I have suddenly reached a new comfort level in teaching. I know longer hesitate when I decide to demand the class' attention. Teaching seems to come very natural to me now. I have become more confident, at least. I have also gotten into the swing of preparing my lesson plans very quickly. My routine is to give the class a warm-up activity, we quickly review last lesson's material, and then I present the theme of the day. I give the students a model and sometimes explain cultural differences. Then, I move on to an activity. The students fill in their ideas on a worksheet, and then if they raise their hand and say it in a complete sentence they get a point. If they fill their entire sheet of paper with points, they will earn a small prize from my co-teacher! I see hands shoot up in the air, fighting to get points. It is really fun to see so many kids participating just for points and hopes and dreams of receiving candy. As long as they are speaking English, I am happy.
Today's lesson was...let's just say...I messed up. Today's theme was "My Favorite Things." All class period, we shared our favorite sports, our favorite Korean food, our favorite non-Korean food, what we like to do in our free time... And then I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to teach the kids the song, "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. I handed the class a sheet of paper with song lyrics and some spaces where they had to fill in the blanks with the missing words.
I told the students to listen first, and then write in the missing words. I turned on the youtube video...and of course, a stupid youtube advertisement started playing. Usually it gives me the option to skip the ad, and go straight to the video, but no, the ad just kept going. All the students seemed to have seen this ad a thousand times because they all started doing their own impression of the ad. They started lifting their arms up and shouting out the lines. What I didn't realize, was that this was a Korean bra commercial! At the very end it displayed the bra, and of course...this being a class of all boys age 12, they started rolling around on the floor, hooting and hollering like monkeys. My co-teacher just looked at me and sighed... haha, oh God. Whoops! I guess I should be more prepared.
...So much for being so confident in my teaching abilities!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
An inspiring weekend!
I had a wonderful weekend. Friday night I had octopus jjukkumi with my Korean friend Young Ah. Wonderful company and amazing food!
On Saturday, I went running along the river trails here for the first time. It is really nice to run on these astroturph trails. I only went for 30 minutes since I feel so out of shape here. Maybe it is the high altitude that is making me tired. In the afternoon I went exploring in the underground shopping malls of Jungando and I ran into a group of Brasilian foreign exchange students. I ended up going shopping with them for a few hours. In the evening, a lot of people were celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I went out to The Cantina and a club called the Yellow Taxi. My tongue turned green from drinking green margaritas.
On Sunday, I had a nice long chat with my little brother Harrison on Skype. Man, I miss him a lot. At 3pm I met up with my theatre friends to do a read-through of our play. I am so glad that I tried out for the play because it is allowing me to meet new people and be apart of theatre in Korea! I never expected myself to do this year, but I am so excited that I have taken advantage of the opportunity. After we rehearsed, my friend Lynne from South Africa and I went to go see the movie Oz at the IMAX theatre! Man, it was so awesome! I even enjoyed the delicious ice tea and popcorn! After the movie, Lynne and I kept talking about life here in Korea. She really inspired me to take advantage of all the freedom we have here. Back home, I think I got stuck in a slump, and I stopped trying new things. But here, it is so easy to get around on the subway. And when you live alone, you feel very independent. Also, it is so easy to meet new people, since everyone is so welcoming. I think I am going to try a lot of new things this year. For one, I am really interested in trying Hot Yoga with Lynne.
I sure am enjoying myself here! This afternoon, my co-teacher and I are planning on getting me a phone! Horray! Alright! Back to work!
On Saturday, I went running along the river trails here for the first time. It is really nice to run on these astroturph trails. I only went for 30 minutes since I feel so out of shape here. Maybe it is the high altitude that is making me tired. In the afternoon I went exploring in the underground shopping malls of Jungando and I ran into a group of Brasilian foreign exchange students. I ended up going shopping with them for a few hours. In the evening, a lot of people were celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I went out to The Cantina and a club called the Yellow Taxi. My tongue turned green from drinking green margaritas.
