Oh no she didn't! (Coteacher stealing lessons/ideas)

[gookway]

Reading this thread gives me the impression many NETs here think they are
uber pro and big-headed.   If you're such a great teacher with such amazing
teaching skills, lessons and ideas, just remember that most of us are here in Korea because
we couldn't make it as a teacher in US/Canada/SAfrica or whatnot.

It's easy for you to believe that KTs are not creative, lack teaching style/skills, and have to copy
your brilliant ideas, when in fact these KTs probably have more credentials, and training than your
high school diploma or some "certificate" for ESL teaching.

Nobody here is "self-made".  We've all learned and taken from others in our training, education, ideas,
teaching resources/materials, or what have you.   Have a little more perspective and curb the
sanctimonious platitudes speech.

"If I have been able to see further than others,
It is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."
Sir Isaac Newton

Think about how many times your CTs or KTs encouraged you by telling you how good of a teacher you are
even if you aren't.  When was the last time you ever complimented your CT/KTs? 

[minamteacher]

I hate to be the one to remind every one of this fact, but we definately do need to remember to respect the Korean culture. This is a sharing culture. Your co-teacher might take you're lessons, but he/she will probably bring in some little oranges or maybe some bottles of delicious juices before the school year is over, so every thing will even out. Don't worry abotu what you think the co-teacher has alledgedly stole from you --- instead, you should anticipating the treats that you will recieve! As I like to say, we can make lemons from lemonade.

Looks like a Troll post to me.

Reading this thread gives me the impression many NETs here think they are
uber pro and big-headed.   If you're such a great teacher with such amazing
teaching skills, lessons and ideas, just remember that most of us are here in Korea because
we couldn't make it as a teacher in US/Canada/SAfrica or whatnot.

No offence,  but you have no idea why people are here. You are making a real BIG leap.

[Jozigirl]

Reading this thread gives me the impression many NETs here think they are
uber pro and big-headed.   If you're such a great teacher with such amazing
teaching skills, lessons and ideas, just remember that most of us are here in Korea because
we couldn't make it as a teacher in US/Canada/SAfrica or whatnot.

Or...some of us are great teachers in our home countries and were tired of constantly lowering our own standards to comply with ridiculous school systems while, in Korea, we can actually enjoy teaching again without compromising those standards (at least, in my case).

However, you do make several good points.  If we're good teachers now, it's because we've learnt from others along the way and taken ideas from teachers who have experience to share.  Good teachers are unrepentant thieves    My co-teachers kick my butt when it comes to using multimedia in the classroom and their lessons are generally very engaging.   Fortunately, they're more than willing to show me (numerous times since I'm technologically impaired) how to do some of these things in my own lessons so when they use my ideas in their lessons (even before I've used them in class), I take it as a compliment. And, if they happen to take credit for some of my ideas or even some of my work, it's not the end of the world - it means my work is good enough to copy or 'steal'.  At the end of the day, the kids are benefitting from it and I still know that a lot of that is thanks to me. 

[kp]

If you check haroldtukoman's posting history, you'll get a better idea of what he's up to here, ha.  I have mixed feelings about this style of humor in large forums -- yes, harold's post is kind of funny.  At the same time, it also doesn't offer more than a laugh to those reading the thread, and the OP is dealing with a real issue and needs serious advice.

I do think this thread is valuable for its honest examples and advice.  To enter a classroom and find you can no longer teach what you planned would be distressing for all of us, I think.  It's good that we have this forum to talk about precautions and solutions to minimize the likelihood of these occurrences.

[KevinTeacher84]

I don't want to denigrate anyone in particular, but can't we suck our egos in just a bit and lay off the Korean bashing for just a little, especially for something so innocent as this? I bet the reason 70 percent of the registered users of this website are here mainly to access the powerpoint materials and to gain insight into lesson planning. Should those members, prior to playing the latest bomb game they uploaded, project a picture of its creator and ask the whole class to bow to their greatness?
I think you should feel very proud that other teachers in your school have recognized the effectiveness of your methods and are incorporating it into their own teaching. But more importantly, you should feel happy that the students at your school are receiving a better and more exciting education.
You are here in this country as an English educator and cultural ambassador. You are not only teaching your students, but demonstrating alternative, effective, non-traditional methods of learning. The alternative is this: In my province, the new minister of education has mandated that the students will learn english by memorizing ALL of the dialogue in the textbooks, so now we have kids listening to the dialogue, writing it down with Korean phonetic sounds, and regurgitating. What the hell will that accomplish?
I'm sorry to say but this site seems to have become one giant bitch-fest about anything and everything that is Korean. There are legitimate concerns and this forum is invaluable in addressing them. But its being taken too far. You are paid a nice wage, given generous health benefits, and provided free housing to live in a foreign country, experience its unique culture, and do a fairly easy job. Maybe the problem is that some of you might be straight out of college and not had a job back in America. Go back home and work at a shithole like Enterprise Rent-a-Car, kissing the asses of wealthy assholes and shoveling parking lots while wearing a suit and tie in the middle of winter, all for $11.50 an hour, and we'll see how you feel about your current predicament.

