KOTESOL Promotional Video:

 

One of ATEK’s goals is to improve the quality of English education in Korea, and one way to do that is by alerting members to opportunities for professional development. KOTESOL, or Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, has been organizing conferences and helping English teachers connect with other professional teachers since 1992.

This September, KOTESOL has already held workshops in Busan and Gwangju-Jeonnam on September 4 and workshops in Seoul and Gangwon on September 11th. Keep an eye out for future notices.

From October 16 to 17, the KOTESOL PAC2010 International Conference will be held at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, with the theme Advancing ELT in the Global Context. More information about speakers, venues, schedule, registration fees and membership is available on the KOTESOL conference page at http://www.kotesol.org/?q=2010IC.

Visit www.kotesol.org for more information about KOTESOL, including how to join or contribute to the organization. Network with KOTESOL members at KOTESOL’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=2324076718&ref=ts

 

Dear ATEK Members,

This is the first time that I write to you collectively and publicly since the election. So, before anything, I would like to convey my appreciation for your confidence in me as your representative and once again promise that I will do everything I can to protect the rights of ALL English teachers in Korea.

Ever since I took office, there have been considerable amount of emails requesting interviews, to which I have tried to respond but couldn't due to heavy workload and other pressing issues. So, I would like to take this opportunity to voice my opinions and goals to the press as well as to you. I will not bore you with a long and tedious list of things that I want to see done, but rather I will make this letter short and sweet.

I have made it very clear that my first and foremost goal is to recruit more Korean teachers to the organization. ATEK under the two previous leaderships has grown so much but I fear that recruiting Koreans has been the weakest link in the organization, considering that I was the first Korean general member and officer. In order for this organization to work and be well received within the Korean community, it needs more Korean teachers. A lot more.

Having mentioned that, I would also like to propose a nation-wide clothes drive, which will not only promote the organization but also be a platform where members of each PMA can recruit their Korean co-workers to help out the cause. This way, Korean teachers will not feel threatened or intimidated by the pressure of joining ATEK but feel good about helping those in need and have a chance to think of ATEK as an integral part of the Korea - an organization that can do good in Korean society.

Thirdly, I would like to state that I am going to work hard to register ATEK as an NGO. In order for that to happen, I need all your help. There are a lot of things to be done. However, the most important thing is for all members to toss the prejudice and bias and to see things with understanding eyes. For example, in e-mails and phone calls I've received, I know there are some teachers who aren't convinced a Korean president can lead an organization of mostly expat members. Alternatively, when recruiting members at conferences or other venues, we have witnessed Korean English teachers walk away because they seem to feel this is only an organization of expat members. Our organization is comprised of both Korean and Foreign English teachers, and we should strive to equally represent the issues of both.

There is a lot I need to learn about what native teachers think of Korean society, law, education, and media. However, I can honestly tell you that a lot has changed already in Korea, and a lot more will change for the better in due time. Nothing changes overnight, but patience and perspective are required to see and appreciate the ongoing process. I am not saying that I will just passively sit and watch the life go by. I will do my very best to take this organization forward so that we all can move forward. One thing I ask of you is to be patient.

Thank you for reading this letter, and I wish you and your family happiness.

 

In Solidarity,

Jae

ATEK - President

president@atek.or.kr

 

 

Gyeonggi

We have seen a recent rise in our membership numbers and are currently the fastest growing PMA in ATEK.

Due to the geography and size of Gyeonggi-do, we have been rotating the location of meetings to different parts of the Province. We have held meetings in the northern and southern parts of the province as well as in the centralized location of Seoul.

The Gyeonggi PMA has also developed the fastest in terms of the council and officers. We have several news officers including a new Chair, Vice Chair, Communications Officer. We hope to soon have a new Membership Officer, too!

Please go to gyeonggi.atek.or.kr/newsletter for more information on our local activities!

 

Jeff Nunziata

I became a member of the ATEK Gyeonggi Council last year. At first, I was elected as the Hagwon Representative and later as the Membership Officer for our PMA. I feel that it is important for people to not simply take while here but to give back as well. I see ATEK as something that is here to help all of the English teachers in Korea to become more aware of their circumstances and thus make informed decisions.

Some of us are expatriates while others are Korean, but we are all sharing a common experience as English teachers. Of course there are differences, and I am not trying to minimize them, but at the same time I believe there is so much common ground that we share. We are much stronger united in solidarity than we are alone. ATEK gives all of us the opportunity to build bridges, create a climate of mutual respect, and become agents of change for our brothers and sisters who are also teaching English, regardless of their backgrounds.

I was fortunate enough to develop some very good relationships with PMA Council members in Gyeonggi. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the Gyeonggi PMA Council members who I worked with. I also worked closely with the current Internal Communications Officer, Russell, and he too went above and beyond with offering me technical assistance and support. I sincerely appreciate all the encouragement from everyone at ATEK.

I am excited to have this opportunity to further serve the members of ATEK. I believe that there needs to be strong links between the National Organization and the PMAs. The National Membership Officer serves in a capacity where they must interact with the PMA Councils as well as the membership and the National Organization. I do not expect to always agree with everyone, but I am open to listening and to compromise. There may not always be agreement on the way things are done, but there is always room for people to try to work on things together.

When I arrived here, I was lucky enough to have the support and friendship of my former co-worker Jo, and her fiancé Dave. To this day I still remember how they went out of their way to be there for me and offered me support. I continue to value their friendship. In a way, my service in ATEK is partially based on the hospitality and friendship that these fellow English teachers have shown me. Everything is a little easier when we know there are people and organizations, like ATEK, that we can turn to.

