well sometimes kids, particularly one I remember, the girl who couldn't bring her book, used this when the other kids had pencils. One time or more times I remember she was having trouble with it so took lots of small pieces of lead and layed them out in front of her. Then I guess what she did was put them in one by one. Meanwhile the other kids and I were completing our work. When I said to her something like come on, do this she answered: "Teacher, shar-puh!" An easy way to say she was having trouble with it. By the time she got her shar-puh in order we had finished the work. I can't remember after that but usually at times like these the other kids have to sit and wait while the one kid finishes the work they have already finished. It doesn't seem like such a big deal. Hagwons are casual overall. Some are strict and require a lot of work done in each class. Most aren't. However if you are a teacher and want to finish other things during your class, having to wait on one kid for a few minutes does make a difference.
If you are reading and think I'm making much ado about nothing or am too uptight, let me tell you that all these things DO matter. They affect teachers ability to teach.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Hagwon Blogs
I did a search for blogs on Korea and found: http://www.koreanbloglist.com/
Looked down list 2 see if any were on subject of hagwons and found 2 which obviously are:
HAGWON I HARDLY KNEW WON
http://www.koreanbloglist.com/visit.php?visit=4609
KOREA: SUWON AND AVALON
http://www.koreanbloglist.com/visit.php?visit=4598
Second blog seems 2 be mostly a blog on the teacher's experiences in Korea.
Looked down list 2 see if any were on subject of hagwons and found 2 which obviously are:
HAGWON I HARDLY KNEW WON
http://www.koreanbloglist.com/visit.php?visit=4609
KOREA: SUWON AND AVALON
http://www.koreanbloglist.com/visit.php?visit=4598
Second blog seems 2 be mostly a blog on the teacher's experiences in Korea.
Some Info on Hagwons
So much to say. There is one thing that came to mind and which I should probably write about towards the beginning. In Korea just about anyone can open a hagwon. In the US or in other Western countries it's not so easy. First of all in the US at least most businesses are larger. That means more money is needed making it harder to start up. Second, getting a license to run a business is I believe harder in the US than in Korea.
Another thing is that many Koreans can't find a good job so they start a business instead. In the US I've never heard of this. Most people who start businesses do it after working some time, planning and saving money for it. Starting a business is considered better than having a job. In Korea it's the opposite. Stable jobs are considered best in Korea. Businesses open and close. A stable job gives you salary and benefits continuously. Working for a large company is considered best, and I think the main reason is....the job is more stable. The company has less chance of going bankrupt. If you work for a company which goes under that means no job. AND it's hard to find a job in Korea! If you lose one you may not get another. And so many Koreans, including young people, can't get even one good job.
I digress, my main point was in the first paragraph. I need to elaborate. If you work for a hagwon owner who has experience and know-how and business sense you are more likely to have a good experience. Unfortunately, many hagwons owners, and I would guess many other business owners in Korea don't have these necessary abilities. If you find yourself working for someone who doesn't know what they're doing or wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be - you're in for it!
Some hagwon owners have experience in either business or education. Some have neither. One hagwon I knew of was run by someone who didn't seem to have any experience in any area related to running a hagwon meaning business, education or management. Another hagwon I knew was run by a former teacher who I think had no business or management experience. Of course she knew a lot about education, and she taught some classes herself which I'm sure she did well enough, but I think she wasn't prepared for how hard running a business would be, especially this type of business. Neither of those places lasted for very long.
Many hagwons don't last more than a few years. If I found a hagwon which had been in existence more than that, run by the same people, I would take that as a good sign.
I don't believe I saw, but I've heard about hagwons which were kind of fly by night operations. The owners opened them only to make money. They didn't pay the teachers well, sometimes not at all. They likely tried to put on a good show to attract students. Some of them may have had a plan to run the place for a while and then close when things got tough or after having made a certain amount of money. Actually now that I think about it I did know a place like this. Luckily I didn't work there. The owner made it seem as if they had no problems. Later I met some former teachers who said they were owed a lot of money in unpaid salary or bonuses and that the hagwon didn't even pay for some books they ordered. Later a bank employee told me complaints had been filed because some students seeking refunds couldn't receive them.
Another thing is that many Koreans can't find a good job so they start a business instead. In the US I've never heard of this. Most people who start businesses do it after working some time, planning and saving money for it. Starting a business is considered better than having a job. In Korea it's the opposite. Stable jobs are considered best in Korea. Businesses open and close. A stable job gives you salary and benefits continuously. Working for a large company is considered best, and I think the main reason is....the job is more stable. The company has less chance of going bankrupt. If you work for a company which goes under that means no job. AND it's hard to find a job in Korea! If you lose one you may not get another. And so many Koreans, including young people, can't get even one good job.
I digress, my main point was in the first paragraph. I need to elaborate. If you work for a hagwon owner who has experience and know-how and business sense you are more likely to have a good experience. Unfortunately, many hagwons owners, and I would guess many other business owners in Korea don't have these necessary abilities. If you find yourself working for someone who doesn't know what they're doing or wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be - you're in for it!
Some hagwon owners have experience in either business or education. Some have neither. One hagwon I knew of was run by someone who didn't seem to have any experience in any area related to running a hagwon meaning business, education or management. Another hagwon I knew was run by a former teacher who I think had no business or management experience. Of course she knew a lot about education, and she taught some classes herself which I'm sure she did well enough, but I think she wasn't prepared for how hard running a business would be, especially this type of business. Neither of those places lasted for very long.
Many hagwons don't last more than a few years. If I found a hagwon which had been in existence more than that, run by the same people, I would take that as a good sign.
I don't believe I saw, but I've heard about hagwons which were kind of fly by night operations. The owners opened them only to make money. They didn't pay the teachers well, sometimes not at all. They likely tried to put on a good show to attract students. Some of them may have had a plan to run the place for a while and then close when things got tough or after having made a certain amount of money. Actually now that I think about it I did know a place like this. Luckily I didn't work there. The owner made it seem as if they had no problems. Later I met some former teachers who said they were owed a lot of money in unpaid salary or bonuses and that the hagwon didn't even pay for some books they ordered. Later a bank employee told me complaints had been filed because some students seeking refunds couldn't receive them.
Let Me Explain One Thing First
By the way, hagwon 학원 in Korean means institute or academy. These places are private. They are not actual schools but they're similar. There are thousands of them in Korea and they employ many Koreans. Most Korean students attend them. Some spend hours everday in them. Some kids go to maybe one or two per day. Thousands of what Koreans call foreign teachers have come to work in hagwons over the past approximately twenty years.
I had in mind to write this blog for people who know what hagwons are, however I'd like other people to be able to read it and understand also. As time goes on the blog may go in a different direction.
I had in mind to write this blog for people who know what hagwons are, however I'd like other people to be able to read it and understand also. As time goes on the blog may go in a different direction.
Introduction
I have a lot of stories I could share in this blog. I'm choosing to not have any design for now because I want to focus on the stories to tell and what I've learned from my experiences.
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