The road to hell is apparently paved with my intentions to help ATEK out . . .

I see that ATEK's leader (I won't disgrace the title "president" in reference to him) has commented about my post on the ATEK Open Discussion forumwhere Breanna Horn (National Council Hogwan Rep) started a thread titled, "A different Take 0n ATEK" which says,

"A post I found about ATEK's online visibility at Kimchi Icecream and ease of access for teachers. Any thoughts on the post? Is there anything about this we can/should/have already addressed?"

The response from ATEK's leader?

"Well, part of it is that we haven't had a comms officer in a few months. Rob is in now so I expect great things. Also, this guy didn't do any research before writing his story. We have access to almost 2,000 teachers on Facebook now - twice our membership. And, the bloggers write stories - however misinformed. I think the NEW newsletter, a new comms officer, and some really big success stories from us in the near future will turn the current PR picture around. I should mention that the perception of ATEK is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was a year ago at this time" (my bold and italics).

Thank you for completely missing the point of If ATEK falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Musings on why ATEK isn't communicating with the expat community . . .

I'm feeling a new blog post coming to me: 100 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Join ATEK!

Does anyone else find it incredibly bizarre that ATEK's leader himself points out what I about write in my post? He says,

"I think the NEW newsletter, a new comms officer, and some really big success stories from us in the near future will turn the current PR picture around" (my bold and italics).

I wonder if he realizes that he seems to be admitting there have been problems, that there has been a lack of communication "from us" to the native teachers, and that the "PR picture" has problems that need to be "turn[ed] . . . around" . . . which is what I was trying to convey through my post . . .

Seriously, very not impressed!

Oh, and I might as well illustrate further why I'm just a wee bit pissed off. A couple days ago I sent EIGHTEEN IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS to help improve ATEK that I spent time and energy writing up and sending to Rob . . . yeah.

1. "The Faces of ATEK" - Do a photo shoot where the faces of ATEK each do a one minute self-introduction video (or 30 seconds) and introduce themselves, tell a little bit of bio info, and then say what they do for ATEK.

This will HUMANIZE ATEK for the native teacher community, and make it less of some kind of abstract entity.

It doesn't have to be a pro video (maybe later in the future) and could even just be someone's netcam or point and shoot camera in their apartment that they self shoot for now.

I've noticed that X is an ATEK member, I think. Why not ask him if he'd be willing to volunteer some of his time to do a photo shoot of the council? . . .

2. Have an "ATEK forest" with animated/flash trees. Tree 1 would be the structural tree with links to picture/video/role/title/rank/name of ATEK's leadership. Tree 2 could be the 'useful teaching sites' tree with links to teaching resources. Tree 3 could be an ATEK site map that links to the major categories .....and so on.

A community made of 'trees' ....

3. Print up on sheets of A4 paper (6 cards per sheet to be cut up) the basics of ATEK and then have a volunteer media blitz in major cities around Korea where ATEK members walk around handing out small pieces of paper with the ATEK website and basic info on it to native teachers walking around popular foreign shopping and drinking areas.

4. Is there an ATEK monthly newsletter [THAT IS NOT ONLY FORMEMBERS]? For now it'd need to be something VERY simple in form and design otherwise it'd be a nightmare in terms of time and energy to produce. It could have things like: dates and basic descriptions of ATEK's activities over the past month, highlight the biggest thing done in the past month, 1 teaching tip for each level of school and type of school from hogwan to elementary to high school to university, new and interesting teaching websites, TED video of the month link, and so on.

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Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

The road to hell is apparently paved with my intentions to help ATEK out . . .

J

ATEK gets a new national communication’s officer – also known as – Roboseyo

I got an email this morning with a press release pdf file attached about ATEK's new national communication's officer, Rob Ouwehand--also known asRoboseyo.

In my last post, If ATEK falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Musings on why ATEK isn't communicating with the expat community . . ., I wanted to elicit reactions from ATEK members, its leadership, and the general native teacher community . . . and I think I succeeded in provoking some thought and action about the general issue of TWO-WAY communication between ATEK and the native teacher community, and also the general lack of outgoing communication from ATEK's leadership about what it's doing.

