Thursday, May 21, 2009

New Foreign English Instructors/Teachers in Korea -- What to do when your co-teacher doesn't show up for class.

Today Julianne went to her assigned classroom to teach her assigned class at the assigned scheduled time like the qualified and professional teacher she is . . .

Arriving in class the bell sounds that class has begun and her co-teacher arrives a minute later.

Miss Kim then proceeds to say, "Julianne, there's a meeting downstairs I must go to now. "

Julianne replies, "Fine. I'll show the students a movie."

Miss Kim disappears to go to her meeting that is more important than the scheduled class she has with Julianne and skips out on after the class has already begun, abandoning her duties and responsibilities to the--as public school contracts state--"assistant-teacher" . . . who does what the vast majority of native English teachers in Korea do even if there is a co-teacher present--teach the class as the primary teacher.

The first 2 or 3 times this happened to Julianne she reacted in the way that most new foreign English teachers in Korea react: outrage, disbelief, shock, and the list goes on . . .

The secondary reaction most new foreign teachers have is to be professional and to still try and teach the class without a co-teacher present to help with classroom behavior management, translation, and other teaching tasks that native English teachers generally need help with from their Korean co-teacher .

I'll say this again: the general reaction and tendency of new foreign teachers is to stay and try to do the lesson on their own.

"Oh well, the show must go on." from Gremlins

But the majority of the time this does not work for new foreign teachers, and ends up causing more problems that have to be undone later (and possibly over the course of many weeks--specifically, classroom behavior management: when the Korean teacher is away the mice turn into little demons).

Put another way, the students change from being cute little Gizmos,

. . . and they become like gremlins.

When a new foreign teacher says "Oh well, the show must go on" they might be walking into this kind of a situation,



Back to the question . . .

What do you do when your co-teacher doesn't show up for class?

This depends on a large number of factors . . .

1. Type of lesson plan. Many lessons really need the presence and aid of a co-teacher.

2. How much EFL/ESL training and experience you, the 'newby,' have as a public school instructor. If you don't have an EFL/ESL certificate, zero teaching experience to less than a year, and have never taught in Asia before (let alone in Korea) . . . it's probably not a good idea to try and teach the class on your own. You may end up doing more damage to the class behavior patterns and routines, to your classroom discipline, and the general learning and teaching dynamic that you've managed to establish so far during your time at the school.

3. The general character and language learning abilities of the class that you'll be teaching. If there is that one class (sometimes more) each week that you dread teaching because they're all little hellions then you might want to reconsider trying to teach your lesson alone . . .

***I will have to finish writing this post in more detail at another time due to my own work duties.

To be continued . . .

. . . but for now the most simple and effective solution to the problem of your co-teacher not showing up to teach a class with you and/or telling you at the last minute they have a 'business trip' or must attend a 'meeting' etc etc etc . . . .

The most effective solution is to keep a DVD at your desk for this type of situation.

Tell your co-teachers POLITELY that if they don't show up to co-teach their assigned class/es with you, and/or cancel at the last second that your solution will be to show a movie to the students.

It really is that simple.

Another alternative that is slightly better in terms of there being some kind of 'language learning' taking place is to invest in buying some English games the students can play. Some schools will have an English budget that you can get access to, and others will not. I tend to invest some of my own personal income in teaching games and supplies just because it ups the quality of my teaching and it's more fun for the students.

You can do game-based English speaking/conversation classes when you have a co-teacher for regular classes AND use them for after school program classes where native teachers often don't have a co-teacher, or for summer and winter English camps where native teachers often don't have a co-teacher, or . . . yes, for that class when you're left on your own at the last second. Keep some of these game supplies in your desk as a back up for this kind of situation.

The following is an excerpt from writing I did for an orientation book in 2007 . . .

Games


The Uno card game is a fantastic game for learning English (and SPEAKING English) from elementary to middle to high school level students. Up to 10 students per game/deck is possible. Divide the ten students into five pairs. For the average 35-40 student class this means that four decks are needed to do a lesson with a regular size class. After school program/extra conversation classes are usually smaller in size, and you may only need two or three decks.


The little guy on the right was one of those students who most foreign native teachers would pretty much write off and say "He has no English." --- WRONG! This little guy learned and said and mastered more English words and small expressions during the Uno activity then in any other class. Find the right motivation and MAGIC HAPPENS!