On Sunday, I had a nice long chat with my little brother Harrison on Skype. Man, I miss him a lot. At 3pm I met up with my theatre friends to do a read-through of our play. I am so glad that I tried out for the play because it is allowing me to meet new people and be apart of theatre in Korea! I never expected myself to do this year, but I am so excited that I have taken advantage of the opportunity. After we rehearsed, my friend Lynne from South Africa and I went to go see the movie Oz at the IMAX theatre! Man, it was so awesome! I even enjoyed the delicious ice tea and popcorn! After the movie, Lynne and I kept talking about life here in Korea. She really inspired me to take advantage of all the freedom we have here. Back home, I think I got stuck in a slump, and I stopped trying new things. But here, it is so easy to get around on the subway. And when you live alone, you feel very independent. Also, it is so easy to meet new people, since everyone is so welcoming. I think I am going to try a lot of new things this year. For one, I am really interested in trying Hot Yoga with Lynne.
I sure am enjoying myself here! This afternoon, my co-teacher and I are planning on getting me a phone! Horray! Alright! Back to work!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
My Korea--Observations from the Heart
Today is the Thursday of my second week teaching at Taepyeong Middle School. Time flies here. The classes are only 45 minutes long, lunch is an hour...and although I am at school from 8:10-5:00pm, it seems like the days go by very quickly. This week I have been giving so many lessons. Like I mentioned before, the school schedule here changes frequently...sometimes at the last minute. Today for example, my co-teacher informed me that all of my afternoon classes have been cancelled. Therefore, now seemed like a good time to reflect upon my experience here in Korea.
I have gotten into the swing of things here at school and have improved my discipline techniques for quieting down the class. I have a clapping routine that usually works. I also realized that the best way to get shy Korean kids talking, is to give them a competition. These kids are secretly extremely competitive. Give them a game and watch them all start speaking and getting involved. Since my main goal here is to improve students' speaking abilities, I think I will try and include some sort of speaking game or warm-up activity in every class.
Kids are sometimes so shy in the classroom, but once they are let loose in the hallways they become so daring and bold. They run and up and say "HELLO TEACHER! I love you! You are so beautiful! AYYYYYYY!" and then scurry off giggling. Hahaha, cracks me up. I am so used to getting stared at every day and receiving declarations of love and compliments. I think when I go back to America I am going to feel like no one notices me.
This week I had 2 more professor dinners. Usually, the head teachers make reservations at a restaurant and we all go out to eat right after school is done...around 5:00pm. The dinners are generally delicious meals served at long tables where we all take our shoes off and sit on the heated wooden floor. I feel so uncoordinated when I try and sit cross-legged at these dinners. Fortunately, my flexibility has been improving over time. At almost all the meals I get a comment about how good I am at using chopsticks...and I also get asked if I need a fork. I always say, "No, no, I'm used to using chopsticks." I usually do fine with the chopsticks until they all start watching me eat...and then I drop the food in my lap... Typical bad luck haha!
On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school I lead an English Club for my fellow teachers that are interested in learning English. I like teaching adults. Most of them are interested in English conversation classes, writing, and vocabulary for traveling. It is a piece of cake compared to teaching distracted middle schoolers.
I really enjoy living in my apartment. It is nice to have my own space. I am glad that I brought my ukulele though...otherwise I'd be afraid that I'd get bored or lonely.
Life here, all in all, is very easy to get used to. If you have an open mind and a positive attitude, you can learn to adapt to almost anything. Although, I thought I should record some of the things that surprised me about Korea when I first arrived, before I forget.
Koreans will often start sprinting down the street---this means that are trying to either a) cross the street before the light turns red, b) catch the subway before it leaves, or c) catch the bus. At first I thought this was very funny to see all these people sprinting down the sidewalks, but now I understand! If you miss the crosswalk green light, you have to wait almost 10 minutes until it turns green again. Traffic here is bad! So, now I run too!
Secondly, Koreans have such cute, adorable shoes. Many of the women strut around all day wearing super high heels. Despite Korea's shoe fetish, Koreans always take their shoes off at the door. At restaurants you take your shoes off, at home you take your shoes off, EVEN AT SCHOOL you take your shoes off! So you know what that means---at school we wear slippers or plastic sandals. In the hallways, instead of having coat racks, we have shoe racks. All the kids leave there shoes in the hallway outside their homeroom classes. I should really take a picture of this. It was so strange at first, but I'll admit, it is so much more comfortable to wear my slippers all day than to wear dress shoes!
