Native English Teachers

Half of Native English Instructors Quit After a Year

"According to Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Tuesday, 144 of 273 foreign English teachers who were eligible for a renewal of their contract have signed to stay on another year.

Lee Young-chan, an education Ministry official in charge of native teachers said it was not necessary to renew every contract. ``They are neither regular teachers nor lecturers who can conduct classes independently. They are `assistant teachers,' hence their teaching experience doesn't matter much,'' he said. ``Rather, it's better for students to have more new teachers so that they can meet various kinds of foreigners,'' he added.

Last year, the city education office also saw about half of its foreign teachers renew their one-year contract, however, it had only 11 who had more than three years teaching experience.

``Some foreign teachers did not want to renew due to the devaluing of the won, while others cited worsening relations between South and North Korea,'' said Choi Chun-ok, a supervisor at the education office.

...

`` Of course, some employers don't want teachers to stay. In fact, with some it is an unstated policy not to employ teachers for more than a year, no matter how good the teachers are,'' Thomas said. ``These employers are more concerned with managing their businesses than providing an education. New teachers often have lower expectations and are easier to manage.''

The total government budget for native English speakers has risen to 147 billion won this year from 105 billion won in 2007 and 69 billion won in 2006. This year, the government is expected to spend some 180 billion won to employ about 4,500 - 5,000 foreign teachers at elementary and secondary schools nationwide. A native English speaker who has just started to teach English in Korea can receive a salary equivalent to that paid to a Korean teacher with five years of experience, an official said.

Some education experts are skeptical about the effectiveness of the system.

``Native English speakers have to get through a certain period of training and need experience and know-how,'' said Jeon Byung-man, an English education professor at Chonbuk National University. ``I don't think native English speakers are helpful for our students. If they need native English speakers, they should hire those who have teaching licenses.''"

The information above doesn't particularly surprise me. Many people come here for cheap travel, attractiveness as a foreign culture, and a working vacation. I myself didn't plan on staying for two years, but now the thought has occurred to me and become more attractive. I'm not particularly worried about the North Korean threat and the won will recover eventually.

If you are thinking about coming here to teach, now is the time if you read the later paragraphs. They're offering a lot more incentives to attract teachers. I also do agree with some of the sentiment of the last paragraph. Like any working environment, you'll have good workers and bad. Everyone has a different teaching style and some work and others don't. I don't know how to evaluate myself, but my students like me and I think that they have learned quite a bit so far. I have a lot of room to improve and develop my abilities, but I know I'm not terrible.

There is another English teacher that lives in Danny's building. His name is Steve and he's been here since 1997. We've managed to talk to some of his students and they hate him. Apparently he just gives them passages to read and translate for every class. He has been here for a while, has years of experience, but is still a bad teacher. As to the quote from the education professor, most of us probably have no business teaching here. But a teaching license does not guarantee a quality education. Any one who's been to school can attest to that.

For Grandma Dody

Merry Christmas.

KPop

This is the sort of music that I'm subjected to on a regular basis. Tormented is a better word.

News Roundup

From the oh so terrible Korean Times

Foreigners to Be Fingerprinted From 2010
"The government plans to require all foreign nationals visiting Korea to have their fingerprints registered starting as early as 2010 to fight terrorism and crimes committed by foreigners.

If the measure is implemented, Korea will be the third country to do so, following the United States and Japan.

The Ministry of Justice said Saturday that it will propose to revise the Immigration Law so that all foreign nationals, either for short-term stay or long-term, are obliged to provide their biometric information to the Korean authorities when they come to the country. It will submit the revision bill to the National Assembly in the second half of next year, and the new regulation, if passed, will take effect as early as 2010."

Non-Natives Can Become English Teachers
"Non-native English speakers from India and other countries that use English as an official language will be able to teach at public schools from next year.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Justice said Sunday the government is opening the door for English teaching positions wider to secure more foreign English teachers at primary and secondary schools nationwide.

The government has so far allowed English teacher assistant jobs at public schools only to native-English speakers who had completed more than two years of their college courses; and the nationality of the eligible applicants was limited to seven countries ― the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.

``There are about 50 countries that have adopted English as an official language. However, we will not open the door to all teachers from the countries,'' Oh Seok-hwan, an official of the education ministry, told The Korea Times. ``Only foreigners whose countries have trade agreements with Korea can apply for the positions. These include India, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines,'' he added."