Many Korean teachers will have a negative attitude towards using this game in the classroom. But if you educate them on the learning benefits of this game they will slowly come around after they see how much English the students use, and how much REPETITION is involved. Repetition is a big part of traditional teaching techniques that many/if not all countries around the world still use. Game English also makes use of repetition, but excitement and variety are mixed in to neutralize the effects of boredom and monotony on language learners.


Colours, numbers, expressions, exclamations, and general game English expressions can all be taught using Uno. If your co-teacher is still doubtful/negative, use a stopwatch, and time how long English is being spoken during the class. Then compare that time with ANY lesson plan that the co-teacher says that they would prefer to use. Point out that the students speak a lot of English during that class—and that that is the GOAL of the lesson.


After introducing the game, and explaining how to play the game . . . choose English captains (the best English student from each of the game groups in the class). Do a quick model game for these students, and then they can assist you as 'assistant teachers' when there are 4-5 games being played at the same time. A key part of the game playing is that as each student plays a card they MUST speak the English for the card: "Green seven," "Red change direction", "Pick up four and change the colour to ___________." The penalty for NOT speaking the English is to pick up one (up the penalty if they don't follow the rule) extra card. The penalty, after five minutes of play has taken place and students have a sense of how to play the game, for speaking Korean is to pick up two extra cards. The students will police each other once they see that penalizing a student for not speaking English/or/for speaking in Korean will help them win their own game.

Uno Deck: 5, 000 each (prices vary, I found them for this price in 2005).


The generic brand of Jenga is also a very good game for learning English. It has almost no limits to the variations you can create for it when teaching and learning English. I would suggest, however, that using it for more than two lesson plans in a semester will result in student boredom.

Generic Jenga –8, 000won (at Walmart)


Jenga with English language goals works with elementary, middle, high school and even university students.


During my first year of teaching I taught Mondays and Fridays, two hours on each day, to elementary students in an after school program. Before I knew I needed to check on how the class was put together the 'professional' Korean teacher had mixed grades 3-6 in the same class with absolute Beginners to Low-Intermediate level language learners . . . it was a VERY difficult class to teach. Jenga was one of my successful lesson planning concepts.


The girl in this picture would scream "English NO!" at me at the start of every class and did so for about the first two weeks. Throughout the course of the year she became my favorite student, and we developed a very close bond. (I cried during the goodbye party the elementary kids threw for me--and when Se Ri kept begging me to stay on Ganghwa Island I nearly lost it . . .)


The guy in the center was your EFL textbook definition of a BEGINNER. Add to the mix that I'm pretty sure he had mild ADHD and things were 'fun' . . . he did, however, like playing the Jenga game and in exchange for being allowed to play the game he was willing to try to say some simple English questions and answers that were paired with each of the colors.


Middle school students playing Jenga. I remember the kid at the top of the pic on the right would tell me he loved me, do the heart sign with arms over his head, and in one class he did this and said "Teacher, I love you" and then stuck out his tongue and wagged it at me--I nearly choked to death in shock and laughter and had to turn around to hide my laughter and surprise . . . a friend of mine is doing grad work on sexality as motivation for L2 learners . . . not many people consider sexuality as a motivation for language learning but consider that some of our students learn English with the dream of dating and/or marrying a foreign English speaker . . . makes you think, eh?


During each turn a student rolls a die with 3 colors on it. The group then asks the student the color's question, and the student must answer the question correctly in order to take their turn pulling out a Jenga piece from the tower of pieces. Wrong answer, miss a turn. Correct answer gets to pull out the piece from the tower.


Red color: What's your name?

Blue color: Where are you from?
Yellow color: How old are you?


NOTE 1: You can pair language learning goals with each color according to your needs and the lessons goals you want to teach.


Note 2: You may want to stipulate a very clear and specific penalty for knocking over the tower. Students will often choose their own penalty--especially if the teacher does not establish one for the game. I had no idea that 'group beatings' were (and probably still are) the common penalty used for classroom games and activities . . . I turned around during the first class I taught using Jenga to see the students pummeling the student who knocked over the pile. At the time I was too cautious about telling students not to do things because I wanted to 'respect' Korean public school culture. I DO NOT DO THIS NOW, and I don't think other teachers should allow it to happen either. (All this being said damn if these aren't crazy pics of my first year teaching in Korea, lol)


After seeing some of the girls get hurt by this kind of penalty, and even some of the more introverted boys who weren't as physical and into the pummeling of friends as their peers were I decided to use more peaceful penalties. For example, duck walking while quacking . . . the students thought it was hilarious when I demonstrated the new penalty, and it seemed to work well.