You can read the full text here, ATEK: New Communications Officer Plans to Get the Word Out. I'll share a few of the more salient points . . .

ATEK: New Communications Officer Plans to Get the Word Out

Rob is going to be a busy busy BUSY guy: "His duties will include communicating with the press and other media, developing and maintaining communication channels with the expat community, and responding to interview requests and inquiries from other media."

I like how specific Rob is in describing the "goals for his term include working with ATEK’s webmaster on maximizing the website’s usefulness, finding new ways to more regularly update the public on ATEK’s actions, and plotting and producing materials useful for teachers at different stages in their life in Korea, from deciding to come, arriving, and adjusting, to maximizing their experience here and contributing meaningfully in their communities" (my italics and bold).

I think if ATEK, and Rob in particular, are creative in their communication and public relations strategies that reaching over 20,000 teachers won't be a problem, "However, Ouwehand has his work cut out for him: there are estimated to be over 20 000 foreign English teachers in Korea, and it is difficult to reach them all." If one teacher is reached in each of the hundreds (if not thousands) of groups out there, and within each group that ONE teacher shares their knowledge about ATEK with their group members/friends about how to access ATEK's resources, and sign up if they're interested, then the problem is nowhere near as ginormous as it seems to be. Twitter, Facebook, and blogs will facilitate this goal if they are used strategically and creatively, I think.

"Ouwehand believes ATEK is an easy sell: “It’s hard to refuse a group that is doing everything it can to make your life easier.”" I recently sent Rob an email in which I made some suggestions for ATEK . . . .

Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

ATEK gets a new national communication’s officer – also known as – Roboseyo

J

If ATEK falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Musings on why ATEK isn't communicating with the expat community . . .

Okay, so ATEK is getting a bit of renewed Kbloggage lately and a few of my friends on facebook are also talking about them too.

But I would like to pose the following question: If ATEK falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

Where I'm coming from is that if I don't visit the ATEK website regularly (which I don't), and I'm not a member (which I'm not), then I pretty much don't hear anything about ATEK and what they're up to.

Some might suggest that if I want to hear updates (I'm indifferent . . . okay, slightly curious at times) that I should just join ATEK and then I'd be on their email list . . . but I don't want to; I'd also point out that expat teachers like myself who are sitting on the fence in terms of 'to join or not to join ATEK' might be persuaded to join if regular communication and press releases were posted on a mainstream expat Internet web site or blog as opposed to only on ATEK's website.

ATEK's lack of press releases has resulted in me getting my information from Chris in South Korea and Roboseyo's blogs--which I find really bizarre because neither of them are press officers for ATEK yet they seem to be filling in this ginormous void that ATEK doesn't seem too concerned about . . . or maybe doesn't know about . . . or . . . meh, whatever.

It's sad that ATEK doesn't have an active blog (I think a former press officer used to, but it disappeared when he did) because I would add it to my side bar and definitely would have clicked on this story, ATEK adding new legal assurance program--but this story isn't coming from ATEK, it's coming from Chris in South Korea's blog. Chris, being the good guy he is, blogged about the information he received in an ATEK membership email about the development--so, it seems like if you're not a member you can't be privy to what ATEK is doing unless you join them, visit their website, or know someone on the inside . . . help me out if I'm missing any other options for getting info . . .

The legal assurance program is something substantial, something positive, something big (at least in my mind it is) that ATEK has produced that can and likely will make a big difference for foreign teachers who run into contract problems with their employers, and other legal situations they need help in. Yet there has been no Korean English news media press release, and foreign teachers in Korea will likely for the most part learn about the story via a blogger who to my knowledge has no official connections or role with ATEK other than as a member . . .

Instead of producing their own media press releases that reach as wide an audience of native teachers as possible ATEK seems to be relying on its website as their primary communication medium--which I personally think is a big mistake. How can ATEK expand its membership when it is failing to communicate and reach out to native teachers through mainstream channels?