[Jozigirl]

Here's the deal - they watch me teach every week, day in, day out. I'm constantly being observed (in my class, I lead, they assist). They see my activities, my behavior management style, my games, everything...fine. I asked each one individually if I could go observe them to get a feel for how the students are when they're not with me, to see (just for personal/professional development) what others do that's more/less effective, and also to get additional ideas for activities. And they said they would feel too uncomortable, that being observed makes them nervous. In other words, no.

I feel it would be beneficial for me to observe others, as that's the kind of teaching environment I'm accustomed to. I think their excuses are just that - lame-o excuses. One friend suggested I just pop in to observe, not giving any notice.  I mean, they watch me, why the hesitation? Or maybe they don't want to get busted for using my activities ('cause they think I don't know, but let's be real).

Most people complain about their co-teachers NOT being present in the classroom.  Yes, they watch your lessons all the time because that's part of their job and they should be in the classroom.  Most native teachers freak out at the thought of having other teachers/parents/visitors or whoever else sit in on a lesson so it's understandable that the KTs feel the same way.  I was always a bundle of nerves when my head of dept had to do class visits and I really don't like having student teachers in my lessons because it makes me nervous.  I have two other NETs at my school: When I first arrived, I asked if I could sit in on one of their lessons to get a feel for the students and to see what was expected in a class here.  They both fumbled and mumbled about it being a distraction to the students, needing to focus on work that had to be finished before mid-terms (a lot of hogwash actually) and so on and so forth - ie. they didn't feel comfortable having someone sit in on their lesson for whatever reason. 

Yes, it can be advantageous to sit in on lessons of other teachers but, especially here, how much can you benefit from a lesson that probably mostly taught in Korean?  Also, the students are going to react differently in the KTs' classes than in our lessons because they share a language and culture - in our lessons, they have to try to accommodate a different culture while working in a second language.  In addition, the KTs are generally having to cover the work that will be assessed so, the focus of the lesson is different which will alter the way the students respond too.  There are several (legitimate) reasons for KTs to refuse a request for us to sit in on their lesson.  Furthermore, to simply 'drop in' on one of their lessons will probably do more harm than good and, considering they've said no in their own way, it would probably be viewed as disrespectful on several levels so you may end up damaging your existing relationship for very little gain. 

As for them showing the activities to the students before your lessons, that's just part of teaching here.  If you know that it's happening, you can be pre-emptive by expecting the students to have already been exposed to at least part of the lesson in advance and trying to plan for this.  Is it a pain in the butt? Of course.  My co-teachers sometimes use my lessons in advance because they think that parts of the lesson need to be explained twice; in their mind, they're trying to help me out by doing this because they think that it will help my lesson with the students to flow better and, therefore, create less frustration for me.  They also sometimes do it so that we save time in my lesson.  The method isn't always great but their intentions are always good and I try to remember that rather than get upset over it. 

[flasyb]

I don't want to denigrate anyone in particular, but can't we suck our egos in just a bit and lay off the Korean bashing for just a little, especially for something so innocent as this? I bet the reason 70 percent of the registered users of this website are here mainly to access the powerpoint materials and to gain insight into lesson planning. Should those members, prior to playing the latest bomb game they uploaded, project a picture of its creator and ask the whole class to bow to their greatness?
I think you should feel very proud that other teachers in your school have recognized the effectiveness of your methods and are incorporating it into their own teaching. But more importantly, you should feel happy that the students at your school are receiving a better and more exciting education.
You are here in this country as an English educator and cultural ambassador. You are not only teaching your students, but demonstrating alternative, effective, non-traditional methods of learning. The alternative is this: In my province, the new minister of education has mandated that the students will learn english by memorizing ALL of the dialogue in the textbooks, so now we have kids listening to the dialogue, writing it down with Korean phonetic sounds, and regurgitating. What the hell will that accomplish?
I'm sorry to say but this site seems to have become one giant bitch-fest about anything and everything that is Korean. There are legitimate concerns and this forum is invaluable in addressing them. But its being taken too far. You are paid a nice wage, given generous health benefits, and provided free housing to live in a foreign country, experience its unique culture, and do a fairly easy job. Maybe the problem is that some of you might be straight out of college and not had a job back in America. Go back home and work at a shithole like Enterprise Rent-a-Car, kissing the asses of wealthy assholes and shoveling parking lots while wearing a suit and tie in the middle of winter, all for $11.50 an hour, and we'll see how you feel about your current predicament.

