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'My job is English teacher.'
Welcome to my newly created blog, this should be a more efficient way of keeping you all updated with my adventures out here in Korea. Once I figure out how all of this works, I'll be able to not only share with you my stories but also some eagerly awaited for pictures.
Many of you have asked how it's possible to teach English as a second language when I can't even speak the native language. I often wondered the same thing before I came out here. Well it is possible, difficult at times, but definitely possible.
All English teachers in Korea have their own unique work environments. There are private schools called 'Hakwons' and public schools. I work in the latter. Hakwons operate very similar to how private schools do in the states; small class sizes, a-typical hours, and very individually structured. Public schools are slightly more structured but compared to the states, they operate on a much more individualized basis. Aside from a few standardized tests and a hiarcical structure stipulated by the Gyeonggi-do Province Education Ministry, (Similar to a state education board) each school's admistration manages at their own discretion. My working situation is
very unique itself in that: 1) I teach at two different schools. 2) Neither of my schools provide me with my own classroom. 3) I don't just have one co-teacher, I teach with every teacher.
The two schools I teach at are called Wonsam Chudenhakyo (Elementary School, k-6)Doochang Chudenhakyo School. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays I'm at my main school Wonsam and for Tuesdays & Thursdays I'm at Doochang. Wonsam is ~15k in the countryside from my home (I will talk more about my home in a later post) and Doochang is ~5k further. Both schools are branch schools to one another. They are essentially the same school, just have different locations and the Korean teachers teach at one or the other. I'm the only teacher that goes between the two schools, but the school administration (Who's offices are in Wonsam) oversee both schools. There are likes and dislikes about both schools. Wonsam is significantly bigger with ~200 students and Doochang has ~60 students. Although, I easily exempt myself from it (I love using the 'I'm not Korean card.'), the work atmosphere is significantly more stressful at Wosam as the teachers have more responsibilities other than just teaching. Not having the
Villa
Notice the pink bedspread? Guess they though I liked pink.administrators in their grill on a regular basis, the teachers at Doochang seem to be significantly happier. The teachers here also take more of an active role in co-teaching the English program. What I don't like about Doochang that I do like about Wonsam are my teaching blocks (40 minute blocks with 10 minutes in between). I'm required at Doochang to teach the same exact class in back-to-back blocks with two grades each day, whereas at Wonsam my I teach a different class in each block each day. So my schedule looks like this:
Mon: 6th,5th,4th,3rd (Wonsam)
Tues: 3rd,3rd,4th,4th (Doochang)
Wed: 5th,5th,6th,6th (Doochang)
Thurs: 6th,5th,4th,3rd (Wonsam)
Fri: 2nd,K (Wonsam)
***Yeah I don't teach 1st***
Unlike many of the other English teachers I have met, neither of my schools have a designated English room. My personal desk area is in the teachers lounge, I share this space with the VP, another administrator (I still don't have a clue what he does all day!), and the VP's secretary. This is where I do all my lesson planning and just hang out in between classes. I then go to each classroom to teach my lessons. This is ok with me as I like
kitchen
It's small, but it works just fine. how my work environment changes every hour. The bad side of this is that my co-teacher is always the core-teacher of each grade. Some are more helpful than others, some just flat out watch me drown in frustration.
Being in a public school, the education ministry requires that each school's English program uses a standard computer course based English program. It's basically a pirated version of Disney. There is a supplemental workbook for the students and a teachers guidebook. So I basically go just follow the instructions of this book. In my guide the instructions are (not always) written in English and Korean. The program is filled with a bunch of cartoon clips. Usually there is a Korean prelude to each clip and then the dialog is in English. After each short clip I'll repeat what was said, then have the students repeat me. Depending on the class and the difficulty of the dialog I'll have them repeat me anywhere from 3 to 20 times. This aspect of teaching is rather easy and does not usually require the help of the co-teacher. The program also has the students do role-plays. This is where my job can get difficult at times,
Bathroom
Toilet with a sink/shower combo. I actually have a western toilet, not the traditional korean style hole in the ground. trying to instruct students through an astronomical language barrier can feel impossible sometimes without the assistance from an interpreter (ie. the co-teachers job). Some teachers take a really active role in the lesson plan, some teachers will be at their desks working on their never-ending extracurricular duties and chime in necessary, then some teachers will at times flat out leave the room for the entire lesson. I'm starting to think that a large reason why many of these teachers don't assist with the teaching is not because they aren't willing to, but rather because they feel ashamed of their own English ability.
