My boss frequently likes to hand out these massive photocopied booklets of vaguely pedagogical value.
I say vaguely, because I really can’t judge, seeing as they’re in Korean. To me, their value is vague. But I do see them as an opportunity for a Korean lesson, sometimes. So I stuff them in my backpack and bring them home, and on lazy weekends, such as the one just ending, I pull one of them out and spend some time attempting to make sense of it.
Curt likes pithy aphorisms and inspirational snippets. They appeal to me too – partly because they’re less overwhelming to try to read than whole dense paragraphs. Hence my neverending series of efforts to translate various Korean proverbs and aphorisms.
Anyway, he has a page in one of his recent booklets that lists the (alleged) qualities of a good teacher. Here’s that list, with my effort at translation following.
학생들이 좋아하는 교사의 특성
1. 교수법이 능숙하다
2. 열심히 가르친다
3. 온순하다
4. 운동을 좋아한다
5. 명랑, 쾌활해라
6. 공평무사
7. 머리가 좋다
8. 지식이 풍부하다
9. 유익한 이야기를 한다
10. 판서를 잘한다
11. 잘 돌봐 준다
12. 최미가 다양하다
13. 실력이 있다
14. 연구심이 있다
15. 친절
16. 정돈되어 있다
17. 유머
18. 건강하다
19. 언어가 명확하다
20. 나이가 젊다
The Characteristics of Teachers That Students Like
1. Proficient in teaching
2. Works hard at teaching
3. Is humble
4. Likes to exercise (or practice – this is ambiguous)
5. Cheerful and lighthearted
6. Fair
7. Good head (or good hair! – given Korean cultural obsession with “good hair” this might be the meaning)
8. Has a wealth of knowledge
9. Informative conversation
10. Good at writing
11. Takes good care
12. Variety of hobbies
13. Has skill
14. Has a spirt of inquiry
15. Kind
16. Organized
17. Humor
18. Healthy
19. Uses clear language
20. A youthful age (as in “young for his/her age”)
Most of these I can agree with and understand. I’m a little worried about the “good hair” one, though. It might mean the ruin of my teaching career.