Thirdly, when you walk down the sidewalk, it seems like Koreans can't pick a side. I am used to staying on the right side. But in Korea, everyone walks wherever they want. I feel like I am going to walk into people because they don't walk in straight lines. Lots of people bump each other...and here if you bump into people, you don't say "sorry" or "excuse me"...you just don't say anything. That caught me off guard the first time, but now I am used to it.
Fourthly, it is extremely rude to blow your nose in Korea. People would prefer sniffling all day to blowing their noses in public. I think they would go nuts if they saw people in America blowing their noses and making trumpet sounds. Also, one kid sneezed during one of my lessons, and I instinctively stopped what I was saying and said, "Bless you." Then I thought about it, and realized that in Korea, people don't say anything when they sneeze. Whoops!
Fifthly, a lot of hand gestures in Korea are different than in America. The A-Okay symbol means money. Also, when people gesture for you to "come here", it kind of looks like they are shooing you away because they put their hand palm-side down and move their fingers back and forth. To me, it looks like they are saying, "Shoo fly, don't bother me." But then the look on their face is like, "hey, get over here!" It always catches me off guard.
Sixthly, Koreans are so clever! They all bring their toothbrushes to school so that they can brush their teeth after lunch. Literally every professor grabs their toothbrush as soon as they get back from the cafeteria. I know only a few people in America that do this. Here it is common practice. I felt so nasty being the only one that didn't brush my teeth during the first week of school. I guess I am just used to having a dirty mouth and bison breath. But now I realize that there is a simple solution to my problem! Thank you Korea, for improving my dental hygiene! :)
Well that is all for now! I am going to get some things prepared for my English Conversation Club after school! Peace!
I have gotten into the swing of things here at school and have improved my discipline techniques for quieting down the class. I have a clapping routine that usually works. I also realized that the best way to get shy Korean kids talking, is to give them a competition. These kids are secretly extremely competitive. Give them a game and watch them all start speaking and getting involved. Since my main goal here is to improve students' speaking abilities, I think I will try and include some sort of speaking game or warm-up activity in every class.
Kids are sometimes so shy in the classroom, but once they are let loose in the hallways they become so daring and bold. They run and up and say "HELLO TEACHER! I love you! You are so beautiful! AYYYYYYY!" and then scurry off giggling. Hahaha, cracks me up. I am so used to getting stared at every day and receiving declarations of love and compliments. I think when I go back to America I am going to feel like no one notices me.
This week I had 2 more professor dinners. Usually, the head teachers make reservations at a restaurant and we all go out to eat right after school is done...around 5:00pm. The dinners are generally delicious meals served at long tables where we all take our shoes off and sit on the heated wooden floor. I feel so uncoordinated when I try and sit cross-legged at these dinners. Fortunately, my flexibility has been improving over time. At almost all the meals I get a comment about how good I am at using chopsticks...and I also get asked if I need a fork. I always say, "No, no, I'm used to using chopsticks." I usually do fine with the chopsticks until they all start watching me eat...and then I drop the food in my lap... Typical bad luck haha!
On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school I lead an English Club for my fellow teachers that are interested in learning English. I like teaching adults. Most of them are interested in English conversation classes, writing, and vocabulary for traveling. It is a piece of cake compared to teaching distracted middle schoolers.
I really enjoy living in my apartment. It is nice to have my own space. I am glad that I brought my ukulele though...otherwise I'd be afraid that I'd get bored or lonely.
Life here, all in all, is very easy to get used to. If you have an open mind and a positive attitude, you can learn to adapt to almost anything. Although, I thought I should record some of the things that surprised me about Korea when I first arrived, before I forget.
Koreans will often start sprinting down the street---this means that are trying to either a) cross the street before the light turns red, b) catch the subway before it leaves, or c) catch the bus. At first I thought this was very funny to see all these people sprinting down the sidewalks, but now I understand! If you miss the crosswalk green light, you have to wait almost 10 minutes until it turns green again. Traffic here is bad! So, now I run too!