Scrabble is a big investment for an individual teacher especially when one game is not enough for an extra conversation class of 20 students, or for a regular class size of 35-40. Ask your school if it has a budget for buying games, and consider whether or not this game is the best one to buy, and how many you would need for 35-40 student classes. I usually have students play the game with English-Korean dictionaries for each of them (they usually have their own, but some schools also have extras too). You can have the students play in pairs. For low-level students this is a good game for word recognition and language production vocabulary skills. For higher-level students, ask them to make small sentences for each word they place on the board. A good deal of free talking also takes place during the game—which is great for the native teacher as it lets us get a clearer idea of what a student’s actual level is when they forget to be shy during a game.


Scrabble Game: 28, 000 won each (at Walmart)


Additional Games that you may want to check out


1. Irregular Verbs, Past and Present, Bingo: 15, 000 (www.englishtiger.com)

2. "Infinity Word" card game: 15, 000 (www.englishtiger.com)

3. "Speed Up, English Math and Transportation" Card Game: 15, 000won (www.englishtiger.com)

4. 200 round balloons in a bucket= 7, 800 won at Emart

5. Game of Life –get the bookstore at the Arts Center to order it online, and you get a teacher’s discount

6. Monopoly - get the bookstore at the Arts Center to order it online, and you get a teacher’s discount

7. Blindfolds - play Marco Polo using the expressions

Paired Q&A #1

A: Who is it? or Who are you?

B: I'm _____. (name)

Paired Q&A #2

A: Where are you?

B: I'm here.


NOTE: Be sure to make the classroom safe for students running around and moving quickly during a physical activity like Marco Polo. A 'NO RUNNING' rule might be needed if you push all the desks in your classroom to the walls, and have a medium-sized space in which to play the game.

The writing in this post is from a selection of writings in an orientation program I wrote and put together.

The ideas and suggestions are based on my own interpretations of the socio-cultural experiences that foreign teachers have in Korea. It is also based on listening to, and reading, many foreign teachers stories about living in Korea, and teaching in the Korean public school system.

If you copy this and use it please cite the source: Jason Ryan.

Thanks,
J

16 comments:

David tz said...

This is a great post on how to teach English whether you are supposed to have a co-teacher or not.

However, if I was in the same position (keep in mind this is just me), and I had a problem with the co-teacher suddenly leaving me alone to teach a class they were supposed to help me with, I wouldn't keep putting up with their bullshit. Their behavior is totally unacceptable and if it were to happen in a western country, that teacher would have to pay for the consequences such as disciplinary action or even being fired. It's unprofessional and childish and sometimes the only way to fight fire is with fire.

Given such circumstances, I would also claim a sudden meeting or business trip and walk out. You could be pretty damn sure they would freak out and the wrath of god would come down on you, but it would also bring to light their unprofessionalism and cause them to "lose face". As a result, the chances of it happening again would be pretty small.

Important meetings and/or business trips are not normally scheduled during class times and if they were, they would be quickly changed. In practice, contracts may not be worth much more than toilet paper, but under Korean law, they are still worth as much as anywhere else and threats of both Korean Labor or Education Board intervention carry as much weight here as they do anywhere else. The reason these kind of things happen is because Koreans think we don't know anything and they use that to their advantage. As soon as you let that happen, they will do it again and again. Part of the problems of new foreign teachers is because they are new, they think that it's just the way things are in a new country, new culture and new whatever else. Don't be a patsy. If you let this bullshit happen once, it will keep happening the entire time you are here precisely because you let it happen the first time.

It costs these schools thousands of dollars to bring you here and provide you with housing and a good salary, and believe me when I say they won't be so quick to fire YOU, before the powers-that-be get pissed at your co-teacher. Just because you may be a new teacher doesn't mean you have to be a pushover too. The co-teacher's job is to help you. If they don't do their job, why should you feel compelled to do yours? If the meeting is so effing special, then it can be arranged to be held at a more convenient time-- such as when a class is NOT scheduled.

Jason said...

Hi David,

I want to reply to some of your comments.

D: However, if I was in the same position (keep in mind this is just me), and I had a problem with the co-teacher suddenly leaving me alone to teach a class they were supposed to help me with, I wouldn't keep putting up with their bullshit. Their behavior is totally unacceptable and if it were to happen in a western country, that teacher would have to pay for the consequences such as disciplinary action or even being fired. It's unprofessional and childish and sometimes the only way to fight fire is with fire.

