education

One More Post on Education

Wed, 05/08/2013 - 13:25 — thekimbapchronicles

So, I’ve been rolling this last one around in my head for a long time, and I’m still not sure I can say exactly what I need to in a concise manner, but I’m sure as heck gonna try.

There have been a lot of ideas proposed about how to fix education, and most of the creators of these ideas don’t bother to get real, meaningful feedback from teachers. (NB: When politicians say they’ve asked us about these things, they usually mean that they told us about what they had already decided or that they solicited feedback from retired teachers or folks who haven’t been in the classroom since spiral perms were cute.)

Korea: Not Finnished Yet

Wed, 03/20/2013 - 11:40 — sublunari

Yet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. “Oh,” he mentioned at one point, “and there are no private schools in Finland.”
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Our first week in Canada

Mon, 02/11/2013 - 21:41 — surprises aplenty

Here is a brief look at our first week in Penetang, Ontario. I am on my mother’s computer and don’t want to take too much time on it so a lot of this post will be terse to the point of being cryptic. I am writing this post more for my memory than for international scrutiny.

Just before coming to Canada, I had one last hike on a small, local mountain and finished the hike in my T-shirt. The day before leaving, The Little Guy (TLG) and I rode our bikes to Eulsookdo.

Sledding, Kinda

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 22:45 — jmslesin

Last week for our January Field Trip, we went sledding. Or, more accurately we went to an amusement park and where we slid down a slightly snowy/icy hill twice. I was too busy wrangling kids, making sure no one was lost, and having fun with our limited sledding that I took maybe a total of 3 photos. So all of the pictures are from my school. Also I love that Clara is in mid-yawn in this picture.

KWO_3098ss

Teacher Guidebook for Queer Korean Students

Sat, 01/05/2013 - 23:04 — The Kimchi Queen

The Great Phone Debate: Smartphone Edition

Sun, 12/30/2012 - 14:23 — thekimbapchronicles

If you’ve ever spent any time at all in charge of a classroom, you know the phone issue is a wildfire that rages unchecked throughout American public schools. Many American teenagers view possession of a cell phone as a necessity; some, I’m sure, would move to make constant telecommunication our Declaration of Independence’s fourth inalienable right. During ten years in the North Carolina public school system, I confiscated hundreds of phones that were out in the hallways, in use during class time, even, sadly, out and on during state and Advanced Placement tests. It’s a neverending conflict, and I have yet to meet a savvy public school teacher who hasn’t fought this battle day in and out with students.

My Kids are…

Mon, 11/19/2012 - 22:15 — jmslesin

…a little crazy, and I wouldn’t want them any other way. The other day after a ten-minute break between Elementary classes, I come in to see this on my white board. It’s the cover of the book we’re currently reading and it’s really great.

I know I couldn’t draw that well in 2^nd grade, or probably even now. Especially with teaching Kindergarten, I tend to focus on the refined art of coloring.

I liked it so much that I made sure my little ones didn’t erase it. And apart from an accidental smudge or two, it stayed relatively intact, which is kind of a miracle.

Dayjobs

Wed, 10/24/2012 - 13:36 — sublunari

At the university I teach the students to speak and write.

The conversation classes are the ESL equivalent of a factory line: the students face each other in two rows and drill common grammar forms into each other’s heads, switching places when they finish, the student at the front moving to the back and the rest of the students in the row moving down, while the students in the opposite row stay still. A large projection screen displays the sentence forms that the students have to practice, and alternating pictures ensure that the conversation always stays fresh.

When You Teach Kindergarten…

Tue, 10/16/2012 - 20:11 — jmslesin

… you talk about a lot of weird things, and here is a taste courtesy of my crazy and loveable little monsters.

1. I asked my kids the other day what my Halloween costume should be. Some of the answers include:
a giraffe, a marker, Ironman, a table, a window (can you tell they were just looking around the classroom?)and my favorite- A TOOTHBURSH. Part of me wants to try to make a toothbrush headpiece to really surprise them. I would not be the first according to the Internet.

[Twenty-One] Advice on Teaching and other Education Jobs in Korea

Thu, 09/20/2012 - 22:59 — rufina

Dear readers,

I hope this blog entry finds you well. I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted on Chomsongdae!

It has been just over 4 months since I have permanently moved to Korea after years of going back and forth. Adjusting to life in Korea after living in Canada for over 10 years was definitely not easy. You won't be able to imagine all the adventures, challenges, and also fun that I have had here.

flipside?

Thu, 08/16/2012 - 19:26 — ndamiano

not-so deep thoughts…

In life….there are 2 sides to every coin. Each decision we make has a flip side that may have required a bit of deliberation to make it the option we accept as our choice….and our path to happiness.

Serious issues spoiled by incoherent ranting style

Tue, 07/17/2012 - 13:21 — surprises aplenty

Child Abuse camp as advertised on the Democratic United Party blog and protected by corrupt police soon to be exposed

By [name redacted] and translated by Surprisesaplenty

My ‘translated by’ claim above is snarky, but I am starting from the man’s Facebook claims and following other links. His writing is … challenging.

A sample from various locations (1,2) on Facebook (these are from large groups on Facebook so I don’t think they are private utterances. The latter link is to “Every Expat inKorea” which sounds like it should be considered a public space):

A Progression

Tue, 06/26/2012 - 23:21 — jmslesin

With a large influx of new students for the summer, I feel even more thankful for my 'big kids' of Orion Class. Teaching the eldest of the Kindergarten kiddos has its perks, which sometimes slip from my mind when I'm trying to teach the tougher classes such as Speech and Composition (yes I am trying to teach little kids to write speeches, essays, and poems).

Creationists in Korea: They’ve hit the big-time!

Wed, 06/06/2012 - 07:39 — surprises aplenty

Two weeks ago, I wrote about changes to Biology Textbooks in Korea. At the time, I was of the opinion that the changes were merely updates: one example of evolutionary change being replaced by another.

Gord Sellar recently wrote about the changes and earlier errors – were at least partially the result of conservatism among the publishers. The industry receives five-year contracts and if a publisher has won such a contract, it won’t want to make any changes beyond what is required.

privileges for varsity athletes

Mon, 06/04/2012 - 07:50 — surprises aplenty

I talk about myself a lot in this post so I should start by clarifying a few things. I was an athlete while at high school and university and a fairly good one. I kinda-sorta reached the national level of competition during a few years of university. I once qualified to try out for the Olympics but knew my chances were so low, I went on a biology field trip instead of Olympic Trials. In the world of competitive swimming, I was very good, but definitely not great. Now, to talk about great athletes:

In Canada, I don’t recall receiving many privileges in support of my athletic training. At university, my competitive swim training was entirely free and if I missed a class due to a competition, my professor was obliged to allow me to make up missed tests or assignments or the like in another way. Nowadays, athletes at university have to pay for some of their training.


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