US Agency Uses 'Sea of Japan' Again
"A U.S. government agency in charge of translating foreign data has again started using the ``Sea of Japan" label, less than a month after it first dropped that reference in favor of the ``East Sea" label when describing waters between the two Asian nations."

Sledgehammer Politics

Here's some thoughts from Michael Breen about the latest political kurfuffle in Korea. He's a wonderful writer (Full disclosure: I've read one of his books).

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/12/137_36738.html

"When a group of politicians in the National Assembly last week turned fire extinguishers on another group wielding sledgehammers, the world got an inside look at democratic debate in Korea.

This particular debate, which was more heated than usual, came as the Assembly's foreign affairs committee discussed the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which remains to be ratified by both countries.

The deal is better for Korea than for the United States, but is controversial here because people sense trickery in a pact that would allow them to buy beef and rice at cheaper prices.

The debate began when the ruling Fire Extinguisher Party (FEP) of President Lee Myung-bak took the wise precaution, after the opposition Sledgehammer Party (SP) threats of barricading the committee room with furniture

When Sledgehammer officials armed themselves with a sledgehammer, which is the symbol of their party, and set about clearing a way into the room, aides to Fire Extinguisher Party representatives sprayed them with powder. Photos of this scene made foreign news pages around the world, prompting the New York Times to politely refer to Korean democracy as ``feisty."

Talking to the press, Sledgehammer officials said their action was necessary because the FEP has more seats, which renders voting futile. Chief policymaker Park Byeong-seug was quoted in this newspaper saying, ``We now realize that we are unable to represent the voices of working- and middle-class citizens properly in the legislature, where all decisions are made based on votes."

The SP appears to have turned against the concept of voting after the so-called ``free elections" earlier this year in which it got sledgehammered. The former ruling party in the previous administration, it now has only 82 seats in the 299-seat parliament.

In Korean political practice, democracy requires a party with a majority to resist voting on issues in the National Assembly until it has negotiated with minority parties to avoid hurting their feelings. This contempt for voting explains why the people are contemptuous of their elected representatives.

Last week's battle seems to have struck a chord with the people. In the days that followed, kindergarten teachers all over Korea explained to puzzled pupils that they should not discuss which television program to watch and other important family matters with their brothers and sisters at home like this.

Middle-school teachers reported a rise in career advice queries by school bullies looking to enter politics. Most citizens, however, remain simply puzzled as to why National Assembly people behave so badly.

The explanation for this situation is that, despite the last two decades of democracy, politicians have not adjusted their view of the meaning behind the electoral process and the job they are elected to do. They are still stuck in the 1980s when the noble calling of democrats was agitation against dictatorship.

They fail to see that they are selected, through fair competition, by their peers _ but not because God considers them special. That means they should uphold the system that selects them, not flout it.

Second, they fail to grasp the concept of being sent to the National Assembly to represent their constituents' interests, which involves proposing, debating, and passing laws. They are not elected because their constituents think they would make a good president and should not posture in front of the media for the next job.

The Sledgehammer Party in particular needs to appreciate that it failed in the last election because its main platform of engagement with North Korea was irrelevant to the interests and needs of most voters.

Just as with liberal-left parties in Europe and elsewhere after the collapse of communism, they have to internally discuss how to remain relevant. That discussion will almost certainly lead to the conclusion that the new focus should be economics and entail a philosophical move to the center.

As for the Fire Extinguishers, they should stop pussyfooting around and accept that they were elected with a majority of votes that they have every right ― and that the people expect them ― to use.

That's democracy."

In Which a Seal's Penis is Ingested

This is reposted from my friend Tane's Blog. I have it linked on the right hand side of this and if you're craving more information about our experience in Korea, give him a read. He is somewhat of a journalist, so the quality is top notch.

"For men in Korea, sexual power is a big deal.
Perhaps I should clarify.
For men, sexual power is a big deal.
No, still not totally accurate. Let's try this...
For the living anywhere on Earth, sexual power is a big deal.

The difference in Korea is that men talk about it openly and have a plethora of secrets to increase said power. Nearly anything you ingest that remotely resembles a phallus is supposed to charge up your loins, including eel, sea slugs and dog. (Yes they eat dog here... and if you eat pig, cow or rabbit I don't want to hear about the horror of eating 'man's best friend').

