THE 4 MILLION DOLLAR TEACHER

By: Amanda Ripley

Published: The Wall Street Journal, The Saturday Essay; August 3, 2013; www.wsj.com Alternatively, google the title and writer’s name

Level of Difficulty: ** However, even if this task is a little too easy, it should still be covered for the writing activities which are very topical and not too easy. There are examples of both writing tasks under "Sample Essays"

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Was your school the only educational establishment you attended?

·         Why did you feel you needed to attend these shadow educational establishments?

·         Do you think these establishments contribute to success? Explain.

·         Do you think they have disadvantages? Explain.

·         How can such establishments be rendered unnecessary?

NOW CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING VIDEO 

Comparative Research on Shadow Education

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE2TRokYq68

  

QUESTIONS

1.       Kim Ki-hoon’s incredible salary is determined by ………………………………………………………………..

2.       What does “that” refer to in the phrase “I like that”?

3.       In what respects is the actual teaching Kim does different from a regular teacher’s?

4.       The fact that South Korea has improved its education system to such an extent proves that hagwons

·         Make positive contributions to education

·         Help Korean students surpass their US counterparts

·         Increase success rates

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other: please specify

5.       The transformation of the Korean education system can be described as:

·         Miraculous

·         Outstanding

·         Unremarkable

·         Exemplary

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other: please specify

6.       What is the purpose of shadow education systems

7.       The fact that there are more private tutors than school teachers in Korea proves that the shadow education system  …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

8.       What conclusion can we draw from the paragraph discussing the pros and cons of shadow education systems?

9.       What conclusion can we draw from the information detailing how Mr. Kim operates?

·         He is a typical hardworking teacher

·         He wishes to help students succeed

·         He is a typical businessman

·         All of the above

·         None of the above

·         Other : please specify

10. Read the information concerning Megastudy. This information seems to indicate that:

• Korean parents value a good education
• They also spend a lot on video games
• Foreign corporations see the market as lucrative
• Megastudy is the only hagwon listed in the stock exchange
• All of the above
• None of the above
• Other: please specify

11. What does “The idea” refer to in the phrase “The idea is seductive”?
12. Hagwons try and find teachers by ………………………………………………………………………………….
13. What makes the good teachers hard to retain and manage?
14. Why do some teachers in South Korea get more students than others?
15. The fact that teacher salaries are determined by performance, which in turn is measured by a performance evaluation, leads one to conclude that……………………………………………………………….
16. How do hagwons seek to attract students?
17. The relationship between the hagwons and parents is best described as follows:
18. What is the consequence for teachers of the threat of dismissal for poor performance?
19. What conclusion can we draw about school teachers in Korea from the information provided by students?
20. What kind of unfairness can be observed in the shadow education system in general?
21. What unsuccessful ways of dealing with the shadow education system has South Korea tried?
22. It is implied that parents opt for hagwons because……………………………………………………………….
23. Trust in the standard education system could be increased if

• School teachers got better pay
• If communication channels with parents were kept open
• If some of the policies of hagwons were adopted

24. The overall conclusion that can be drawn from the text is that………………………………………………

WRITING TASK: THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE

Use notes you make while reading the text to write a problem solution essay on the following topic: “How can the activities of the shadow education system be curtailed?” The solutions suggested in the text are as follows:

• Performance reviews
• The pay for performance system
• Regular contact with parents (email, texting, telephone calls and face to face meetings)
• Regular in house training
• Dismissing poor performers
• Instilling trust in the system
• Other: please specify

You will find an example of the writing task under “Sample Essays”

WRITING TASK: THE SECOND ALTERNATIVE

Use notes you make while reading the text and your own experience to write an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the shadow education system. The points made in the text are as follows:

The advantages:

• Promoting striving and innovation in students and teachers alike
• Increasing success rates
• Helping students adapt to a changing world
• Helping the country become an academic superpower

The disadvantages:

• Creating a bidding war for education; delivering the best services to the richest families
• They take a psychological toll on students
• A relentless grind: students go to school twice

You will find an example of the writing task under “Sample Essays”

THE 4 MILLION DOLLAR TEACHER KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES

This highly topical text concerns the shadow education system which involves supplementary lessons and extra practice after school in return for a fee. It seems that the system is pretty widespread all around the world so it is very topical even though the text concerns South Korea. A lot of students in my part of the world know the system well and should be able to both discuss it and write about it with ease.

1. The demand for his skills
2. The harder I work, the more I make
3. He only spends three hours giving lectures and spends most of his week responding to students online requests for help, developing lesson plans and writing accompanying textbooks and workbooks
4. All of the above
5. 1, 2 and 4
6. To offer after hours classes in every subject for a fee
7. Achieved market penetration and sophistication
8. Viewed up close, this shadow system is both exciting and troubling
9. 3; there is nothing in the paragraph indicating that he in any way altruistic and no teacher works the way he does.
10. 1 and 3; it is US students that buy the video games and we don’t know that Megastudy is the only hagwon on the stock exchange
11. Teaching well is hard so why not make it lucrative.
12. Scouring the internet, reading parents’ reviews and watching teachers’ lectures
13. Their egos
14. Because in hagwons, students sign up for specific teachers ( so the most respected teachers get the most students)
15. The Korean private  market is about as close to pure meritocracy as it can be and just as ruthless
16. By posting their graduates test scores and university acceptance figures online and outside their entrances on giant posters
17. The hagwon embeds itself in parents’ lives
18. Real incentives
19. They are not as well prepared, less devoted to teaching and less respectful of students opinions
20. The most affluent kids can afford one to one tutoring with the most popular instructors, while others attend inferior hagwons with huge class sizes and less reliable instruction
21. Curfews, regulations, bans
22. They don’t trust the system
23. 3
24. Demands require that schools change too or the free market may do it for them