Secondly, Koreans have such cute, adorable shoes. Many of the women strut around all day wearing super high heels. Despite Korea's shoe fetish, Koreans always take their shoes off at the door. At restaurants you take your shoes off, at home you take your shoes off, EVEN AT SCHOOL you take your shoes off! So you know what that means---at school we wear slippers or plastic sandals. In the hallways, instead of having coat racks, we have shoe racks. All the kids leave there shoes in the hallway outside their homeroom classes. I should really take a picture of this. It was so strange at first, but I'll admit, it is so much more comfortable to wear my slippers all day than to wear dress shoes!
Thirdly, when you walk down the sidewalk, it seems like Koreans can't pick a side. I am used to staying on the right side. But in Korea, everyone walks wherever they want. I feel like I am going to walk into people because they don't walk in straight lines. Lots of people bump each other...and here if you bump into people, you don't say "sorry" or "excuse me"...you just don't say anything. That caught me off guard the first time, but now I am used to it.
Fourthly, it is extremely rude to blow your nose in Korea. People would prefer sniffling all day to blowing their noses in public. I think they would go nuts if they saw people in America blowing their noses and making trumpet sounds. Also, one kid sneezed during one of my lessons, and I instinctively stopped what I was saying and said, "Bless you." Then I thought about it, and realized that in Korea, people don't say anything when they sneeze. Whoops!
Fifthly, a lot of hand gestures in Korea are different than in America. The A-Okay symbol means money. Also, when people gesture for you to "come here", it kind of looks like they are shooing you away because they put their hand palm-side down and move their fingers back and forth. To me, it looks like they are saying, "Shoo fly, don't bother me." But then the look on their face is like, "hey, get over here!" It always catches me off guard.
Sixthly, Koreans are so clever! They all bring their toothbrushes to school so that they can brush their teeth after lunch. Literally every professor grabs their toothbrush as soon as they get back from the cafeteria. I know only a few people in America that do this. Here it is common practice. I felt so nasty being the only one that didn't brush my teeth during the first week of school. I guess I am just used to having a dirty mouth and bison breath. But now I realize that there is a simple solution to my problem! Thank you Korea, for improving my dental hygiene! :)
Well that is all for now! I am going to get some things prepared for my English Conversation Club after school! Peace!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Friday is here...and I feel much better!
Well, today marks the end of my first week teaching at a Korean Middle School. I survived!
I have had such a good week. I feel extremely lucky that everyone at my school has been so kind to me. Almost every single night I have gone out to dinner with my co-workers for Korean BBQ or coffee and ice cream. So far it looks like I teach 18 classes a week. I teach 9 classes of 6th graders and 9 classes of 8th graders. Then I am conducting an English club for the staff Tuesdays and Thursday afterschool. This year the principle also wanted English lessons. Since my contract says I am supposed to teach no more than 22 hours a week, it all fits into my schedule. If they ask me to give Saturday English Club, I will get paid $30/hour extra. The school is also interested in me teaching Spanish as a club activity.
The kids seemed like crazy monkeys the first day, but now I am getting the hang of things and am able to control my classes better. I am using a lot of tricks I learned from Spanish camp.
Tonight I am going to a Daejeon Foreigner party in the downtown. Then tomorrow I am taking the KTX (fast train) to Daegu--a city where a lot of my new friends from orientation live. I am going there to celebrate my friend Inji's birthday. I plan on returning home Sunday around 2pm, because at 3:00pm there is an audition for foreign theatre. It looks like they put on 5 short comedy plays...all of which take place inside coffee shops. I thought I should audition, just to try it out. Why not, right?
I am learning Korean very quickly. I have the alphabet down and can slowly sound out words. I also am told I have very good pronunciation and am learning new vocabulary every day. I hope to be fluent by the end of the year. That is my goal anyway...
To my surprise, it was very easy getting used to living alone. I can do whatever I want! I do, however, make an extra effort to eat dinner with someone every day, just so that I don't get lonely. I have only eaten dinner alone once...so I'd say I'm doing pretty well being social.
I walk to work...it is a 15 minute walk...very convenient.
I feel safe here. The only thing I ever worry about it getting hit by a car, because there are some terrible drivers here. I just saw a motorcycle crash the other day. I always make sure to look both ways a hundred times before I cross the street.