Last weekend I might have had the ultimate in sexual-power elixir. At a holiday party for some members of my gym, my friend Master Lee brought a special bottle of the traditional Korean liquor, soju. This massive vial of soju held a male seal's genitalia, supposedly infusing the drink with near magical sexual energy. This picture was taken after we'd finished about half the canister.

And getting this wasn't cheap. Apparently this one seal-unit infused tube of soju cost about $2500, which we figured made each shot about $75. This was a rare luxury I was really lucky to be able to try; most of the Koreans at the party admitted they'd never had the opportunity to try such a drink before.

It was about the best tasting soju I've had; it was incredibly smooth and easy to drink. But I didn't suddenly feel like a bunny in spring time, nor did women flock to me as I walked home.

As for the leftover seal parts, Master Lee is planning to refill the canister with more soju and let it absorb the remaining energies for next year. If you're interested, drop by my gym and mention my name... maybe the folks there will invite you to next year's uniquely Korean holiday party."

Spices UPDATED!

Christmas rolled around and I received a rather nice gift from Emily. My spice collection is now approaching respectability thanks to her and some heavy searching in the city.

I apologize if someone has something currently in transit that is similar or duplicate, but I feel the more the merrier. I will gladly make use of it. :D

Spices Requested
Cumin - Check
Chili Powder - Check
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika - Check
Old Bay Seasoning
Fish Rub
Lemon Pepper - Check
Garlic Salt - Check
Garlic Powder - Check
Cilantro - Check
Mrs. Dash in just about any form
A lime (Though highly unlikely/wrong, I would love you for this. I don't know if it would work or survive, but I would be ever most gracious if it works.)

Christ and Punishment (Get it?)

Merry Christmas to you, as I'm typing this the holiday is just puttering out for you. I had a rather nice holiday. Danny, Rie, and I went to the batting cages and hit some baseballs for a while. Next, we went to the arcade, but left when we saw that Peter was there. (Peter is a Korean who tried to be our friend. He is emotionless and annoying. So, we passively avoid him.) We then went shopping at Home Plus, bought some ingredients and made one helluva vegetarian chili. It was quite delicious. All we were missing was cumin, garbanzo beans, and jalapeno peppers. Tane arrived when we started making it. He told us about the Church service we went to, he let us in on the secret, and then we ate Chili. Forgoing the normal holiday classics, we enjoyed our chili with Scrooged, and Champagne courtesy of Tane's parents. Thanks for the stockings you two! And now for something completely different.

Punishment
Korea is a rather odd country in terms of how students are disciplined. Many practices that are common here would lead to rampant firing and high class lawsuits in America. Corporal punishment was officially banned by legal decree several years ago, but its use is still widespread. I felt uneasy during orientation when I was told that it still occurs. I felt that I could not take the sight of adults hitting children with switches.

Upon arriving at school, I soon realized how prevalent and integral it was to the education system here. Every teacher has a small arsenal of different implements to use when doling out punishment. Some sticks are meant to look intimidating, some are meant to make scary *Thwaking* sounds, and others try to increase the damage area. Not every teacher practices these methods, but I'd only need one hand to count them.

All of the punishments are not carried out with weapons. Many of them involve putting students in stress positions or making them do calisthenics. Students that are late each morning are corralled and forced to stand at the entrance gate of the school and do squats as their peers trickle in to join them. The stress positions involve students sitting on their knees for long periods of time writing the same lines over and over and over for as long as an hour. Other punishments involve relocating your desk to the hallway outside of the teachers office. This cold drafty hallway is spent in near isolation except for the transition time and those using it for access.

At first, all these practices shocked me, seeing them over and over again. Occasionally hearing yells and screams from the hallway was very unnerving. But now, I don't seem to notice or even mind. Seeing a student get his ear tweaked or receive a short noogie seems in order in some cases. What do you do with a student who yells during class, punches to person sitting next to him, or tells the teacher, "Fuck you." Here, you'll get a slap on the wrist or you'll spend a lot of time in the hall to think about what you've done.

