No, this is not a post about marital problems. Ha!
For the most part, I love living in Korea! It truly is an easy life. Yes, there is the language barrier that can be frustrating at times, but it's not always an issue. I don't have much work to do even while I'm at work. My housing is paid for. I get to save a lot of money. I get to travel to other countries (soon!). However, there is one specific thing about Korean life that I cannot stand. It's the education system. When I was working in middle school, my eyes weren't open to the way the system works. I never saw my co-teachers in action. I taught the whole class by myself. I tried my best at all times to teach them as much English as possible. It's way different in elementary school - at least in my school.
Here's how a typical class runs (3rd-6th grade):
1. I greet the class and ask them how they are, what is the date, and how is the weather.
2. My co-teacher "teaches" for 20-25 minutes.
3. I "teach" for 15 minutes.
The way my co-teacher teaches is he has everyone get out their dialogue sheets. These sheets have English, Korean cheats for the English words (phonetics of the word written in Korean), and the Korean meaning. He says a word or phrase and the students repeat after him. Why is that not my job? The kids are repeating bad English when they repeat after him. He then has them self-study the words and phrases. Then, he says the Korean word/phrase and they say the English equivalent. If they get it wrong, he bops them over the head with a toy hammer that makes a squeak sound. That's all he does for 20-25 minutes.
Then it's my turn. My job is to play the CD that goes along with the book. We spend about five classes on one lesson. If I am able to finish the book before those five classes, I am able to create my own material and games to do in the class. I think this is fairly typical in most classes with a bit of variation depending on the teacher.
Corporal punishment is technically not allowed in the classrooms anymore, but my co-teacher definitely still uses it. He hits kids on the head with a small stick, hits them with the toy hammer, etc. He also has them stand in the back of class with their arms straight out in front of them. The kids that get this type of punishment are usually the ones who don't do their homework. However, not all kids have homework. If a student answers a question in class, they are exempt from homework. The kids that don't answer questions are usually the ones who are struggling in the class or have learning disabilities, etc. So, the kids who struggle are required to do homework that they don't understand. When they don't do it, they have to stand in the back of class and suffer while class continues. While they are in the back of class, they don't have their books in front of them, they can't answer or ask questions, etc. It's such a vicious circle!
I've even been told to ignore students. The students that I'm supposed to ignore are the ones with learning disabilities or the students who act out or don't try. I definitely do some ignoring - ignoring my co-teacher, that is. Instead of ignoring students, I think we need to give them attention. I agree that I shouldn't focus all of my time and energy on one or two students, but I am definitely not going to ignore them! I had an "I told you so moment" with my co-teacher this week. One of the students he told me to ignore, I definitely didn't. I helped him find the right page to be on and even gave him a pencil when he couldn't find his. The next time I had him in class, he volunteered to answer two questions and when I pointed at him to answer, he got them correct! I am just finishing my 6th week here and not once has he raised his hand to answer before. I just wanted to stick out my tongue to my co-teacher and say I TOLD YOU SO!
I know that not all schools and/or co-teachers are the same as mine, but there are some basic similarities. I know there's not much I can do about it except be the best teacher I can be for 15 minutes every class. I just feel sorry for the students who are lagging behind because they are probably not going to have a chance to ever catch up. It just makes me sad how we are failing these students.
Other than these issues at school, all is well!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Beer Marts
My friends and I just recently (in the past couple of months) discovered one of the greatest things about Korea. They are called beer marts. They are basically convenience stores that have bar seating. You walk in and grab as many drinks and snacks as you like and pay for it at the counter, just like at a convenience store. Then you take your goodies and sit down at a table or booth with your friends and enjoy your night. The prices are the same as in the convenience stores. If you buy popcorn, they pop it for you and bring it to you when it's finished. It's really one of the neatest things around. Just take a look for yourself! (Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the seating area, but just picture any bar that you've ever been in.)
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Getting Our Teaching Certificates
The title says it all. Zach and I are going back to school to get our teaching certificates. We got e-mails this week saying that we are in: "Congratulations! You have been accepted into the October 2013 TeacherReady®cohort." We are going through TeacherReady which is a 9-month online certification program out of Florida.
