Tokyo Korean School

Handbook for English Teachers

Absences, Leaving School Early, or Arriving to School Late

When a teacher must miss school unexpectedly, they are to call the head English teacher as soon as possible. If the head English teacher does not answer his/her phone, the absent teacher is expected to phone another teacher and keep trying until someone has been told about the absence (sending email is not enough). It is up to the absent teacher to make sure lessons are available for the teachers covering the lessons. If a teacher knows in advance they will be absent, they are to get the required signatures before they are absent. If a teacher has needed time off unexpectedly, the teacher is to get “Sign-out Book 1” signed the day they return to school.

If a teacher wishes to apply for personal leave, they are expected to inform the head English teacher and then approach the vice principal to discuss the request. The teacher may then be required to ask this of the principal as well. Permission should be asked approximately 1 month in advance. Earlier than this is okay, but it should not be so far in advance that it will be difficult for the administration to predict if the absence will cause undue inconvenience.

If the teacher leaves school early and will not return, has arrived at school late enough that class(es) have been missed, or has been absent from school for the entire day, they are to fill out “Sign-out Book 1”. This book is to be signed by the head English teacher, the head Korean teacher, the vice principal, and the principal in that order.

If the teacher leaves early and will return, or the teacher is going to immigration they are to sign “Sign-out Book 2”. This book requires signatures from the teacher, head Korean teacher and the Vice-Principal.

Classroom Management Guidelines and Classroom Rules

Teachers are expected to manage their classrooms so that students are engaged in learning, developing positive study skills, and not disrupting others. Classroom management techniques are to encourage the positive more than dwell on the negative. Techniques should never make a student feel poorly about him or herself. Instead, they should help a student see why his/her behavior is undesirable and how it may be improved.

Teachers are to refrain from management techniques that would create a situation where students would learn to dislike English classes, writing, or learning. Our students are elementary children and the teacher must keep this in mind when developing management strategies. Parents should be informed of habitual breaking of rules and no student should be disciplined for the actions of others.

Part of good classroom management is establishing rules and ensuring students follow them in a fair and consistent fashion.

When creating rules, teachers must remember to:

I. Keep rules clear and easily understood by students. II. Have only four or five rules (any more than this will make rules harder to remember

and harder to be successful at following them). III. Make sure the rules cover all foreseeable eventualities. IV. Make the rules specific and if possible, written in a positive voice.

Whether a teacher develops the rules as a class or imposes them onto students without their input, the rules for the class are to be posted on the wall in the classroom and should be easy for students to see.

It is suggested teachers follow the general procedures when students break the set rules:

I. Warn students 3 times. II. If the negative behavior continues - move the student to another place in the

classroom. III. If the negative behavior still continues – write a message to the parents. IV. If the negative behavior still continues – write another message to the parents (ask the

Korean homeroom teacher to send a message on your behalf if you feel this might help).

V. If the negative behavior still continues – arrange to have a face-to-face meeting with the parents.

It is important to remember that messages should be sent when students do something that warrants a positive letter being sent home. If all parent interaction is about students’ negative behavior, the teacher will feel less support from their students’ parents.

Common Classroom Displays Guidelines

Although each teacher has the freedom to make his/her classroom look as they wish, there are some common expectations.

Each classroom is to have the following displayed in an easy-to-see format:

I. Alphabet chart(s). For grades 1-3, both lower and upper case letters are to be displayed. For upper grades, it is up to the teacher if lower, upper, or both lower and

upper case letters are displayed. In upper grades, cursive writing charts are okay, but there should also be a printed letters chart as well.

II. Classroom rules III. Evacuation routes IV. The Writing Process

Prewriting Writing

Editing Revising Editing

Publishing/Sharing

Common Notebook and Checking Guidelines

In notebooks and journals, students are to do the following:

I. Make a red margin on the left hand side of every page. II. Write the date on the upper right hand corner. III. Write and underline titles when needed.

When correcting work, the teacher and students are to:

I. Use checkmarks (√), not circles, when the work is correct. II. Use and “X”, not lines, to indicate work that is incorrect.

