How can you improve your students' learning (and hopefully, boost test scores)? Maybe you shouldn't ask me...

Our sixth graders have scored the lowest of their region. This test was something like the SATs and our school stood out as the worse ranked. This came as a shock to our school. All the sixth grade teachers were nervous and the VP and principal were humiliated. The English department grades 3-6 had to start upping their game and employ new practices to ensure higher test rankings in the future.

The witch cackles and my warm desk-warming days end

This winter, I'm definitely chained to my school prison.  Even my mother, who was visiting, desk-warmed with me just to spend time together.. and she caught a cold from it!  Sad, right?

We can only thank EPIK and the public school system for this insanity. I will only teach one "token" week of school in February; unfortunately, my desk-warming won't change those kids' test scores, improve the teaching level for next year or make my students regain their "smart" abilities.

Our students bad test scores-- not a grand surprise to me.

I could read a list of things the 6th grade curriculum at my school needs to improve--

Do you really want to teach English in Korea? (Part II: Public vs Private schools)

Apologies, readers. Again, I'm posting a referral link to my article on GRRRL TRAVELER site where the initial questions about my teaching arose.

Continued from Do you really want to teach English in Korea? (Part I: Q & A)


(Please click HERE  to go to GRRRL TRAVELER to read the article.)

NET winter vacation days at EPIK- a Juggle or a Screw?

What's my Numero Uno reason for not renewing my contract? Travel freedom. It may sound "princess"  of me to complain about vacation time. 18 days is a luxury compared to the standard two week vacation of a regular 9-5. ... but throw in the fact that we have "desk-warming days" during school vacation and the DMOE's screwing (or lack of stepping in when a school is screwing)  our vacation time. There's a reason I was a freelancer all this time.


This past month was stressful for many. Why? Winter is coming up with speed and with that follows our 10 day winter vacation. For renewing contracts, there was an 10 extra days as re-signing incentive (which must be used by the period's end or ...lost).

The problem for many Daegu EPIKers is that it wasn't possible to use all of the allotted days, within the given school/winter camp schedule. With a ticking clock of rising flight costs near the holiday

NETs gain school holidays, not freedom from desk-warming

As I mentioned from my September Shoutouts II on GRRRL TRAVELER:

Last week, the DMOE finally sent out a notice stating that starting fall term, all NETs will have school holidays off. Yay, right? Before you get too excited, this doesn't mean the chains come off and that NETs are excluded from desk-warming duties come winter!  No, while the entire public school system will be off for winter vacation, NETs are still expected to show for work.

Below is the letter we received from our DMOE confirming this:

September 9, 2010

Dear NETs,

I am writing to inform you that an official document regarding the policy about NETs and

A Shocking 411 on EPIK's NET vacation hours

Read article here on GRRRLTRAVELER
http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/05/shockng-411-epik/