J: Here is a major cross-cultural issue: what does it mean to be 'professional' in Korea? What does it mean to be a 'professional teacher' in Korea? I would suggest that due to Confucianism and other factors that relationships will always supersede 'professionalism' in the Korean public school workplace. Trying to impose our western cultural professionalism values in Korea generally results in negative consequences. Consider that collectivism is the dominant paradigm here, and that as a foreigner who is highly likely to only be here 1-2 years we do not have a highly defined social rank and social status within the group-dominated culture of the workplace in Korean public schools.

J: If, as you suggest (though you do qualify your opinions as based on what YOU would do), a new foreign teacher initiates open confrontations in order to impose western cultural norms of 'professional' conduct and ethics . . . . this usually just results in the foreigner being painted as a troublemaker who doesn't understand Korean culture. This is what I would call a 'paradoxical truth' because the foreigner who rocks the boat does NOT actually know what they're doing, and to a degree they DON'T understand how Korean culture deals with 'unprofessional' behavior in public school workplaces . ..

D: Given such circumstances, I would also claim a sudden meeting or business trip and walk out. You could be pretty damn sure they would freak out and the wrath of god would come down on you, but it would also bring to light their unprofessionalism and cause them to "lose face". As a result, the chances of it happening again would be pretty small.

J: Actually, it's highly likely that you're the one that suffers higher social penalties from the other Korean teachers in the school. In addition, if you hope for any kind of 'favors' or help from the admin office people, the VP or principal, and you have to go through your co-teacher (due to chain of command) it's pretty likely you're going to get screwed by them in a passive-aggressive revenge act for the problems you caused them by demanding they conform to your 'professional' norms . . . regardless of how many Koreans in the school agree with you silently you still end up getting screwed . . .

D: Important meetings and/or business trips are not normally scheduled during class times and if they were, they would be quickly changed.


end Part 1 of comment.

Jason said...

D: Important meetings and/or business trips are not normally scheduled during class times and if they were, they would be quickly changed.

J: Actually, important meetings are scheduled during times that are not vital to classes with tested content--native speaker/teacher's classes are generally not included in school exams and testing because SPEAKING/CONVERSATION skills are NOT tested in Korea. Some schools (though by far a minority in Korea) do include/integrate some of the native teacher's lesson/curriculum content on school tests/exams but they are still in the minority and it not a common practice.

J: To reiterate my point about relationships and more specifically power relationships being more important than professional conduct and educational priorities . .. consider that a Korean who is the inferior rank must OBEY a command/request of a superior. If the superior says he/she wants a meeting at a time/date the inferior rank does NOT disagree unless there is a really really BIG reason to do so, and in terms of saying, "HIGHER RANK PERSON, I cannot do what you are asking me to do because my temporary migrant worker native teacher thinks his/her UNTESTED class is more important than your plans/goals/agenda and I don't want this young/unmarried/doesn't speak Korean fluently/is not a professionally licensed teacher to be upset with me or you so I can't do what you're ordering me to do and yes, I'm willing to jeopardize my job security and future raises and promotions just for this whiny complaining foreign teacher . . ."--do you get the picture? THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN!

end Part 1 of comment.

Jason said...

D: In practice, contracts may not be worth much more than toilet paper, but under Korean law, they are still worth as much as anywhere else and threats of both Korean Labor or Education Board intervention carry as much weight here as they do anywhere else.

J: If you have the time and MONEY and ability to deal with all of the consequences of trying to file a complaint with the Korean labor board and are able to WAIT the long periods of time it takes to get your complaint heard, filed, and processed . . . and if your emails and phone calls and visits to the Ed office are even answered or given a moment's consideration . . . yeah, you might get something accomplished: being blacklisted as a trouble-making foreigner who doesn't know when to give up and shut up .....

J: I'm not saying foreigners never win in these types of situations. I AM saying that the odds are stacked against you.

D: The reason these kind of things happen is because Koreans think we don't know anything and they use that to their advantage. As soon as you let that happen, they will do it again and again. Part of the problems of new foreign teachers is because they are new, they think that it's just the way things are in a new country, new culture and new whatever else. Don't be a patsy. If you let this bullshit happen once, it will keep happening the entire time you are here precisely because you let it happen the first time.

J: I do think there are proactive strategies for teaching Korean co-teachers that you expect professional conduct. I don't think that using face-saving/face-losing strategies can work for 99% of new foreign teachers arriving in Korea.

J: I plan to write more about this issue in the near future, but cannot right now due to my own teaching/work duties.

End comment Part 2

Jason said...

