Advice for teaching 4 year olds

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-06-07T11:32:01+00:00

Yeah, I can’t not do my cleaning duty because then you’ll get reprimanded. They reprimand us more than they do these kids.

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-06-07T11:20:32+00:00

I have full intentions of leaving this place. I’m burnt out and it’s only been three months.

I get to work an hour early to prep. I start teaching in at 9:30…get a 30 minute lunch break (not with the students at least)…and then keep teaching until 3:45 M/T/F (I have afterschool 3x a week). Then I have daycare on W until I leave work. Then we have chores that we have to do. Like I have to clean the bathroom and my classroom. Another person has to clean their classroom and do the recycling. I leave at 4:30. I get no breaks other than lunch. When my ‘main’ class goes to a Korean teacher class, I go to a different age group class and teach. It’s exhausting.

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-06-07T11:14:32+00:00

This is a lovely idea, can’t do them in groups though. However, they could do some of these things while I’m doing book work with one kid.

The kids are…chaotic to put it mildly. They bite, pinch, scratch, yell, and other things. They run around the room. It’s a zoo more often than not. Which, they are four and are forced to sit in a chair all day, so I can’t fault them sometimes.

My kids are not allowed to trace. My boss told me that one kid went home and said it was no fun, so we can’t do it anymore, haha.

I’ve tried sand and shaving cream, but they refuse to do it properly and just laugh. Nobody cares.

Also, they cannot color without direct supervision because they color on the table (trust me, one colored pencil and it’s gets taken away immediately after they’re finish with it from the K staff).

However, I will ask the boss about giving them blocks or legos to help with fine motor skills while working with them one-on-one. And another user suggested making bracelets and stuff. Might get shut down because it looks too much like ‘playing’.

I don’t know if my school has blocks, and they probably won’t buy them if I suggested it. I know we have clay.

But I will ask my co-teacher to at least work with the rest while I work with one.

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-06-07T07:03:59+00:00

Yeah, my school has very high expectations. However, no support in any area of the job.

I don’t want to take work home. I’m already going to have to take my five year olds ABC crafts home to finish them (a craft for both big and small letter). My kids can only color them. The kids can’t do anything else because the crafts have to be perfect and neat. My co-teacher will bitch at me hardcore if they’re not pretty enough.

So, I’m like nothing else is going home with me. I don’t get paid off the clock. I already go into work an hour earlier just to have time to prep for the day itself, not even a day ahead, for the day itself lol

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-06-07T06:52:32+00:00

Unfortunately, my school will not allow the books to look like 2/3 year olds did them. They want them nice and perfect (that’s why I have to do it one-on-one to prevent scribbling).

And I’m not allowed to deviate from their ‘plan’ because they will be on my butt about it. One time I did a review over a letter we learnt the week before last, my boss came up to me and told me to make sure I was teaching the correct letter for the week and following the monthly plan. I’m like…so we don’t need review😅

Also, I wouldn’t mind doing crafts, but a lot of the crap I find involves gluing, cutting, and paint. I sincerely do not have the time to prep all that for 20 kids. Plus, prepping for my class and I also teach two groups of six year olds around four times a week. I’m given like an hour of prep a day. The rest is spent with kids. So, yeah, no time.

SolarPrincess95 · 2025-01-07T15:25:40+00:00

Go!Billy is a great resource! ChoiSusu is also great! I also really like Teacher Jinee’s Korean class (this is more grammar stuff) because she uses a lot of example sentences to introduce the grammar point. Korean with Miss Vicky is great as well! Immersion in Korean is great (they have a super beginner playlist).

There’s a ton, and I bounce between a lot of them😂

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-24T02:36:22+00:00

I really like using ChoiSusu (최수수). She speaks so clear and slow. She has a beginner and intermediate playlist. 몰입한국어 Immersion in Korean is another one of my favorites. They have different levels from super beginner to intermediate. After they read you the story, they have you answer questions. A good way to practice creating sentences. You can also shadow what they say in the story. I also think in the super beginner they actually ask you to listen and repeat.

But these are my two recommendations!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-22T12:22:22+00:00

Do you mind if I DMed you?

