That was always a concern of mine, when I worked in private schools. In fact, before I came to teach at Osan Information High School, I was under the assumption that all Korean kids went to English Hogwans, no matter how poor. There might not be money to eat, but the kids hit the hogwan circuit. I was rudely awakened by my students here. Now in all fairness my Korean co-teachers( I have 4) warned me of there low English abilities, but I mistook this for the Korean attitude of all those who study English that they are of lower ability than they actually are. I've often said I should open a Self-Confidence Hogwan, in my experience it is not very common here.After my first couple of classes, though, I was horrified at the low levels of my students. Had I died and gone to Hell? What had I gotten myself into. I thought I was back teaching eight year olds. It was then that the real economic gap in Korea hit me. Used to the system in Canada, where all students are basically on the same footing (unless you count tutors), I really was shocked to see it in action.
Oh well, I was told this was a vocational high school, which I wish we had in Canada. But to me going to a vocational high school just meant they wanted to get into the meat and potato of things, not waste time on higher learning. I would have probably followed the same path if I had been given the choice. My students for the most part, in my opinion anyway, aren't stupid. They might lack motivation, probably from having been told that they had a certain lot in life and not to expect anything more. I mean, if you figure you're going to be working in a factory all your life, why study a foreign language? What purpose does it serve? I can relate to that train of thought and had flashbacks as I sat in my Grade 11 Oceanography class and wondered the same things.
So, once again I viewed this new position more as being a salesman or a promoter than a teacher. Make learning English fun and easy (but not too easy) they will want to learn it, regardless of it's value to them in the real world. Do you think learning to play computer games has any value in the adult world, unless you're one of the lucky ones who make it as a pro gamer (a real occupation in Korea, I kid you not). Not that I can make learning English as exciting as playing Starcraft, but I have to be able to make it more exciting than the textbooks they gave me.
Now, to be honest, I hate games and I'm the type of person who, if I'm not doing something enjoyable on a personal level, finds it hard to motivate others into believing something is fun (I'd make a terrible Art museum tour guide). I opted to go with music amd movies, two of my passions. Incorporating both into the classroom was a challange, but it has made the classes I teach more enjoyable for everyone (I hope my students feel the same way. I think the majority do and when you have a class of 35 to 40 students it's hard to make everyone happy).
When I taught at the hogwan, I taught a little bit of everything, mostly because my co-teachers were horrible. Not always, but there were very few gems. I would have been happy if they had of been proficient. I don't consider myself a teaching genius, but I like to think I am better than average. One manager, when I first came to Korea, told me that he didn't think I had great teaching skills, but my enthusiasm made up for it. Maybe that is the case, so I have to keep my enthusiam up or else I suck. My last days of teaching at a hogwan, to be honest, were dreadful as I was tired of teaching spoiled middle class kids. I am really a salesman at heart and have to be energetic or the deal goes bust. Regardless, now I have four co-teachers and for the most part they are ranging from good to excellent. I have no real complaints. So, now I get to stick to what I came here to teach almost 5 years ago, Conversational English. I leave the grammer and comprehension, for the most part to the co-teachers and concentrate on getting the kids talking in English.