UPDATE: Julianne and I were chatting about my ATEK post tonight during dinner, and she pointed out the following problem: It is now April 21st and neither Julianne nor myself remember seeing a major publicity and recruitment campaign put on by ATEK to inform newly arrived in Korea native teachers about membership and other relevant info. You'd think that if increasing membership numbers is the primary focus of ATEK right now that there would have been a major media campaign at the end of February and throughout March . . . was there one? I mean, other than on ATEK's site itself?

Here are some questions I posed and did a little research on . . .

Does ATEK have a Twitter feed? No.

I did a search on Twitter and came up with nothing. I did a search on Google and came up with nothing. (If there is one please post the link in the comments for this post and I'll add an update too.)

Does ATEK have a facebook group for communication and sharing information? Yes/No.

A facebook search for "ATEK" produces 81 results . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

If ATEK falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Musings on why ATEK isn't communicating with the expat community . . .

J

2010 Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival, Seoul — Playing with my Sigma 10-22mm, Sigma 100-400mm telephoto, and Canon 100mm macro lenses . . .

Yesterday I went to the 2010 Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (also see here for info) and took pictures along the 2km lane way that runs around the National Assembly Building.

Arriving in the area I began taking pictures right away with my Sigma 10-20mm lens . . . I couldn’t believe that the sky was a nice clear blue! Awesome . . .

(click on the link below to see pictures)

At the beginning of the 2km lane way there was . . . this. ‘Interesting’ product placement . . .

(click on the link below to see pictures)

I made sure to visit some of the bigger cherry blossom trees (I’ve been to the festival now 5 times so I know the area fairly well).After that I pulled out a tripod and mounted my Canon 400D on it, and then changed lenses putting on my Canon 100mm macro lens. There was some cold damage to the flowers sitting in massive pots at the start of the lane way, but they still looked nice to me.

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Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

2010 Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival, Seoul — Playing with my Sigma 10-22mm, Sigma 100-400mm telephoto, and Canon 100mm macro lenses . . .

J

Where can I find Vietnamese noodles in Seoul, Korea? Check out 'Good Morning Vietnam' restaurant in Hyehwa-dong, Seoul

Julianne and I walked over to Hyehwa-dong tonight (it's only a 5 minute walk from my apartment) to get some Vietnamese noodles for dinner . . . I brought my camera (Canon 400D with Canon 50mm lens) and snapped a few shots (and surprised Julianne a few times, lol).

The Vietnamese Noodle restaurant we went to is called "Good Morning Vietnam."

It's directly across the street from the McDonalds in Hyehwa-dong.

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Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

Where can I find Vietnamese noodles in Seoul, Korea? Check out 'Good Morning Vietnam' restaurant in Hyehwa-dong, Seoul

J

What do Korean English co-teachers do when the native English teacher is sick and absent from the classroom?

For the past 10 days or so I've been battling the cough/fever/fatigue/body ache virus that's been making the rounds at my school (and probably all of Korea).

Last week I was supposed to begin the first round of speaking tests for my 2nd grade classes but Sunday night I felt so crappy, and had lost so much of my voice from coughing, that I decided there was no way I could force myself to do the speaking tests for the 2nd graders and teach my 1st grade classes too (that's a LOT of speaking!). I text messaged my co-teacher Sunday night saying that if I still felt the same way Monday morning at 6:45 I'd be taking a sick day.

Monday morning rolls around and I feel like death warmed over, and my voice was down to around 50% power . . . I text messaged my co-teacher and took a sick day.

Tuesday I forced myself to suck it up and soldier on into the school where I did two second grade classes (about 18 guys out of 38-40) worth of speaking tests, and taught my three 1st grade classes . . . it was a LONG day.

Wednesday, I pumped myself full of cough and cold meds and again soldiered on trying to ignore how crappy I felt, and did the tests and classes. On top of that I stayed at the school for my after school program gifted class that runs from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Oh my god was that a mistake. A twelve hour day when you're sick is NOT a good idea.