Haha, classic. Yes, I'm sure we should be all eternally grateful to the Korean government and all our schools. I agree with sharing materials but you seem to have missed the main problem here. The OP's co-teacher was taking the lessons and pre-teaching the answers to questions (classic Korean spoon-feeding) and thus ruining the lesson and not letting the kids think of the answers for themselves. I wouldn't be happy about that either. Are you saying I should be happy about that because I'm not working in a parking lot? "Oh well, my lesson has been ruined but I'm not working in a parking lot in the middle of Winter." - eh? Personally, I'm glad the OP takes this issue more seriously. The OP is trying to be an effective teacher (making the kids use their brains to think about English) and is loosing effectiveness by sharing her lessons too far in advance. Sharing materials is great! I'd love it if my co-teachers had the time to do anything other than textbook work and used some of my ideas. Having your lesson spoiled because your co-teacher is spoon-feeding the answers to your questions to the kids is not great and is worth getting annoyed about. In your rush to pull out the same old tired spiel about us being so lucky and Korean culture and whatnot, you seem to have missed the point raised in this thread. You should copy that spiel to a word document and save it for a real bitch-fest thread. There are plenty of those around. Just paste it in.

[minamteacher]

I don't want to denigrate anyone in particular, but can't we suck our egos in just a bit and lay off the Korean bashing for just a little, especially for something so innocent as this? I bet the reason 70 percent of the registered users of this website are here mainly to access the powerpoint materials and to gain insight into lesson planning. Should those members, prior to playing the latest bomb game they uploaded, project a picture of its creator and ask the whole class to bow to their greatness?
I think you should feel very proud that other teachers in your school have recognized the effectiveness of your methods and are incorporating it into their own teaching. But more importantly, you should feel happy that the students at your school are receiving a better and more exciting education.
You are here in this country as an English educator and cultural ambassador. You are not only teaching your students, but demonstrating alternative, effective, non-traditional methods of learning. The alternative is this: In my province, the new minister of education has mandated that the students will learn english by memorizing ALL of the dialogue in the textbooks, so now we have kids listening to the dialogue, writing it down with Korean phonetic sounds, and regurgitating. What the hell will that accomplish?
I'm sorry to say but this site seems to have become one giant bitch-fest about anything and everything that is Korean. There are legitimate concerns and this forum is invaluable in addressing them. But its being taken too far. You are paid a nice wage, given generous health benefits, and provided free housing to live in a foreign country, experience its unique culture, and do a fairly easy job. Maybe the problem is that some of you might be straight out of college and not had a job back in America. Go back home and work at a shithole like Enterprise Rent-a-Car, kissing the asses of wealthy assholes and shoveling parking lots while wearing a suit and tie in the middle of winter, all for $11.50 an hour, and we'll see how you feel about your current predicament.

Have you been reading the posts on this thread? The vast majority of the people here are only stating that they want a heads up before somebody uses their material. I think that's a totally reasonable response. Using your material without telling you is a bit unfair no matter how you slice it. Also, much like gookway, you have NO way of knowing the occupational history of people before they came to Korea, so stop making generalizations.

[gilbert.a.h]

So...I teach 3rd through 6th grade with 3 different co-teachers. I see each class only once a week and my CTs see them twice more on their own. Here's the deal - they watch me teach every week, day in, day out. I'm constantly being observed (in my class, I lead, they assist). They see my activities, my behavior management style, my games, everything...fine. I asked each one individually if I could go observe them to get a feel for how the students are when they're not with me, to see (just for personal/professional development) what others do that's more/less effective, and also to get additional ideas for activities. And they said they would feel too uncomortable, that being observed makes them nervous. In other words, no.

I'm fully aware that they use my ideas/games/activities in their classrooms, which I'd be completely comfortable with if: (1) they wouldn't tell other teachers that it's their work or idea; (2) they would share resources with me in return; and (3 - the biggest one for me) they wouldn't use them first with a class that hasn't had a chance to play my game/do my activity with me. That REALLY bugs me.