About 3 weeks ago, some friends of ours (J & K) brought to our attention that they had applied for the program which starts the first week of October. They mentioned that we could start in the February intake if we wanted. We discussed it that night and decided that if we could get into the October intake, we would go for it.
You might be wondering why we are doing this. Neither of us really had any intention of becoming teachers. After being abroad and seeing what opportunities are open to us, we decided that getting teaching certificates was our best bet. For a few months now, Zach and I have been planning with J & K to teach in the Middle East starting sometime in the Fall of 2014. Having teaching certificates opens up many more jobs for us and pay would be a lot better. We also talked about getting jobs with the DOD (Department of Defense) teaching abroad. We would be employed by the U.S. government, working oversees.
I know for many friends and family, this is hard to news to hear. I've already had several questions about being abroad:
1. Are you EVER coming home?
2. Don't you like us?
3. What's wrong with the U.S.A.?
Short answer? We love what we're doing and want to do it for as long as we can.
So it starts. Classes begin on September 30th! Wish us luck.
If you want more information about the program, click on the TeacherReady link above or visit their Facebook page.
About 3 weeks ago, some friends of ours (J & K) brought to our attention that they had applied for the program which starts the first week of October. They mentioned that we could start in the February intake if we wanted. We discussed it that night and decided that if we could get into the October intake, we would go for it.
You might be wondering why we are doing this. Neither of us really had any intention of becoming teachers. After being abroad and seeing what opportunities are open to us, we decided that getting teaching certificates was our best bet. For a few months now, Zach and I have been planning with J & K to teach in the Middle East starting sometime in the Fall of 2014. Having teaching certificates opens up many more jobs for us and pay would be a lot better. We also talked about getting jobs with the DOD (Department of Defense) teaching abroad. We would be employed by the U.S. government, working oversees.
I know for many friends and family, this is hard to news to hear. I've already had several questions about being abroad:
1. Are you EVER coming home?
2. Don't you like us?
3. What's wrong with the U.S.A.?
Short answer? We love what we're doing and want to do it for as long as we can.
So it starts. Classes begin on September 30th! Wish us luck.
If you want more information about the program, click on the TeacherReady link above or visit their Facebook page.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Supper Club: BACON!
This month, it was our turn to host Supper Club. I am so happy with our choice for a theme that I just have to share it with all of you. Our theme was......BACON!
The appetizer was mini BLTs. Danny and Eun Mi did a really wonderful job with these!
Josh and Kalie did the salad which was just delicious. It was so much more than just a salad with bacon bits.
Zach and I made a cream pasta with....you guess it! BACON!
For dessert, Jordan and Ferrin made caramel- and chocolate-covered apples with bacon sprinkled on top. It definitely hit the spot!
There is always a specialty drink and this time was no exception. In keeping with the theme, Zach and I served bacon infused vodka and mixed it with apple juice. Since we are not going to find bacon vodka in Busan, we made it ourselves! We fried up some bacon until it was pretty crispy and soaked it in vodka for a few days. Then we drained it using coffee filters. It was quite the experience but I don't know if we will be making it again. It was ok, but I don't think I'll be craving it any time soon.
I love Supper Club and cannot wait to see what next month has in store for us!
The appetizer was mini BLTs. Danny and Eun Mi did a really wonderful job with these!
Josh and Kalie did the salad which was just delicious. It was so much more than just a salad with bacon bits.
Zach and I made a cream pasta with....you guess it! BACON!
For dessert, Jordan and Ferrin made caramel- and chocolate-covered apples with bacon sprinkled on top. It definitely hit the spot!
There is always a specialty drink and this time was no exception. In keeping with the theme, Zach and I served bacon infused vodka and mixed it with apple juice. Since we are not going to find bacon vodka in Busan, we made it ourselves! We fried up some bacon until it was pretty crispy and soaked it in vodka for a few days. Then we drained it using coffee filters. It was quite the experience but I don't know if we will be making it again. It was ok, but I don't think I'll be craving it any time soon.
I love Supper Club and cannot wait to see what next month has in store for us!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Elementary School Is SO Different From Middle School
It's been a while since my last post. Sorry about that! Well, I have officially moved from middle school to elementary school. I was terrified about the move. In hagwon I taught elementary kids, but that was almost 3 years ago and it's completely different than public school. I had heard some horror stories from friends who taught elementary school and was pretty nervous about going. But, I am starting my 3rd week and can honestly say that I love it! Below, I will give you an idea of what my week is like. Please remember that this is MY experience in elementary school. Each school is different; therefore, each elementary school experience is different.