I text messaged my co-teacher Wednesday night, again saying that if I felt as crappy as I was and if my voice was as terrible as it was that I'd be taking another sick day. Thursday morning at 6:45am I texted her to say I wouldn't be coming in.

I have been very happy with how my school, and my co-teacher, doesn't harass me when I take a sick day. They generally accept and trust my judgement about whether or not I am able to work when I'm sick, and they accept that I'm not Korean (meaning that Korean teachers usually go into school no matter what their condition is). Also, I haven't heard a single "You should go to the hospital." from any of the co-teachers I work with--actually, I got a few text messages from the older ones after I sent them an apology text message saying I was sick and staying home where they suggested, and didn't demand/command me (wow, impressive), that I should go to the hospital. I now see this as a normal expression of concern in Korean culture but when I first got to Korea it used to bug me.

I ended up staying home on Friday too. It was a little amusing to me Friday morning when I texted my co-teacher at 6:45am to say I wouldn't be coming in again to see the first hints of alarm at my absence because there were now 3 days of speaking tests that would have to be made up, and the school schedule is already insanely full and figuring out when and how to make up the time was going to be difficult to figure out . . . but my throat felt like I'd sucked back a shaved-glass smoothie from hell, and my voice sounded like it too. My co-teacher texted me her concerns, and I decided to actually call her so she could hear what I sounded like--if there had been even a glimmer of doubt as to why I couldn't administer the speaking tests, and why I was staying home, it disappeared pretty fast! She told me to get better soon, and that on Monday we'd figure out how to reschedule the tests.

Anyways, to get to my post about what Korean English co-teachers do when the native teacher is sick and not in class . . .

I really don't understand why 99.9% of the co-teachers I've worked with, and 99.9% of the stories I've heard from other native teachers about their co-teachers, don't use the lesson plan and materials that the native teacher makes if the native teacher is sick.

Actually, I do know the reasons but it still frustrates me.

Here are some of the many reasons,

1) The KET's English language ability is "poor" (by "poor" I mean the literal performance ability, not the Korean cultural practice of being 'humble' about your abilities) and they cannot teach English in English.

2) The KET's degree of participation while co-teaching a class is little to none, so they don't know how to teach the lesson plan alone (even after having observed it several times).

3) The KET is shy and/or insecure about their English speaking ability and afraid/nervous about how students might react if they make a mistake, or say/do something wrong.

4) The KET often learns the language goals and content of the lesson DURING class along with the students, and has not mastered the content enough to teach it independently.

And the list goes on. Some of the reasons are very legitimate and understandable, and others are not.

The thing that motivated me to write this blog is that the native teacher/Korean teacher Thursday and Friday classes are at the end of the week, so in terms of my co-teachers not having learned and mastered the lesson goals and content of the week's lesson . . . that shouldn't have been an issue because they'd already co-taught/observed the lesson at least twice with me. The power point for the lesson was on the English classroom computer; there were copies of the lesson worksheets on the desk ready for the classes; the co-teachers had taught the lesson with me at least a couple times already, and had had a chance to listen to me teach and explain the lesson content, and go over the worksheet exercises; the co-teachers had heard the classroom English expressions and procedure language, and observed how I taught each stage of the lesson and how much time it took . . . simply put, the co-teachers had pretty much gotten their 'practice' co-teaching sessions done with me, had had time to observe me teaching the lesson and voluntarily choose what they want to do in terms of specific co-teaching tasks, and had had time to learn, practice, and master the lesson content . . . so you would think that if the native teacher had to take a sick day that the co-teachers might be able to teach the class alone using the lesson plan for that week--but that's not what happened.

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Click on the link below to see pictures and read more at Kimchi Icecream: The Second Serving . . . . I've moved over to wordpress.com and will be blogging there from now on.

What do Korean English co-teachers do when the native English teacher is sick and absent from the classroom?