Second week of class I had a sticker chart ready to tape into my students' books. I had shown the 5th grade teacher my chart the week  before. As I open the students' books to tape my chart in, I see another sticker chart that looks almost identical to the one I made! I feel she could've told me she'd be using a similar system or something...she beat me to the punch and that really got to me. But whatever. A couple of weeks later, I gave her a preview of an activity I would be doing with the students. When the 5th graders got to me and I start to show them, they KNEW IT ALL! She showed them the day before! And no, it wasn't a misunderstanding, it was a cheeky move. But I digress...

I feel it would be beneficial for me to observe others, as that's the kind of teaching environment I'm accustomed to. I think their excuses are just that - lame-o excuses. One friend suggested I just pop in to observe, not giving any notice.  I mean, they watch me, why the hesitation? Or maybe they don't want to get busted for using my activities ('cause they think I don't know, but let's be real).

What should I do?

[MOD EDIT: Changed title]

Step 1:  Get the stick out of your butt.

Step 2:  Either tell the teachers that you don't like it when they take your ideas because you find intellectual theft a serious problem, and choose to block progress and harmony in creating a better world for all of us due to your greedy stance in life.

Step 3:  Learn to live with the fact that things happen and just be happy that they use your ideas.

Step 4:  Write something dirty in response to my posting with another post or a nasty long personal message.

Yeah, life sucks, but you know what? If people are taking my lesson plan ideas, I'd be happy as hell. Why? Because it is obvious that I AM DOING SOMETHING RIGHT! I am here to teach children, not to get credit over something as silly as creating a classroom game or sit on my high horse being so special that nobody can touch my awesomeness....

[flasyb]

Step 4:  Write something dirty in response to my posting with another post or a nasty long personal message.

Yeah, life sucks, but you know what? If people are taking my lesson plan ideas, I'd be happy as hell. Why? Because it is obvious that I AM DOING SOMETHING RIGHT! I am here to teach children, not to get credit over something as silly as creating a classroom game or sit on my high horse being so special that nobody can touch my awesomeness....

My word, another who seems to have totally missed the point. It's less the fact that people are using the OP's ideas and more the fact that one co-teacher in particular was pre-teaching the OP's material to the kids, taking any kind of mental challenge out of the lesson.

[oskinny1]

Some of the folk on this board seem to have real reading comprehension issues.

Taking your material and adapting it to your own needs is a healthy and growth inducing process. Simply plagiarising someones work, right when they were about to use it? Not so much.

This is what Rusty wanted to say:
Listen here you ungrateful bastard! You could have picked a notoriously bad company to work with because your degree doesn't amount to a hill of beans since you went to a no name school and majored in some liberal arts nonsense and it was the only place to hire you then realized that there are better jobs out there. Now you are in one of those better jobs (comparatively) and you have something negative to say without understanding a word of what the OP easily conveyed to the vast majority of readers here? Suck it up chump!

[KevinTeacher84]

I'm fully aware that they use my ideas/games/activities in their classrooms, which I'd be completely comfortable with if: (1) they wouldn't tell other teachers that it's their work or idea; (2) they would share resources with me in return; and (3 - the biggest one for me) they wouldn't use them first with a class that hasn't had a chance to play my game/do my activity with me. That REALLY bugs me.

There is a difference between using the same game template and using the same exact lesson to teach the same class.  If that is the case, and they are indeed stealing your entire lesson that you created, then I apologize. I was under the impression they were merely taking your idea for a game/activity and using it for their own class.
But stealing a sticker chart? Seriously? You're going to boil over because someone stole a basic classroom management/reward system such as a sticker chart?
Every year my co-teacher and I perform a demonstration class in front of her peers. I realize that the outcome of this determines her promotional opportunities, so while I might plan the lesson or game, I allow her to take the credit for it. I mean what the hell do I have to gain from proclaiming to a bunch of teachers I hardly know or can communicate with that it was indeed I who created that particular bomb game? This is her career, I am a yearly contract worker.

This is to the person who directly responded to me. We aren't developing life-saving technologies here. Pretty sure no cure for cancer coming out of my latest Super Mario offering. So stop acting like you and your classroom ideas are copyrighted and be thankful that the kids are learning from them. And yes there is a time and a place for complaining but it has gotten out of hand on this website. "Top 10 things you hate about your apartment", "Things you hate that Korean's say to you" or some blather like that.  Before I came to Korea, I checked a number of blogs, talked to my friends in-country, and had a good idea of what to expect. I would NEVER even consider a hagwon because I know about the hours and the shady owners.
You're right, I have no idea of your your particular work history before you came over here. Maybe you can enlighten me. But the majority of people I have met in Korea are straight out of college and this is their first work experience. I had the unfortunate experience of working for the aforementioned company in my previous post. I was responsible for cleaning cum-stained, trashed out cars while wearing a suit and tie in 95 degree heat, then running back into the office and taking shit from the disgruntled customer because we were replacing their wrecked mercedes with a chevy aveo. All for $11.50 an hour, 50 plus hours a week, with 5 vacation days that had to be pre-approved by management. I finally quit when our car prep popped open the trunk of a car and found the original renter of the vehicle wrapped in plastic bags with a bullet in his head.
There are ALOT worse options in life than teaching 20 hours a week, saving $10,000-$20,000 dollars a year, and travelling to exotic locations like Nepal or Boracay. If the worst thing that happens to you here is that an ajoshi yells at you in Korean, an ajjuma asks if you are married, or a coteacher steals your sticker idea, than life is pretty good.