Until next time! Wish me luck at my audition!
Erica
I have had such a good week. I feel extremely lucky that everyone at my school has been so kind to me. Almost every single night I have gone out to dinner with my co-workers for Korean BBQ or coffee and ice cream. So far it looks like I teach 18 classes a week. I teach 9 classes of 6th graders and 9 classes of 8th graders. Then I am conducting an English club for the staff Tuesdays and Thursday afterschool. This year the principle also wanted English lessons. Since my contract says I am supposed to teach no more than 22 hours a week, it all fits into my schedule. If they ask me to give Saturday English Club, I will get paid $30/hour extra. The school is also interested in me teaching Spanish as a club activity.
The kids seemed like crazy monkeys the first day, but now I am getting the hang of things and am able to control my classes better. I am using a lot of tricks I learned from Spanish camp.
Tonight I am going to a Daejeon Foreigner party in the downtown. Then tomorrow I am taking the KTX (fast train) to Daegu--a city where a lot of my new friends from orientation live. I am going there to celebrate my friend Inji's birthday. I plan on returning home Sunday around 2pm, because at 3:00pm there is an audition for foreign theatre. It looks like they put on 5 short comedy plays...all of which take place inside coffee shops. I thought I should audition, just to try it out. Why not, right?
I am learning Korean very quickly. I have the alphabet down and can slowly sound out words. I also am told I have very good pronunciation and am learning new vocabulary every day. I hope to be fluent by the end of the year. That is my goal anyway...
To my surprise, it was very easy getting used to living alone. I can do whatever I want! I do, however, make an extra effort to eat dinner with someone every day, just so that I don't get lonely. I have only eaten dinner alone once...so I'd say I'm doing pretty well being social.
I walk to work...it is a 15 minute walk...very convenient.
I feel safe here. The only thing I ever worry about it getting hit by a car, because there are some terrible drivers here. I just saw a motorcycle crash the other day. I always make sure to look both ways a hundred times before I cross the street.
Until next time! Wish me luck at my audition!
Erica
Monday, March 4, 2013
1st few days at Middle School
The first day at Taepyeong Middle School was filled with introductions and opening ceremonies. In the afternoon many of the students' parents got to meet me. I spent all day long bowing and saying "annyeong haseyo" (hello) and "ma-na-seo-ban-gap-seum-ni-da" (nice to meet you). People were so surprised that I was attempting to speak Korean, all my co-workers started applauding when I said it. Haha!
On the first day the school made a reservation for lunch at a Korean restaurant where we all ate bulgolgi on the floor. It was amazing!
After lunch we went to the "meet the parents" reception. As I bowed on stage I heard cheering from the students' section. As I got off stage a little 7th grade girl ran up to me and shouted, "you are so beautiful" and then scurried off. It is very strange being the only non-Korean in the school. I stand out like a sore thumb. Sometimes I wish I could walk down the hallway without people staring at me. I doubt that will ever happen. I guess I will get used to all the attention. In fact, I bet I will start feeling strange if they aren't staring at me...
After school was over, all the new teachers were invited out to another traditional Korean restaurant. This time we ate Bulgogi with Mushrooms and salad. It was even more delicious than the lunch. The new principle said a few toasts. Then we clinked our glasses together. Most of the men had soju, traditional Korean alcohol...which I think is similiar to vodka.
The second day of school I taught two classes. I was going to teach three, but my third class was canceled at the last minute. I was told to be prepared for last minute changes. Schools don't run on a strict schedule like back home. The schedule changes every week...and even within the same day there will be variations.
I was informed that I will be in charge of editing the school's English newspaper every month. I also will be giving adult English conversation classes to the staff outside of school. I will be doing a summer and winter English camp during vacation, and I may be even teaching some Spanish classes on Saturdays. We shall see. Every day I learn something new.
My first class was kind of chaotic. First of all, the PowerPoint I had prepared with all my pictures, didn't work because the TV monitor wasn't working. So I had to improvise. It was a class of all boys--8th graders--many of whom seemed unmotivated.
The second class went better. Even though that TV monitor also didn't work, I was able to walk around the room with my laptop and show the pictures. The class was much more active and participated. I love the 6th graders! They are so cute!