Thank you for your solidarity and membership in ATEK.

Jeff

 

Jeff Nunziata

National Membership Officer

members@atek.or.kr

atek.or.kr/join

 

Issues and Answers in Public Schools: An Introduction

Working in the public schools of Korea is a great opportunity. There are also many challenges that arise occasionally. We often hear that the problems are due to cultural differences and language barriers, but if there is a will to get around the language and cultural differences then there will always be a way! The pathway to success should never be blocked by unnecessary barriers. You’re not likely to be able to understand many of the cultural barriers, and learning the language will probably take many years of intensive study. Trying to learn about the culture and the language is definitely worth the efforts, but try to be patient and have goals that are reasonable.

First, every public school teaching situation is different in Korea, so it’s very difficult to make generalizations that are very valid. The main point is to try to handle your own personal situation as well as you can, and don’t try to make meaningless comparisons and avoid frustration. “Go with the flow” instead of trying to control the flow! Many benefits will arise from trying to be a team player.

Specifically, school staffs change fairly often, so teaching situations can change frequently and unexpectedly. One of the most challenging tasks is to establish and maintain effective teamwork with the staff. Many of the Korean teachers speak some or even much English, but others are shy about their English skills or feel that their English skills are low. Many native English teachers have little or no actual teaching experience, so they are often overwhelmed and may become discouraged with teaching methodology and routines. Some encounter huge classes and insufficient cooperation, while others have small classes or even huge classes with great cooperation.

What generalizations can be made? The vast majority of the students are very respectful and eager to learn, so that is a huge plus. Addressing the learning styles of many levels of learners is another challenge that is very common. Learning expectations are very high in Korea, so some students become overly frustrated and are not highly motivated to learn English. Addressing motivational issues isn’t always easy, but motivation to learn is extremely important.

Another generalization is that the general pattern of English instruction in the public schools is co-teaching. Some schools have Korean English teachers who work closely with the native English teachers, while others have homeroom teachers who work with the native English teachers. In a few cases, native English teachers work totally or almost totally alone. If everyone works together, things can go smoothly and student achievement can soar. The greatest joy is helping the students increase their English proficiency and move to high levels of fluency in English. Some are truly amazing! On the other hand, another issue is addressing the low levels of English achieved by far too many students in a country that invests huge amounts of money in English instruction!

Most of us are well-aware of these and many other issues, but what are the answers? How can ATEK help provide some of the answers? We’d like to hear from you, so please participate in the ATEK forums. We want to hear from you!

 

Calvin Rains

Gyeonggi Public School Representative

Public School Commission

gyeonggi.public@atek.or.kr

atek.or.kr/public

ATEK Invites Discussion To Help Native English Teachers Stay Longer in Public Schools

In the last week, a number of articles have been published, in the Hankyoreh, Yonhap News, The Korea Herald, The Korea Times, and other places, about Native English public school teachers leaving their jobs before their contracts end. Korea's news outlets are concerned, and so is ATEK. If there is high turnover in Native English teachers, that certainly damages English education in Korea.

Unfortunately, these articles gave conflicting statistics: one article showed that fewer than 5% of native teachers leave early, while another said 66% leave early. Many articles presented statistics without much context, so readers would have trouble understanding the statistics correctly. ATEK is investigating these statistics.

Because ATEK is committed to improving Education in Korea, we reach out to the politicians, journalists, and education officials concerned about native English teachers in Korea's public schools.

Finding the causes for high turnover will help Korean education officials to improve the situation, but none of the articles asked why they left early in detail. If nobody is asking teachers why they leave, we are losing our chance to learn how to improve our system, so that teachers stay longer. If teachers stay longer, their expertise stays in Korea, and Korean students will benefit more than if new, less-experienced recruits must constantly come in to replace more experienced teachers who are leaving.

ATEK has over 1100 members, including hundreds of public school teachers, in our organization, and we invite education officials to open a dialogue about ways that we can change the conditions for native English teachers in Korea's public schools. ATEK would love to work together with Korean education institutions, to understand, and solve the problems connected with high teacher turnover. By working together, we can improve the professionalism, and the effectiveness, of Native Teachers in Korea's public schools.

Media inquiries can be directed to media@atek.or.kr, and official communications can go to ATEK's president, Ms. JaeHee Oh, at president@atek.or.kr.

More information:

For a more detailed explanation of the statistics, and a comparison of the articles:
http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2010/10/incorrect-statistics-depict-foreign.html

This article gives the number of teachers who quit, compared to the total number of teachers. According to those numbers, the percentage of teachers quitting is less than 5%.
http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=100&oid=001&aid=0004677239

Most of these articles use this article, from Yonhap news, as their source. This article does not compare the total number of teachers with the number who quit:
http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=100&oid=001&aid=0004676496

For more examples of articles giving different statistics about teachers leaving:
http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=100&oid=001&aid=0004677239
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/10/117_73796.html
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100930000824
http://www.fnn.co.kr/content.asp?aid=4ada9196901e4a5388fd40a89f004c26
http://mbn.mk.co.kr/pages/news/newsView.php?category=mbn00009&news_seq_no=1002773
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?total_id=4483055
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/09/29/2010092901128.html

 

Rob Ouwehand
National Communications Officer
Association for Teachers of English in Korea

atek.or.kr/press