Afternoon All !
So I'm taking this brief moment of respite on a Friday afternoon to catch everyone up on my first week of teaching. Despite the couple hours of explanation and material we received Sunday night, Monday was still a difficult day and a blur. I felt very fuzzy for most of the day due to a troubled sleep (in bed at 9, tossing and turning, up at 5), but was able to make it through.
I began Monday with my Dinosaur Class (dinosaur class is 7 year olds who are in their 1st year at the school). I have a co-teacher named Jordan from the USA who teaches the Elephant Class (7 year olds who in their 2nd year at the school). We switch back and forth between mornings and afternoons. Soooo ... Monday morning I had the dinosaur class and taught things like Phonics (the alphabet and sounds), Comprehension (this is a cat, this is not an airplane), and Printing and Writing (trace these letters, now draw you own letters).
At lunch we get to stay with the kids for 15 minutes while they eat. We are also provided lunch and can eat with them for those 15 minutes. (the first day we had rice, kimchi, seaweed soup, and some spicy dried thing that was delicious but I have no idea what it is) Then we have 45 minutes of spare time to prepare for the afternoon classes or relax, whatevs!
The morning runs from 9:50 to 12, and the afternoon runs from 1 to 2:35. In the afternoon, I taught the Elephant class Extensive reading (the kids read their own book with my help) and the Thematic class (this month's theme is friendship and I had them do a worksheet from a book that I found in the class.)
After the kindergarten immersion students go home at 2:30, we have a 30 minute break before the elementary classes start at 3:00. If you're lucky, you only have one class from 3 to 4:30 where the kids actually understand English and you teach things like Extensive Reading, Free Talking, or News in Education. On a long day, you teach two elementary classes from 3 to 6.
Both of our days have been 9 hours long and have been very exhausting, with all the prep. But, we are starting to get the hang of it and the staff is very helpful (for the most part). The other English speaking teachers are very nice, and we went out to dinner with a few of them on Thursday night. It was our first true taste of real Korean food, real Korean Soju (20% liquor kind of like Sake), and Korean night life! We had a big dinner, lots of beer, lots of Soju, french fries, and dried squid, and it only cost Nicole and I $45 Canadian!
Needless to say ... we both are really loving South Korea right now. We still have so much to do before we are set up and feel at home, but we have also already done so much this week that we already feel much more in control. Next stop? Easy Mart for more pillows!!!
Over and out,
Joe
Ok, Nicole here now. Joe went through pretty much the jest of school life, but I'll tell you my classes now because they are different (well the mornings). I teach the "Beluga Whale" class which is the new kindergartens (first time in English school) who are all 5. (Which is actually 4... Korean age is different, as everyone turns their next age at the begining of the year, Jan. 1, instead of their actual birth dates.. weird I know. And I refuse to be 26 already).
So, 4 years old, first time English kids is very difficult. They do not really understand anything. But I am very lucky because I only have 3 students! I could very well get more, but 3 is great because it can be very challenging with this age group. Its fun though because I pretty much just play with them, read to them and do fun arts and crafts type things. We are responsible for doing all lessons though, so I need to find new worksheets and cool games for them a lot to keep them interested. They have an attention span of like 15 minutes, so switching things up is essential. My 3 kids are soooo cute though. I will definitely post pics soon. So I have them until 2:30, then have the older kids, which as Joe mentioned are much more easier to teach. Most speak really good English, and one of my classes consists of only 3 girls who are the smartest, and the pride of the school. Those girls are very smart, and they will actually ASK for MORE homework!! I teach the News In Education class Joe mentioned, which is a lot of fun. They have these special newspapers to read called "Kid's Times" or "Teen Times" which cover so many topics. Lunch is really good here, and the cooks know I am a vegetarian so they make me a meatless meal! Actually, another teacher is also veg, so it works.
Ok, so we gotta get outta here and rest! This week has been extremely long and Friday is finally here... something we have been waiting for!! Miss you all, and I appreciate all the e-mails and messages! Hope to get you guys some pics soon!!
Cheers!!
Nicole
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