Aside from just following through the computer program, I am required to provide my own supplemental instruction to the studied material. This is where I've really started to enjoy my job the most. It's purely been a trial and error experience. As I start to understand the Korean language and the proper Korean sounds, I start to identify why my kids make the mistakes they make. For an example, the sound of z in the word 'pizza.' There is no sound in the Korean alphabet that is similar to Z, so Koreans often pronounce pizza as 'pijja.' Another
Outside view
My apartment is directly above the 'Largo Coffee House.' How I got so lucky, I don't know. example is there is no sound similar to the TH in the word 'mouth.' Today with my 3rd graders we were practicing imperative (command) questions relating to the body. When I had them recite 'open/close your mouth,' they were saying 'open/close your mouse.' So I stopped, wrote each word on the board, pointed to each word individually and properly pronounced it, then had them repeat me until I felt they understood the difference. To ensure that they did, I would point to one, recite either the right or wrong pronunciation and then have them form an 'X' or 'O' with their hands to indicate right or wrong. The more I teach, the more I'm able to identify their mistakes, and the more I'm able to come up with creative ways to teach through these mistakes.
From what I understand, the general English level amongst kids in Yongin is significantly lower than kids from the bigger cities. A big reason for this is because of the lack of exposure the kids here have with Westerners and the English language. In cities like Seoul and Busan where you can here English being spoken everywhere: conversations on the street; English text on buildings,
city maps, and subways; and the English voice recordings on the subway. So unconsciously the big city kids are exposed to English a lot more. The sounds and the pronunciation isn't nearly as foreign to them than it is to the kids that I'm teaching. Another reason why in my opinion is because of the program the education ministry uses. My kids only hear essentially only two pronunciations of any given verbal statement: the voice of the character in the clips and mine. It's also a program that places all it's emphasis in speaking and virtually none in writing or reading comprehension. Very few of my sixth graders are able to write simple three four word sentences. It's kinda sad and right now I'm still trying to decide how much effort I want to put into this and exactly how I would go about teaching this.
My job is definitely one of the more challenging jobs I've ever had, but it's also one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had. I feel that I'm for the first time utilizing my college degree. This is not because teaching is related to political science in any way, but this is because
some of my students
This was taken I think my 2nd day at school. The kids were so intrigued by me, yet so shy. Looking back I don't know how I managed to get this picture of them. I'm using the the problem solving skills I've acquired in college on a daily basis. It's a fantastic feeling to literally feel stuck in a deep dark well one moment, then to find the black painted ladder that was there all along.
Never have I really had to interact with kids before. Growing up, my sister was only 1 1/5 years younger than me and in college I was consistently surrounded by my peers. Needless to say, I was really worried about having to interact with kids an a daily basis. I can easily say, the kids are my favorite aspect of my job. Not of 'being in Korea,' but my 'job'! They get super excited for their English session, especially my third graders! I basically go in, give them high fives, shake their hands (it's Korean culture to bow instead of shake hands), and just use strong emotion when I speak to them. It's never a 'Hi' or 'Hello,' it always has to be a "HEEEEELLLLLLLLLOOOO!' It gets them excited and it gets their attention. My older students just love to correct me on my horribly broken Korean. This helps me with my Korean and it helps me keep
4th grader
The cell phone just goes to show that Korea is certainly a 1st world country. their attention. Simple things like these has made a huge difference!
Anyway, that's kind of a typical day a work.
So long, pictures should be up shortly.
Update: I just added the pictures but the captions are criss-crossed on many of them. Working on fixing them.
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paul
non-member comment
Awesome
You're an awesome guy Shane. Keep us updated, keep the pictures coming.