[Jozigirl]

Taking your material and adapting it to your own needs is a healthy and growth inducing process. Simply plagiarising someones work, right when they were about to use it? Not so much.

It depends on what is considered plagiarism in your own country/culture.  There are many cultural groups who don't share a western perception of plagiarism and actually consider it an acknowledgment that that person's work is better than their own.

[Jozigirl]

Taking your material and adapting it to your own needs is a healthy and growth inducing process. Simply plagiarising someones work, right when they were about to use it? Not so much.

It depends on what is considered plagiarism in your own country/culture.  There are many cultural groups who don't share a western perception of plagiarism and actually consider it an acknowledgment that that person's work is better than their own.

Well I don't really care that much about plagiarism. The point i was trying to make it in that same sentence  "...right when they were about to use it?" That is stealing. Sure take it and adapt it to your own means. That affects me in no way. But using it as is, with no modifications, makes me worse off as i can no longer use it.

You missed the point of what I was saying.  If your culture/country/whatever defines 'plagiarism' (any use of someone else's material) differently to how many westerners define it, it doesn't matter when the material is used - whether it's before the original creator uses it or not is irrelevant. Yes, it sucks when this happens but if you know it's going to happen, you can be pre-emptive and try to adjust your lessons slightly and still use some of the material you've created. 

[minamteacher]

I'm fully aware that they use my ideas/games/activities in their classrooms, which I'd be completely comfortable with if: (1) they wouldn't tell other teachers that it's their work or idea; (2) they would share resources with me in return; and (3 - the biggest one for me) they wouldn't use them first with a class that hasn't had a chance to play my game/do my activity with me. That REALLY bugs me.

Hey Kevin, would you mind using either the 'insert quote' button or quotation marks when quoting another poster. It will make it a lot easier for us to read.

[jaakked1]

  Worry only about YOUR lessons.

[tyl6r]

jeez, so many trolls!  I think some of you just don't get it...if you do, disregard the following

the OP isn't talking about sharing ideas.. they're talking about preparing for a class, then getting there and starting your lesson only to discover that the students have done the exact same thing with your coteacher in a prior class.  it sucks to put in a load of work on a lesson, then have your CT swoop said lesson right out from under you, leaving you to scramble, improvise, and generally look unprepared for your students. it sucks, i've been there. now i feel like i can't share with my coteachers, bc sharing means risking not having a lesson when i get to class. flattering? maybe. but really it's just immensely frustrating

[rohski]

What my co-teachers (3 of them) and I have tried this semester is to have a meeting at least 1-2 weeks ahead of each lesson.  In this meeting we plan for each period of the next lesson and share different ideas, materials, etc. 
Once this is settled, we divide who will make what.  I usually do the PPT's and PPT games, they usually do flashcards, and sometimes we'll both do worksheets together.  Sometimes, we'll find something different later on after the meeting and if it's better than what was originally planned we'll change it. This way, there's no "stealing" of ideas/materials, or trivial things like what classes are more "fun" for the students.  It also gives a chance for both parties to learn from each other. 
Often there's ideas from both parties that are either rejected, or modified.  I'll admit sometimes it's awkward, but constructive criticism is beneficial in the end.  Good luck!

[Arclight]

This frustrates me to no end.  The only thing my CT knows how to do is the book, which takes zero preparation.  I spend hours putting together lesson plans, only to find him delaying or cancelling our class and then presenting my material as his own on a day when I'm teaching another grade.  I know he does it because he wants the popularity from the students.  Which is declining for me now because of what he's doing.  Plus, often when we're in the middle of a lesson, he'll take over and present it as if it was his design.   From what I've seen, my CT has a very easy job... zero preparation, just stick in the CD and make them answer the stuff in the textbook.  It kills me that he's taking credit for my PPTs, my Prezis, my songs, my games, my worksheets... they take a lot of brainstorming and time for me... it's everything that he would have no clue how to make himself.  argh  This is why I get paid more and don't feel at all guilty about it.