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Published: March 4th 2008
Korean Monument
The older South Korean brother embraces the younger North Korean brother- a symbol of hope that one day the two sides will meet in love, forgiveness, and reconciliationWell. Your reading this blog is testament to my surviving the first day of Hogwan school. But that doesn’t mean I escaped with out incurring minor injury. To put it lightly, my first day was pure chaos. The school seemed totally unprepared for the first day of classes and it became evident the moment I walked in the door. I saw the Korean teachers running around like madmen, making copies, printing class lists, and one young woman crying (I later came to find she was having stomach cramps, but this did not ease my anxiety about the preparedness of this school). The 80 or so 5-year-olds eventually lined up in their respective classes with minimal crying and were led from the 3rd floor to the 4th and 5th floors, where the small classrooms are. My class is the “Pooh” class, and I have 10 girls and 1 boy. They are absolutely precious! Each is given an English name by their parents, and they wear this on a necklace around their neck.
Once in the classroom I was baffled as to what to do next. You may ask, “Weren’t you given a lesson plan?” Yes, I was. But that’s only if you consider 'Greetings and Introductions 30 minutes. Manners and Ettiquette 30 minutes. Read “I Am Sam” 30 minutes' (BTW, it’s hard to read a book when you aren’t given the book to read). The entire day continued this way. I was given no supplies- paper, pencils, tape, stapler, ruler, etc. as well as not being given a class list, attendance book, or grade book of any kind. I found myself scrambling for ideas, and since I have never a) had my own class before, b) been certified in teaching kindergarden, or c) interacted intensely with those who do not speak English, I was really struggling. So we sang the ABC’s, counted up to 60, chanted the days of the week, and read lots of books. I found that some of the students were much more proficient in their understanding of English than others, who would only stare at me blankly when asked their name.
I found some other things interesting about the school and the students. For one, the teachers
My Classroom
A view from my desk- you can see how very small it is! all wear jeans, both the Korean teachers (who are basically there to make lesson plans and support the native speaking teacher) and the native speakers. Also, parents roam up and down the hallway, peering into windows to watch the class. Apparently, Korean parents are extremely involved in their children's education and give whole new meaning to "helicopter parent".
The afternoon session went much smoother. I have six 2nd-graders (about 8 years old), 5 girls and 1 boy. They are well versed in English, and their handwriting is better than most adults I know. While their pronunciation needs some work I was extremely impressed by their reading, writing, and speaking abilities. I was also blown away by their manners. While other students ran amok in the hallways, my students worked diligently on the work assigned to them (correction, the work I was able to scrape up since the work actually assigned to them included workbooks, practice books, and textbooks that I was not given). I had found it strange that every 40 minutes or so I would hear a little tune come over the loudspeaker. It would last only 10 seconds or so, and thus I would brush it off
My Kindergardeners
Aren't they cute?! as another quirky Korean custom. Later I found that this mean it was a ten-minute break time for the students! No one had told me! My poor kids worked so hard for so long with no break. So at the end of the day I gave them a full 15-minutes in the playroom and much to my surprise, the very quiet, stoic, reserved students in my class became boisterous, animated children with untamed laugher. It was such a dramatic shift from the students they had been only moments before and I found myself laughing along with them.
All in all my first day was a success because I walked away knowing that I wanted to come back. I mean, it couldn't get much worse than today, and as soon as I get the supplies I shipped from the U.S. I will be able to feel more comfortable and find fun activities to fill the void when the Korean teachers have failed to create adequate lesson plans.
After I got home (all by myself! A bus ride AND the train!) Mom and I went over to Marty's which is an American bar and restaurant two blocks from the apartment,
mostly frequented by soldiers. I told her all about my crazy first day at school over fajitas and hamburgers. It hit me that I was really going to miss her and that I really am far away with no family or friends (except, of course, Dan). As of yet I have not been alone here, but tomorrow she will leave and I will really be put to the test. Dan is on lockdown for ten days, and even though I might be able to see him this weekend, the reality is really setting in. I don't regret my decision to come here, don't get me wrong, and I don't foresee that happening. But it certainly will be hard. I haven't really had time to think about that yet. It has been so hectic that (thankfully) I have not had to think about what it will be like when she leaves and the last bit of family flies back across the Pacific.
Well, it is time for the teacher's meeting, so I am off. Miss you and love you all!! -Erin
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shannon
non-member comment
Ohhhhh, Erin....
I'm glad you made it through your first day of teaching, but you're right...if you can make it through the first day totally unprepared, then you're going to do a great job! I'm proud of you for being so brave over there! (trains and busses all by yourself....in the first week!!!!) You'll do great, even if your mom isn't there. It'll just take some getting used to. I miss you!