The main idea in all of these cases is applying negative reinforcement. It's simple psychology. You reward good behavior with praise and bad behavior with punishment. Both need to be an appropriate level of stimulus as you wouldn't buy a student a new car getting an A or burn down the house of a student who burped in front of you. So what is appropriate here? I started thinking about this today because of this news article that I read. It also brought to light two older articles.

http://koreabeat.com/?p=3286
"Sixth-grade Seoul English teacher Kim Yeong-hwa has written a book about the trials Korean teachers are now facing because of the impossibility of imposing corporal punishment. Apparently she doesn’t read the newspaper; corporal punishment keeps getting banned because teachers keep using it in ever-more creative ways."

The other articles that are referenced are stories on punishment. One of them is about a day-care center that punished children by stripping them naked and locking them out on the fire escape for 10-15 minutes. This is abhorrent and may seem barbaric of Koreans, but it's not anything different than from what can be found in the US. In fact, I'd wager that the US has far more cases such as this that are even more extreme.

For example, a current practice in place in US prisons and schools is the isolation room. These have been around for a while and don't seem to be going away. Isolation is an interrogation method used that's designed to break down the mind. It's designed to disassociate you from the outside world and break down your thought patterns. They are especially cruel to those with mental handicaps as even shown in Iowa. Many of these "tombs" have been green lighted as okay, but child psychologists have given strict recommendations and requirements that make the use of these okay, such as constant supervision, wall padding, and discretion that the punishment is used appropriately. Many times these guidelines are not followed.

How are guidelines like these made and how should they be enforced? Voluntary enforcement only works if people have a good sense of of morality or are trapped in the panopticon. As reported here, educators are still grappling with this issue even though it has finalized as law over a decade ago.

"In the future, principals at schools involved in corporal punishment-related incidents must make immediate reports to the appropriate board of education.The Seoul Office of Education announced on the 5th that it plans to implement a system to punish teachers, principals, and other educators who have been concealing such cases rather than quickly reporting them as required.

The Office also plans to conduct inspections through the end of the year on the regulations at individual schools regarding corporal punishment and hairstyles.

The inspections are intended to discover and ameliorate cases of violations of students’ rights. The inspection committee will be made up of educators experienced in guidance counseling as well as human rights experts.

Corporal punishment regulations will be inspected to see whether the rules are being observed, what the reaction would be of school committee members to creating or revising the rules, whether there have been cases of corporal punishment, and how such cases ought to be handled. Hair regulations will be investigated to see whether they are used in the most limited degree necessary for educational purposes, whether students’ opinions have been taken into account, whether the regulations are appropriate and can be applied at the actual time, and whether there are forcible haircuts."

I wouldn't hold my breath over this issue. It doesn't seem like it will be resolved anytime soon. I do wonder though how this is affecting people though. I've read that Child psychologists demarcate the line between punishment and abuse with the use of an object. If a parent strikes a child with an object, it's considered abuse. If they're spanked with the hand or scolded in some manner short of punching, then it's not. I wonder what sort of long term affects all of this punishment has on the students if any. When I see them get punished, they bounce back really quickly and just take the punishment as any old thing. I wouldn't guess that they're developing a psychological victim complex that will affect their upbringing into adult hood, but I don't know. I've prattled on for too long now, tell me what you think.

Sickness

Yesterday, I got home at around 1 am and after getting ready for bed, I vomited for the next 8 hours. That storm has seemingly passed, but I still have a 101 degree fever. I've been laying around all day and have been sleeping an hour or two at a time throughout the day. I clawed my way out of the apartment and managed to get some Gatorade, crackers, and some knock-off Sprite.

Last night, I ate almost continuously from 6:30pm until 12:00. We went to a Christmas dinner sponsored by our recruiting agency. That was a several course meal that lasted for sometime. Then, we went over to Soemyeon, because our friend, Rie, from Japan is in town. She had prepared a lot of different Japanese food that I ate as well. We sampled 4 different types of Japanese liquors and then went home at 12:30. I started to feel sick in the cab, but thought it was just due to heat. This was not the case however. I hope that I recover.

Christmas Lessons

For the next week, I'm going to be teaching the children about Christmas in America. I've been going over simple customs that are done in America. I also present different things that my family does. With the help of my mom, I've dug out a lot of different Christmas pictures from the distant past to show the students. I'll post them later.

I've also been explaining the difference between Santa Claus and Sinterklaas. For those who need a little refresher, the esteemed David Sedaris has kindly provided a lecture on the subject, entitled, "Six to Eight Black Men."