All student work assigned is to be corrected. The majority of work should be corrected by the teacher so students can see where they are making mistakes and teachers can observe where students are weak and strong.

Commutation Allowance

In order to get commutation allowance, the teacher must fill in the Commutation Allowance Application form each month. The due date for the form is typically on the 15th of the month. Along with the form, teachers are to include a photocopy of that month’s train or bus pass that shows the teacher’s name and stations. The maximum length for a train pass can be one month – no longer are 3-6 month passes accepted. During the summer vacation period, commutation allowance is not paid. Also, there may be times that teachers are asked to hand in the forms but not required to hand in the copies of the train passes. Please note – teachers may be asked to provide a photocopy of the receipt from the purchase of the train/bus pass(es). For those teachers who ride a bike, proof of purchase of the bike may be requested by the school.

Covering Classes for Absent Teacher

As our school does not have a substitute teacher roster, it is expected we will cover the classes for an absent teacher. In the past, if a teacher is absent for an extended period of time a covering teacher has been brought into the school. However, this is not usually the case.

Once a teacher has covered a class, the teacher is to initial under their name in the “Substitute Teacher” roster.

Daily Sign-in Book

Teachers are to sign their initials or stamp their name stamps in the sign-in book on a daily basis. This book is kept in the teachers room in front of the vice principal’s desk. Besides signing on the days attended, teachers are expected to stamp the book during extended holiday times. The stamps are in a tin in front of the vice principal’s desk and indicate whether the teacher was out of the country, came into school, etc.

Email Etiquette

Email is the primary way we communicate as a staff outside teacher meetings. When using email, please keep the following in mind:

I. Only do a “reply all” if your reply is in regards to the original message. II. If sending a message to all teachers, ensure that all teachers’ names are included on

the address line. III. When sending a work-related message, ensure the subject heading is clear and

addresses the topic of the email. Often teachers search for past information and this is made much easier if the subject heading is clear.

IV. If sending any jokes, etc. please be aware of who might find the material offensive and do not send it to those people.

V. Do not send abusive email to teachers (or messages that might be construed as abusive). Be professional in mail that is sent, even if it is to discuss something of a negative nature.

VI. Remember that your tone can't be heard in e-mail. E-mail communication can't convey the nuances of verbal communication. Do not use email as a way to avoid talking to another teacher.

Extra Duties

Besides regular classroom duties, every teacher is assigned additional tasks that they are to complete. These tasks are assigned for the English section of the school as well as whole-school tasks. It is important that the teacher completes the given tasks to the best of his/her ability. As each task is different, it is up to each teacher to ensure s/he understands what the duties

entail. Of utmost importance is that teachers take a pro-active role in any duty given and do not simply wait to be told what to do. A list of duties will be given to teachers.

General Behavior

As students learn as much by what they observe as they do by what they are told, teachers are expected to behave as professionals at all times. This includes:

I. Dressing appropriately as an elementary teacher in a conservative setting. II. Not talking during assemblies, especially during the saluting of the flag, while

people are giving speeches, or singing the school song or Korean national anthem. III. Not using electronic devices during assemblies and meetings. IV. Treating other teachers with respect. V. Encouraging students to do their best. VI. Trying to be positive more than negative, especially where students are concerned. VII. Setting by example and not drinking/eating in the library, while walking in the

halls, etc. when students are present.

Homeroom Teacher Responsibilities

Every fulltime English teacher is assigned a homeroom class. The expectations of what is done with that class can change depending on the grade. The basic responsibilities for all teachers are:

I. Eat lunch with students for the assigned number of times each week. II. Eat lunch with students if the Korean teacher is absent. III. Walk students up and down from the gymnasium or school grounds for ceremonies,

etc. IV. Join the homeroom class for outings (unless told differently). V. Cover the homeroom class when the Korean teacher is absent. This class is once a

week, usually first period Monday. VI. Take an active role in developing a positive relationship with the students.

It is important that the teacher try to establish a good working relationship with his or her cooperating teacher.

