Korean Teacher Farewell Party at my School

If the YouTube video (above) does not show, click on the link to see the full page.

The Korean public school system regulates that it's teachers and principals change schools every five years. This year, six of our teachers were leaving (as well as my principal, whom I really love). This past Wednesday, my school had a going away dinner for the teachers in our school.

We had a dinner at a banquet hall and a buffet with tons of foods I could eat. Then it came time for the

Growing Pains of Co-teaching: Why doesn't my co-teacher listen to my ideas? (Part 3)

Continued from (1:Co-teaching: A Ticking Time Bomb & Top 4 rants of NETs...).

Why doesn't my co-teacher listen to my ideas?

In my experience, this was a common rant amongst NET's in my group.

 So you're the new NET in a school which doesn't yet know how to implement you into their structure.... While Korean teachers may initially, ask you to lead certain activities or offer ideas on lesson plans,  they still want the "controlling hand". Wouldn't you if you'd been teaching your own class for years?

You may come out with very good ideas, brilliant even and wonder why they're continually getting

Top 4 rants of Native English Teachers in the Classroom (Part 2)

You just moved to Korea and you already feel like you're on shaky ground. A new work environment, new life, foreign language, culture and foods... your entire world is turned upside down and being a foreigner will feel like your largest wound! When Korean Teachers dole out punishment, your being an outsider and not knowing the Korean language will surface your vulnerability-- you feel helpless, as if you have no control. What are some Korean war tactics used against the NET's in the classroom?...

Top 4 Popular rants of New Native English Teachers:

The cold shoulder (aka Ice out)
Icing out is a manipulative tactic many of us learned to use in high school, when we

Growing Pains of Co-teaching Relationships: A Ticking Time Bomb? (Part 1)

I've been going back to some of my old posts in an effort clean up and revise information I posted earlier. Reading old posts, got me thinking-- things look a lot different after you've safely crossed the initial growing pains of working out your co-teaching role in the classroom. My relationship with my co-teachers, the school system,...; things begin to make sense and become more manageable. But initially, when my  Korean co-teachers and I were both, new to the co-teaching relationship the growing pains weren't simple.

One of my very first Crazy Kimchi blogrants back in April:

I felt like my co-teacher was doing a last-minute lesson plan ditch today; she had grand and creative schemes for lesson plans, but is now just concerned with following the

Decoding my Korean workplace: an NET’s Class Schedules

When I first signed up to be a English Teacher abroad (NET aka Native English Teacher), I had no idea what was expected of me. And when I got here for my EPIK orientation, I still didn't know.... Worse even still, two weeks into teaching classes, I still didn't really have a clue. They call this Dynamic Korea. There's no head's up, no real advice as to how to work with your co-teacher, etc.. but people just figure things out as they go, as change is a common factor which keeps you on your toes. This article (click on the link to my main blog) will open the door for you and give you an insider's peek on how it works. It's my personal experience. It's not full-proof and at best, always a work-in-progress.