There have been several major turning points in my career in EFL. The first one was when I decided to stay in Korea another year at my second job. I found a decent place and knew what I was getting into, but decided to try it out some more, I stayed at that fine institution for 2 years until they decided to shut their doors (mostly due to personal reasons of owner not business practices). I wish I was still there, nice memories.
Then another turning point was when I found my previous job. It was a somewhat serious academic environment as far as hagwons go. Right away I saw the difference from the previous place I mentioned. Students learned quickly doing intensive reading. I got a first hand view of what it was like for students to study language intensively in an EFL setting and it seemed to work in many cases. This was when I realized that the system wasn't just a huge joke and endless money pit. The only problem was it was children and I felt that most of them only went there because their parents made them. I justified things by saying to myself that they would start grade 3 English at their public schools knowing more English than half their Korean teachers and certainly more than the average high school student.
The next turning point was when I got my current job. Moving from private academies to a public school position is a whole new world. I had dabbled part time in after school and part-time positions at public schools, but it is not the same. Here I am part of a large community, not just in one. I am not essential, but I definitely feel like a part of where I work. I feel like I have contact with the real society. Nearly every Korean has spent a significant amount of their childhood in a Korean elementary school. I deal with people from all walks of life as a result. Including the people who wouldn't be caught dead in an English academy. It is interesting to get perspectives from people. I think speaking Korean helps to get some of the more unique opinions. Hearing things from parents like, "I just want my kid to play in your class and be happy" would have perplexed me while working at a hagwon. Why are you paying for premium babysitting. At a public school I don't need to ask why their child is attending mandatory classes or why the parent doesn't seem concerned that learning is taking place in it's most efficient manner (according to them) as possible.
I guess to sum it up I think it was a turning point because it made me realize education is more than just learning what is taught in the classroom. It's harder to notice when working only in an EFL environment because you don't see all of the other development that is going on in a learners life. In a young learner's life, the development is even more profound. When I started, I remembered the little guys in grade 3, now they are finishing grade 5. I can't wait to see them next year. I will ask them:
"I remember when you were small and cute, you grew so much. What happened?"
I hope their reply is similar to what they said at the beginning of this year when I asked the same thing.
"We grew. You grew so much, too. What happened?"
I think I stick with this career because I have noticed things change, I don't feel stuck at a dead end (yet and hopefully never). I feel myself continuing to grow and develop. Obviously things have challenged my values, but I learn to work around this and accept that not everyone is going to have the same values and life is way to complex and people are way to different. Teaching is social and society cannot be navigated by using one set of values. Working and cooperating with others is essential. Living in a foreign country and working in a system that is quite different than the one I was raised in is challenging, but that is part of my enjoyment. Complaining about it and getting frustrated will not solve anything, so I try to avoid it as much as possible.
My Teaching Situation:
I think I am quite marginalized in my job. I am the only person at my work who wasn't born and raised in Korea. I am the only one who isn't a fluent Korean speaker. My ethnicity really makes me stand out. I am not 100% in tune with the local culture and customs, etc. These are obvious and common place for my job and I expect it. I took this job knowing I would be an outsider and I accept things. I don't feel oppressed and as far as discrimination is concerned, I kind of owe my job to it. The people at my work never go out of their way to marginalize me and more often than not try to include me. I am very fortunate and happy for this.
I am one of the few teachers at my school on a contract. I need to keep my reputation near pristine and renew my contract on a yearly basis. It's quite routine now, however it still causes some anxiety.
I am not a public servant and therefore I am by default not included in a lot of the decision making. I don't have the necessary qualifications and I'm pretty sure I am not allowed to teach regular classes without indirect supervision. I have restricted freedom with what I can and cannot do. However those who are regular teachers and public servants face certain restrictions that I do not, so it is a trade off. Ultimately I really don't get blamed for anything, which is kind of stressful. If I do something wrong, someone else may take the fall along with me, just because they are technically 'in-charge' of my actions.
Outside of my school the position of NETs in Korean public school is quite controversial, at least we have support of the KETs, but are often the focus of negative media attention. NET positions can be lost on a whim and we would have very little say.
I think knowing this, the best form of advocacy to take is on a more personal level. Korea will not allow foreign teachers to unionize anytime soon. They have enough of a problem with their regular teacher's union. I think people in my position must understand ICC well and be very tolerant. If everyone learned a little about the culture it wouldn't hurt as well. I think personal responsibility is more important than advocacy. I often hear things like, "Native English teachers have a bad reputation, but you are good." I think I am living up to my sky high standards of having a reputation that is better than how the worst of the media portrays me.
I know one of my coworkers is changing schools next year. Two years ago when she first started teaching with me, she was a little skeptical of co-teaching. The experience seemed positive and now she is an extremely motivated English teacher doing TEE well and wishing to pursue even more training. In my arrogant mind I like to think I maybe had a positive influence on this. Wherever she goes, she will wish to teach English and have a nice NET to work with if she does. I know she is leaving a place where this was the case. Having a good relationship with coworkers and especially co-teachers is important. If they don't like me, how can I hope for them to put in a good word considering they have more power and a lot of experience supervising me.
In a related story I once hung around a principal from another school during an after-party after a teacher's volleyball game. I just happened to notice those teachers walk into a pub near my house and I said hello. They invited me in and the principal ended up liking me so much, she jokingly called my principal up to try and poach me to her school for next year. My principal was really impressed with this, as it 'raised the school profile'. Doing things outside of my job can help, too.
The world of EFL teaching is very diverse, it is even diverse in Korea. So as a NET in a public school I guess doing enough to pass the renewal, being part of the Facebook group and having a few other friends in my position is about as much solidarity and advocacy as I am expected to take. Although I feel taking an extra step is important. I'm not going to apologize to those who I have raised the bar for because I feel the bar is way too low. I hope to raise it even further by becoming a better teacher. I've been focusing more in the past few years becoming friendly with the local native population. Although I hope this STG program is just the start of more EFL specific development.
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