Library Responsibilities

The English library is a large part of our program. Each teacher is to ensure that they leave the library in a neat and orderly state and they are teaching students proper handling of books and how to use the library to its fullest extent.

Newsletters

Newsletters are to be done on a regular basis. Currently, grades one and two send them on a weekly basis and grades three-six send them monthly. These newsletters are to include information about what is going on in classes. Teachers are expected to meet the due dates given as they need to be stamped by the administration each month.

Purchase Requests

When purchasing items with school money, you are to fill in the Purchase Request Form. On this form you are to complete the chart section and at the bottom of the list, write a total FOR THAT PAGE. In other words, the total is not for an entire order, but rather for each page being submitted. Before getting the required signatures, you must have the Budget section completed in both English and Korean. When getting the required signatures, you are to go in the order they are listed. With the exception of classroom supplies (and library orders), before filling out a request form the teacher is to check with the Head English Teacher to ensure there is enough in the budget to cover the items listed.

Report Cards

Report cards are completed twice a year. The program used is all in Korean, so teachers are asked to follow the guidebook that will be given to them. Report card comments:

I. Are to be in complete sentences. II. Are to NOT include exclamation marks. III. Are to be proofread by another teacher before being considered finished. IV. Should not be “cut and paste” comments. Students should be seen as individuals

and the comments should reflect as such. V. For grades 4-6, headings for each subject are to be included. VI. Names are to be in Korean style (last name first name).

The teacher is expected to enter a score against each objective in the report card. If the student was not registered at the school when that objective was covered in class the teacher is still required to put a score against that objective. If a student misses a quiz or test that measures the stated objective, the teacher is expected to re-administer the test to the student so a score can be obtained for

Signatures on Documents

Many documents require signatures. Administration expects that the signatures will be done in the order indicated on the signature box. Unless otherwise specified, the order of signatures is: Teacher/Head English Teacher/Vice Principal/Principal. Please use the stamp that indicates who is to sign the document. The stamp is kept in the top right-hand drawer of the first desk in the English teachers’ section of the teachers room.

When getting signatures, the principal asks that the Korean translator accompanies the English teacher so the teacher can explain what the signature is and the principal can understand what is said.

There are three trays in the principal's office you can drop your document. The white one is for paper which needs to be signed. If the principal has signed the document, he will drop it into the brown tray. If your paper is in the red tray, it means the principal would like you to reconsider your plan. Recess Supervision

Each teacher is expected to do supervision during recess time once a week. Teachers are to be on time for their duty and once students are called back to class, either ensure all students are inside (if doing playground supervision) or that students are walking in an orderly fashion in the halls.

If a teacher is absent and knows they will be absent in advance, it is up to that teacher to arrange recess supervision coverage.

Teachers Meetings

There are weekly English teachers meeting that all English teachers are expected to attend. As these meetings often deal with the scheduling of events, it is advisable that teachers bring their calendars to the meetings. It is important teachers pay attention to what is being discussed and not do classroom preparation work (grading papers, cutting laminate, etc.) during the meeting time.

Teacher Websites

Every teacher is expected to keep a website. The content of the website is flexible, but the information in it is to be up-to-date and relevant for what is going on in class. The following was agreed upon by teachers in 2013 and is currently still in effect:

English Teachers’ Website Photo and Video Guidelines

I. Photographs and videos of students are allowed. HOWEVER, the name of a student is not to be put on the website when that student’s face is visible in a photo or video.

II. A student’s name is allowed on a webpage when showing work as long as that student’s face cannot be seen.

III. Teachers will explain our agreement when we meet the parents of our homerooms. If any parent does not want their child’s image to be on a webpage, we will do our best to accommodate this.

IV. There will be a policy outline on our school webpage.

Common Features of Teacher Websites

I. All teachers are to include the following: 1. Monthly newsletters 2. Assignment and homework information 3. Contact information for the teacher 4. Teacher blog (voluntary)

II. Grades 4-6 language arts teachers are to include the workbooks given to students. III. The website address is to be as follows: first initial/last name/tks/.weebly.com ie)

mvalenstks.weebly.com