D: It costs these schools thousands of dollars to bring you here and provide you with housing and a good salary, and believe me when I say they won't be so quick to fire YOU, before the powers-that-be get pissed at your co-teacher. Just because you may be a new teacher doesn't mean you have to be a pushover too. The co-teacher's job is to help you. If they don't do their job, why should you feel compelled to do yours? If the meeting is so effing special, then it can be arranged to be held at a more convenient time-- such as when a class is NOT scheduled.

J: I agree with not letting yourself be taken advantage of--but this is also a cultural norm defined idea that does NOT have the same definition in Korea. When you are the new foreign teachers, young, unmarried, don't speak Korean, and all of the other social rank defining criteria Koreans use to place you in the power hierarchy of your school . . . trying to FORCE Koreans to adopt your reality socio-cultural matrix is tantamount to social suicide in Korea.

J: Here's the thing with my reaction to your post: in spirit I agree with the idea that new foreign teachers should not tolerate unprofessional conduct by their co-teachers--BUT I don't think they should initiate WW III with their co-teachers unless they are fully informed of all the possible social penalties they may suffer in the highly social teacher office space, and all of the penalties they may suffer in terms of all the things they NEED a co-teacher to help them with, the office admin manager to help them with, the VP and principal to help them with, and the Education Office supervisors and staff to help them with.

J: When you take on ONE co-teacher you need to realize that in a COLLECTIVIST culture that bases each person's reality upon a network of power relationships--the native English teacher has NO PLACE, NO HISTORY, and NO POWER within this hierachical system of relationships . . .

J: That's all I have to say about this for now . . . . like I say in my post I still need to write more about this issue, and it's a complex one that doesn't have any simple answers.

J: My suggestion to have a DVD that you use as a backup strategy for when your co-teacher bails on you is a non-confrontational EASY TO DO strategy that any and all new foreign teachers in Korea can do--and at the same time avoid conflict and creating easily avoidable future stress and escalation of problems that generally result in the foreign teacher suffering far more than any Korean co-teacher might.

Think about it.

Jason said...

One more thing . . . I said,

J: When you take on ONE co-teacher you need to realize that in a COLLECTIVIST culture that bases each person's reality upon a network of power relationships--the native English teacher has NO PLACE, NO HISTORY, and NO POWER within this hierachical system of relationships . . .

and missed making this point:

When you take on ONE Korean co-teacher you are NOT only dealing with ONE Korean--you are dealing with all of the Koreans tied into the intersections of power at which this Korean co-teacher sits at the center of. You may not know/see all of the other Koreans who have a stake/are tied into your co-teacher's situation, but they are there and aware of what is going on and will ALWAYS side with the person who has the power to influence their own individual network of power intersection.

In Korea, new teachers have to realize they are NEVER dealing with just one Korean--they are engaging with an entire network of superiors, co-workers, and other Koreans . . . all of whom will generally just side with the Korean on nationalistic principles--forget whatever legitimate reasons/grievances you think you have . . .

J

David tz said...

Geeze, you must put up with a lot of shit at your school, because I never have any of the problems that you describe. I know quite a few other teachers at public schools who also never have to deal with the kind of stuff you are describing because they also never put up with the bullshit thrown at them.

You can talk about Confucianism, hierarchy and the "Korean way" all you want, the fact remains that if you let Koreans take advantage of the situation, they will do it again again. They KNOW you are not Korean and come from a different culture that is not the same as theirs. They don't really expect you to follow their way of doing things so your whole argument about doing things the "Korean way" is bullshit.

The bottom line is you are actually there to "help" the Korean teacher teach English. Not the other way around. If they aren't doing their job, why should you work so hard to do yours?

You may think I may be rocking the boat, but at one hagwan I worked at, after I walked out due to my head teacher's incompetence, every Korean teacher I worked with also quit the next day. The world is changing and yes, Korean is slowly changing with it. There are more and more Koreans who are figuring out this whole hierarchy thing isn't all it's cracked up to be than you seem to think there is.

and one more thing-- I must have really pushed your buttons to warrant so many point-by-point replies, so think about it, who are you trying to convince? It sure ain't me. I've been here almost 6 years now and trust me, living with a Korean, I know this culture better than most. The only difference is I refuse to put up with the bullshit and as a result, the Koreans I deal with on a daily basis know I'm trustworthy, a good teacher and worth every won they pay me. You may see me as being a "problem teacher", but there are many who would disagree with you, including Koreans themselves.