3rd & 4th Grade
I have two 3rd grade classes and two 4th grade classes and I only see them once each week for 40 minutes. At the beginning of each class, I greet the kids and ask them about what day it is and how the weather is. My co-teacher and I check any homework they may have. I then stand in the back of the classroom for 20-30 minutes while they practice key words and dialogue from the chapter with my co-teacher. I am supposed to correct any speaking mistakes and make sure they are on the correct page in the book. I get the last 10-15 minutes to do activities from the book or activities that I come up with. My 3rd graders are still pretty excited about learning English and usually participate really well. Getting my 4th graders to participate, or god forbid raise their hands, is like pulling teeth! But, I think they are warming up to me.
5th & 6th Grade
I have two 5th grade classes and three 6th grade classes. I see them twice each week for 40 minutes each. [At the beginning of each class, I greet the kids and ask them about what day it is and how the weather is. My co-teacher and I check any homework they may have. I then stand in the back of the classroom for 20-30 minutes while they practice key words and dialogue from the chapter with my co-teacher. I am supposed to correct any speaking mistakes and make sure they are on the correct page in the book. I get the last 10-15 minutes to do activities from the book or activities that I come up with.] Sound familiar?? Haha! My 5th graders aren't too bad about participating. My co-teacher gives me candy to bribe them to answer. It works pretty well. One of my 6th grade classes is full of trouble makers and students who don't want to study. The other two 6th grade classes are really great about participating which is a little unusual from what I hear from my friends.
5th Grade & 6th Grade After School Classes
On Mondays, I have two 5th grade after school classes and on Tuesday I have two 6th grade after school classes. They are called after school classes but they run from about 2:30 pm-4:00 pm. During the first period, we learn a new idiom and draw a picture of it and write the definition in our idiom books. Then, we spend about 10-15 minutes in the BEPA book. The best thing I can relate it to is an I-STEP prep. Whatever time is left over in that period and the next, we do a lesson. These lessons are supplementary to their classroom lessons but I have a lot more flexibility and can go beyond the book.
2nd Grade
I have one 2nd grade class once per week for 40 minutes. This class is totally up to me. It was suggested that I go over some key vocabulary, read a story and ask questions about the story, do worksheet or coloring sheets, and then review the ABCs. My idea has been to have the theme be around the book that I'm reading that day. I've had one class and that seemed to go over really well!
Kindergarten
I have two kindergarten classes. I see each of them once per week for 30 minutes. I have one class of 5 and 6 year-olds and one class of 7 year-olds. I was absolutely terrified to teach these classes. I had no idea what I was going to do with them. However, I was told to just play with them. I was also told that the kids in my school were mostly lower-level students. So, in kindergarten, some of them can't even understand when the teachers speak to them in Korean. This past week, I taught them for the first time. I taught them 'stop' and 'go'. Then, we went outside and played Red Light, Green Light. They absolutely wore me out! But, I am no longer scared of the class. They are a ton of fun and playing with them will be easy!
Adult Classes
I have one adult class at 3:00 pm every Friday and it lasts for 40 minutes. The adults who attend are teachers and staff from my school. As with the kindergarten classes, I was terrified to teach this class. This past Friday was the first class and it wasn't too bad. Forty minutes actually goes by fairly fast. I had eight students show up last Friday (this number will constantly fluctuate according to how busy they are). The four women want to discuss practical English and the four men want to discuss news and things that are happening around the world. I hope I can find a nice balance.
In total, I have 22 teaching hours per week. Each 40 minute or 30 minute class counts as 1 hour. The rest of the 18 "hours" is mine to plan for the classes. I only have one co-teacher in elementary school compared to the five I had in middle school.
Once I feel a little more comfortable in school, I will have to take some pictures. These kids are so cute!
