Isn't that what a blog is for?

I feel compelled to weigh in on a subject about which I am generally uninformed and also very heavily biased- at last, I understand what a blog is! The issue, familiar to some of you, is the negative perception of native English speakers (teachers) here in Korea. There seems to always be a new story in a Korean newspaper bashing foreign teachers as drunken, unprofessional, and even potentially dangerous to Korean children.

This seems to have begun some years ago when the program was in its infancy and teachers were not carefully screened; kudos to the Korean government for continuing its drive for a native speaker in every school- the initiative is a good one. Or is it like vacationing with the girlfriend- a great idea in theory, but the reality is a big mess? (Jenny: joke!)

First, my bias. I really, really like my job and I am good at it. Most, if not all, of my good friends in Korea seem to be caring and engaged teachers who like their jobs. Most of the foreigners you meet here are fairly well traveled, well educated people who are curious about the world.

But... I attended an orientation with 180 other teachers. I was of course drawn to people with similar backgrounds and interests to my own. Of that group, there were certainly some who have absolutely no business being teachers. Too many, if I can spot them over the course of a few days. And while I will maintain that most are traveled and educated (and it is a little scary that I feel compelled to use the word most, not all, and I am privately wondering if most should read "some"), the simple truth is that traveled and educated does not make you a good teacher.

I won't turn this into thoughts on what makes a good teacher; that is far too substantial a topic for a blog. Instead, what is the reasoning behind the negative perception of foreign teachers here? I can find some reasons.

1. Very few foreigners learn the language. This creates mistrust and can lead to all manner of communication problems and frustrations on both sides.

2. Some foreign teachers drink and party to absolute excess. Calling in sick with a hangover is a reality for some people here, as is being in school when you just feel absolutely awful. How many is some? I have no idea, but for teachers who are held to a different set of standards (by necessity) in a foreign country, some is probably too many for the general public's taste. And my own.

3. Teachers often eat, drink, and travel in very large, generally non inclusive (for koreans) groups. I hated Australians who were "integrated" into London this way, now I find myself teetering on the edge of this all the time. Of course, friends from a similar background form a safety net and help foreigners keep their sanity, but there really is something of a "mob" mentality here too often.

4. Too many (Yanks!) dress terribly for work! DON'T WEAR SHORTS! Iron your shirt! Guys, wear the type of shirt that actually needs to be ironed! And Yanks again, buy a shirt that fits. Baggy is out. And we live in a city of 10 million people that is dirty and full of concrete. Why the hell are you wearing flip-flops? There's no beach! Wear shoes to work! (Full disclosure: I feel flip flops, especially for men, should be banned from any city and a hefty fine levied to anyone who breaks this rule.)

5. The teachers who come to Korea are almost invariably young (at 29 I am an old man) and so relatively inexperienced- not just at teaching, but at life abroad (and sometimes life itself). But who else will take the plunge? Adventurous foreigners are what they are, here for an adventure, fun, travel, and the means to prolong that fun. That means is teaching. There is probably not much hope of moving teaching higher on the list of some people's priorities here.

I don't have any conclusions to draw from this. Are there some bad teachers here? Yes. Do their actions justify condemnation in the press of foreign teachers? No. Could there be mechanisms in place to make the whole project run better? Absolutely. (Idea one: put me in charge! Man, I need to get to grad school...) Certainly I hope the body of work that my colleagues and I do is capable of winning over students, parents, and the public that foreign teachers in schools really works. I believe foreign teachers in schools would benefit the US as well, but that's a whole other issue. But somehow, sadly, it feels like this is the status quo and the situation will remain "deadlocked" for some time, maybe always...