So most public school teachers in South Korea have had to experience/endure an open class. It is the school systems way of checking up on the quality of thier teachers and ensuring that thier students get the best education possible. Basically what happens is anywhere from 3 to 35 people come and observe your class, evaluate it and give you constructive feedback. I think its also a way for the school system to weed out bad teachers. I'm not positive of this, but juding by the anxiety level of the teachers having to put on an open class this seems to be the case. So this process seems like a good idea, right? On the one hand it gives teachers a chance to show off thier stuff, ensurure quality education and give new ideas to those attending. On the other hand teachers typically spend hours/days preparing materials and practicing new techniques in class to design the "perfect" class - which is pretty unrealistic. We've even heard some teachers rehearse the class multiple times with students to gaurantee little Minsu and Sulim know every answer when they are called on. So I guess it's more of a show than a genuine example of what goes on everyday, but it does force you to try new things. I think you gain more from the process than from the actual class.
Anyway, there were lots of pictures taken and the entire thing was taped. As you can see from the pictures there were about 35 people there other than the kids. I really thought the students would be nervous in front of the camera/observers, so scared they wouldn't open thier mouths, but I was pleasently surprised. They were amazing. There were some points when every hand was raised. I'm so happy to put it behind me. My co-teacher is so much more relaxed now - both in and out of class, which is really nice. The pictures taken will also give everyone a chance to see me in action in the new english classroom (it was built last winter).