The whole basis of your argument is for a foreigner to do things the Korean way and you just fell for their bullshit hook, line and sinker. Koreans don't really expect you to follow their way of doing things-- you're not a Korean and never will be no matter how hard you try, but as soon as you swallow their line, you're sunk. "It's the Korean way" is just a bullshit excuse to get you to do things they KNOW no one would normally do. They only pull that line out when they already know you're going to disagree with them and you fell for it.

A co-teacher shirking their duties for a "meeting" is crap and no one should be putting up with it. If you do, then you are a fool. If the whole k-blogsphere wants to flame me about it, then bring it on, but this is precisely why organizations like ATEK have been appearing lately. People like you you who argue that it's the "Korean way" are just reinforcing the disrespect Koreans already have for us. Don't be a part of the problem, start being a part of the solution. You're not helping anyone by saying "oh well, that's the Korean way" and you are doing all foreign teachers a disservice by doing so.

John from Daejeon said...

Some games that have served me well have been Pictionary, "Apples to Apples Junior edition" (after removing some of the more difficult cards), "Stages Bingo Games--Fun Foods, Animals, Transportation, Occupations, and Everyday Items," hangman, and spelling games based off the last letter of each word or in a grid format with words veering off each other up, down, side-to-side, and diagonally.

I will give Uno a try. I haven’t played it in ages.

Jason said...

Hi David,

Yes, I've had to deal with a lot of shit from co-teachers.

I am NOT promoting the "Korean way" in the sense of submitting to superiors at all times, and always saying yes to every request/order, etc.

I AM promoting a non-confrontational way of interacting with Korean co-teachers in order to maintain a semblance of peace in the workplace and in relationships with co-teachers.

My post is not finished--as I said in it very clearly.

I still haven't written out suggestions and strategies for communicating with a Korean co-teacher about professional conduct issues . . . it's a difficult and touchy issue and I didn't want to throw out ideas without thinking them through carefully . . .

Anyways, thanks for reading.
J

Jason said...

Ah, Dave, one more thing . . . have you ever worked in a public school position?

J

Jason said...

Hi John,

Thanks for the suggestions. I think Julianne might use some of them.

J

David tz said...

I have worked at a public school, but not in the same way as most. I taught a special early morning class for exceptional students who were preparing to travel to the Philippines.

I have been fortunate that because of my visa status (F-2), I have been able to pick and choose who I want to work with. I tend to gravitate towards small hagwons where I am given a lot of freedom to develop my own curriculum and work with very little supervision or intervention. Far less stress or problems.

Even though I am able to do things most E-2 teachers can only dream about, it still bothers me to see so many noobies get the short end of the stick. I remember being in the same position once and I try my best to help based on my own experiences. I love this country and the people, but the whole "Korean way" excuse just pisses me off. Sorry to take it out on you and your blog-- which I generally enjoy and actually look at almost everyday.

Jason said...

Hi Dave,

I wasn't angry or anything when I wrote my long point by point rebuttal of your comment--I was just being me in terms of my passion for helping newbies deal with all the shit that gets thrown at them when they first arrived--nobody did that for me, and I 'cut my teeth' as a teacher through extreme circumstances . . . things I don't wish on anybody . .

Anyways, it's all good. Discussion with different perspectives . . .

The girlfriend and I are heading out to see Terminator Salvation.

Have a good night,
J

Anonymous said...

I like the DVD idea, most of my co-teachers are ok but there are a couple who go missing when they're 'very busy'. Had one last week who wandered out just as I was telling the students I'd be reading a dialogue with her. And she gets her phone out and texts in class. I might confiscate it next time haha

A little bit of substance over style wouldn't go astray in the public system either, but that's like wishing a million dollars would fall in your lap I suppose.

Jason said...

Some Korean teachers bring a/have a cardboard box on their desks in class in which students must put their cell phones during class time.

I'd suggest bringing it to class and JOKINGLY tell her she has to put hers in with all the other kids into the box.

Then, if she does something with it, I'd stop teaching, say "Excuse me, Miss X .. . " and point at the box--the kids will die laughing, she'll be embarrassed (RIGHTFULLY SO) and it won't happen again.

If it continues . . . well, email me and I'll offer some other ideas .. .

Good luck,
J

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't worry about it too much, to be honest most of my classes happen without a teacher, I carry on doing my lesson plans as, well, planned. If it is a textbook thing, I do that as well. I'm at smaller schools so controling the kids isn't a huge problem, but the younger grades it can be. I find the class actually goes more smoothly without certain teachers anyway.