3rd & 4th Grade
I have two 3rd grade classes and two 4th grade classes and I only see them once each week for 40 minutes. At the beginning of each class, I greet the kids and ask them about what day it is and how the weather is. My co-teacher and I check any homework they may have. I then stand in the back of the classroom for 20-30 minutes while they practice key words and dialogue from the chapter with my co-teacher. I am supposed to correct any speaking mistakes and make sure they are on the correct page in the book. I get the last 10-15 minutes to do activities from the book or activities that I come up with. My 3rd graders are still pretty excited about learning English and usually participate really well. Getting my 4th graders to participate, or god forbid raise their hands, is like pulling teeth! But, I think they are warming up to me.
5th & 6th Grade
I have two 5th grade classes and three 6th grade classes. I see them twice each week for 40 minutes each. [At the beginning of each class, I greet the kids and ask them about what day it is and how the weather is. My co-teacher and I check any homework they may have. I then stand in the back of the classroom for 20-30 minutes while they practice key words and dialogue from the chapter with my co-teacher. I am supposed to correct any speaking mistakes and make sure they are on the correct page in the book. I get the last 10-15 minutes to do activities from the book or activities that I come up with.] Sound familiar?? Haha! My 5th graders aren't too bad about participating. My co-teacher gives me candy to bribe them to answer. It works pretty well. One of my 6th grade classes is full of trouble makers and students who don't want to study. The other two 6th grade classes are really great about participating which is a little unusual from what I hear from my friends.
5th Grade & 6th Grade After School Classes
On Mondays, I have two 5th grade after school classes and on Tuesday I have two 6th grade after school classes. They are called after school classes but they run from about 2:30 pm-4:00 pm. During the first period, we learn a new idiom and draw a picture of it and write the definition in our idiom books. Then, we spend about 10-15 minutes in the BEPA book. The best thing I can relate it to is an I-STEP prep. Whatever time is left over in that period and the next, we do a lesson. These lessons are supplementary to their classroom lessons but I have a lot more flexibility and can go beyond the book.
2nd Grade
I have one 2nd grade class once per week for 40 minutes. This class is totally up to me. It was suggested that I go over some key vocabulary, read a story and ask questions about the story, do worksheet or coloring sheets, and then review the ABCs. My idea has been to have the theme be around the book that I'm reading that day. I've had one class and that seemed to go over really well!
Kindergarten
I have two kindergarten classes. I see each of them once per week for 30 minutes. I have one class of 5 and 6 year-olds and one class of 7 year-olds. I was absolutely terrified to teach these classes. I had no idea what I was going to do with them. However, I was told to just play with them. I was also told that the kids in my school were mostly lower-level students. So, in kindergarten, some of them can't even understand when the teachers speak to them in Korean. This past week, I taught them for the first time. I taught them 'stop' and 'go'. Then, we went outside and played Red Light, Green Light. They absolutely wore me out! But, I am no longer scared of the class. They are a ton of fun and playing with them will be easy!
Adult Classes
I have one adult class at 3:00 pm every Friday and it lasts for 40 minutes. The adults who attend are teachers and staff from my school. As with the kindergarten classes, I was terrified to teach this class. This past Friday was the first class and it wasn't too bad. Forty minutes actually goes by fairly fast. I had eight students show up last Friday (this number will constantly fluctuate according to how busy they are). The four women want to discuss practical English and the four men want to discuss news and things that are happening around the world. I hope I can find a nice balance.
In total, I have 22 teaching hours per week. Each 40 minute or 30 minute class counts as 1 hour. The rest of the 18 "hours" is mine to plan for the classes. I only have one co-teacher in elementary school compared to the five I had in middle school.
Once I feel a little more comfortable in school, I will have to take some pictures. These kids are so cute!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Beach Season Ready
This post is more for people who live in Busan or are planning to visit Busan. But, friends and family back home are more than welcome to read this too! :)
The same friend who told me about laser hair removal also told me about a woman who does waxings. I went to her last week and was very pleased with the results. She is called Bewitched Busan and here is her website and Facebook page. Her English is basically perfect. She was super professional and I definitely plan on going back to her again. All information can be found on her website (prices, directions, types of waxings, etc.)
If you have a question, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will be sure to respond.
The same friend who told me about laser hair removal also told me about a woman who does waxings. I went to her last week and was very pleased with the results. She is called Bewitched Busan and here is her website and Facebook page. Her English is basically perfect. She was super professional and I definitely plan on going back to her again. All information can be found on her website (prices, directions, types of waxings, etc.)
If you have a question, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will be sure to respond.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
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