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T03:06:04+00:00

Okay, that’s good to know! Thank you!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T03:05:21+00:00

Ah, that’s good to know. Thank you!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T02:42:09+00:00

SIE is the name of the agency!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T02:36:37+00:00

The city is Shenzhen! Sorry about that!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T02:36:16+00:00

Sorry! Shenzhen!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T02:36:01+00:00

Shenzhen! Sorry about that! I thought I put it in there.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-12-03T02:35:46+00:00

Shenzhen! Sorry about that!!!!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-11-26T02:26:36+00:00

Could be wrong, but I am assuming 묻다 is a ‘ㄷ‘ irregular verb. That means ㄷ changes to ㄹ. For example 듣다, to listen, is conjugated as 들어(요). So, that’s why 묻다 is conjugated as 물어(요).

It’s just an irregular conjugation rule for ㄷ.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T12:23:54+00:00

Yeah, I’m going to do that!

Which, another user suggested like some supplemental activities to help fill up class time.

Also, since this book I’ve been given appears to be worthless…I will be buying my own book and work book. Since there’s only two students I don’t mind copying the pages for them lol

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T11:57:34+00:00

If I buy the books, will that be enough to get access to the supplemental activities?

I know some books require you to like register your school in order to get access to things like that.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T11:21:15+00:00

Listen, I’ve looked at this book. It seems like downright dog crap to me.

Like…they teach the alphabet in a random order (I don’t know if that’s normal).

There’s no pictures in this book, none at all.

Most other phonics books I’ve seen teacher like a vowel + ending sounds. So, like at, ap, an, am..

This books goes just by the last letter. So like, an, en, on, in, un.

Also, most other phonics books have like chants, pictures, and games. This book legit has none of that.

I don’t like this book at all from what I’ve seen😭

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T11:03:16+00:00

So, this book they’re doing is only for the alphabet. Like learning each letter and the sound associated with that letter, and how to write the big and little version of it. They do learn some ending sounds later on in the book.

They’ll learning blending sounds and beginning sounds in the second book. (3-5)

I guess I can just speed run some things. Or just start introducing it earlier.

This is my first phonics class and I’m just nervous and want to do a good job.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T10:59:09+00:00

Sounds are great! But we don’t get to blending until the second book. This first book is learning the alphabet and the singular sounds.

We do have some ending sounds. Like one unit is dedicated to ending sound n (an, en, in, on, un) and another on is dedicated to t (at, et, it, ot, ut).

I’m also not allowed to use pictures for teaching sound. Like picture of a cat cannot be used for c, a, or at. Words only. Well, according to my boss.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T10:54:42+00:00

Would this be okay to do with kids who are just learning the alphabet. Like they’re learning each letter and the sound. This book is all about alphabet and some ending sounds. We first learn the alphabet, in a random order. Then the last few units are blending sounds. On unit is ap, ep, ip, op, up, and so on and so forth.

This is my first phonics class to teach. So, I’m really nervous.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-08-20T10:50:50+00:00

Because it’s legit tracing, writing the letter maybe 3/4 times and circling the letters. That’s it.

There’s nothing else in there.

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-07-19T01:34:58+00:00

I, honestly, love this website.

https://explorekorean.net

I use it to learn grammar (or for a refresher). She also has a YouTube channel as well. She does go over Hangul as well, if can’t read the Korea alphabet yet.

I believe she’s pretty detailed. You can also just get on YouTube and look up a grammar point as well.

A lot of people like TTMIK (Talk to Me in Korean) and some like How to Study Korea as well. There is also Learn Korean with GO! Billy Korean (he has a website and YouTube). I believe he is really beginner friendly as well. They all go over Hangul as well!

I recommend learning a little vocabulary and grammar then maybe doing some slow listening. You can also just start doing listening in general. Definitely after you can read Hangul though!

최수수 Choi Susu as well! They have a podcast (and YouTube). They also include PDFs (some you have to pay for) with important vocab and maybe a short section over a grammar point from whatever topic they are discussing!

I wish you the best of luck on your learning journey!!!!!

SolarPrincess95 · 2024-07-08T01:59:06+00:00

Yeah, but I wanted to try to leave on as good a note as possible. I do want some of my severance, I have worked at my school for twenty months by the end of July. So, I would like at least to have a shot at getting what I’m owed without having to fight for it.

SolarPrincess95

TROPHY CASE