I have lunch at 12:55pm in the cafeteria. It is the healthiest lunch ever...and it is so good for cafeteria food! It is a good deal too, since for a whole month, it is only $50.
Until next time,
Annyeong hi-kay-seyo
On the first day the school made a reservation for lunch at a Korean restaurant where we all ate bulgolgi on the floor. It was amazing!
After lunch we went to the "meet the parents" reception. As I bowed on stage I heard cheering from the students' section. As I got off stage a little 7th grade girl ran up to me and shouted, "you are so beautiful" and then scurried off. It is very strange being the only non-Korean in the school. I stand out like a sore thumb. Sometimes I wish I could walk down the hallway without people staring at me. I doubt that will ever happen. I guess I will get used to all the attention. In fact, I bet I will start feeling strange if they aren't staring at me...
After school was over, all the new teachers were invited out to another traditional Korean restaurant. This time we ate Bulgogi with Mushrooms and salad. It was even more delicious than the lunch. The new principle said a few toasts. Then we clinked our glasses together. Most of the men had soju, traditional Korean alcohol...which I think is similiar to vodka.
The second day of school I taught two classes. I was going to teach three, but my third class was canceled at the last minute. I was told to be prepared for last minute changes. Schools don't run on a strict schedule like back home. The schedule changes every week...and even within the same day there will be variations.
I was informed that I will be in charge of editing the school's English newspaper every month. I also will be giving adult English conversation classes to the staff outside of school. I will be doing a summer and winter English camp during vacation, and I may be even teaching some Spanish classes on Saturdays. We shall see. Every day I learn something new.
My first class was kind of chaotic. First of all, the PowerPoint I had prepared with all my pictures, didn't work because the TV monitor wasn't working. So I had to improvise. It was a class of all boys--8th graders--many of whom seemed unmotivated.
The second class went better. Even though that TV monitor also didn't work, I was able to walk around the room with my laptop and show the pictures. The class was much more active and participated. I love the 6th graders! They are so cute!
I have lunch at 12:55pm in the cafeteria. It is the healthiest lunch ever...and it is so good for cafeteria food! It is a good deal too, since for a whole month, it is only $50.
Until next time,
Annyeong hi-kay-seyo
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Hardcore Korean shopping, Hardcore Korean eating, and Hardcore Korean Bathing!
Friday was another action packed day in Korea. I met up with 2 of my awesome Korean Co-workers and we went out to eat a plethora of different Asian dishes at a restaurant. I had Indonesian noodles, Japanese cream and caviar, egg rolls, and a coconut chicken salad. We finished off the meal with some Vietnamese Coffee--that is something that really surprised me when I first got to Korea...I didn't expect coffee to be so popular. There are different coffee shops every block.
Then my co-teachers took me to a store called "Home Plus Express" and I bought everything I needed for my apartment. They spent about 7 hours with me between the eating and the shopping.
Then at the end of the day...since I don't have hot water in my apartment yet, I decided to try the Korean jim-jil-bang--a public bath house. It surprised me that in such a conservative culture, they would be so open about nakedness. It was a bit of culture shock at first, but after a while I got used to it and I really liked it!!! There are all these different pools of different water temperature, saunas, cold pools, etc. You can pay extra to have someone exfoliate all the dead skin off your body. But anyway, it was a good bonding experience for me and my co-teacher to say the least! haha! I am glad I got to experience that. In fact, I might make a habit of going back every week or so just to relax in the sauna.
Then my co-teachers took me to a store called "Home Plus Express" and I bought everything I needed for my apartment. They spent about 7 hours with me between the eating and the shopping.
Then at the end of the day...since I don't have hot water in my apartment yet, I decided to try the Korean jim-jil-bang--a public bath house. It surprised me that in such a conservative culture, they would be so open about nakedness. It was a bit of culture shock at first, but after a while I got used to it and I really liked it!!! There are all these different pools of different water temperature, saunas, cold pools, etc. You can pay extra to have someone exfoliate all the dead skin off your body. But anyway, it was a good bonding experience for me and my co-teacher to say the least! haha! I am glad I got to experience that. In fact, I might make a habit of going back every week or so just to relax in the sauna.
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