My first day of teaching has been completely exhausting.
I think there is nothing more intimidating than walking into a classroom with 30 odd high school boys who look you up and down, roll their eyes, and tuck their arms around themselves before settling in for nice 50 minute nap. I sat there thinking... this would never happen at elementary school. My voice is hoarse from trying to talk louder than they do to each other in Korean. Despite what we have been told on countless occasions at our orientation, my co-teachers have no intention of being in the room for my classes. In fact my main co-teaching Erica looked at me and scoffed, "You want us to be in the room with you? Why?" So now I am teaching high school out of nowhere and with no experience, I am also teaching boys who cannot speak anything but Korean. Oh well, another interesting adventure I suppose.
Anyway, although I have been in Yeongju since last Tuesday evening, I only taught my first class today. I made an introductory lesson about myself , where I come from and showed a couple of pictures of my family. All that really came out of it was that random teenage boys were asking for my full name so that they could add me on Facebook (gross). After my first class a group of boys gathered by my desk suspiciously- clearly waiting to ask something important. I naively thought that they might have an English related question. What did they really want? "Beautiful sister number"
Ultimately they were all huddled around the desk, hoping that I might give out Christine's number (they had seen her in one of my photos and had clearly fallen in love). Its bad, but honestly they have never seemed more focused on English than in that brief moment when they were asking for her digits. Apparently they are capable of speaking the queens English when there is genuine incentive. I think I might make her fake number a termly prize or something.
After lunch I taught a smaller class and that was really a whole lot more pleasant. I suppose they didn't really have very big shoes to fill as a member of the previous class had his hand stuck down his pants for the vast majority of the 50 minute lesson. There is really only room to grow from there, as far as I'm concerned. I know I have to be firm, but I'm jut not quite at the stage where I can tell students off for going down south.
By the time the last class pulled around I had begun to get into the swing of things. I had stopped bothering to be all polite and moved the trouble makers around the room (tyrant Claire mwahhaha)
All in all a very interesting first day. I topped the evening off making these frozen dumpling things I found at the supermarket. They are pretty delicious. I cannot read the writing, so I really don't know what they are made of. Pork, fish, cat could be anything. They are good all the same. I sat on Saturday night having a conversation with a really nice girl, Lindsay, who lives in my block. We were saying that Korean food is all about closing your eyes and grabbing a piece of 'something' with a set of chopsticks and hoping for the best.
Nothing else too crazy to report. I did find a green tea flavored ketchup in Homeplus today which I really must try with fries at some point. Always wanted my chips to taste like tea... yummy.
Lastly cannot wait till Friday! Because the T-dawg with be gracing Korea with her presence!!!!!!check out her blog - Pears puddles and piano Keys
Here are 2 other great blogs from my fellow EPIKers.
With a gift for burning (Chasity)
Her beautiful adventure (Saree)
Sorry I will post pictures tomorrow :)
I think there is nothing more intimidating than walking into a classroom with 30 odd high school boys who look you up and down, roll their eyes, and tuck their arms around themselves before settling in for nice 50 minute nap. I sat there thinking... this would never happen at elementary school. My voice is hoarse from trying to talk louder than they do to each other in Korean. Despite what we have been told on countless occasions at our orientation, my co-teachers have no intention of being in the room for my classes. In fact my main co-teaching Erica looked at me and scoffed, "You want us to be in the room with you? Why?" So now I am teaching high school out of nowhere and with no experience, I am also teaching boys who cannot speak anything but Korean. Oh well, another interesting adventure I suppose.
Anyway, although I have been in Yeongju since last Tuesday evening, I only taught my first class today. I made an introductory lesson about myself , where I come from and showed a couple of pictures of my family. All that really came out of it was that random teenage boys were asking for my full name so that they could add me on Facebook (gross). After my first class a group of boys gathered by my desk suspiciously- clearly waiting to ask something important. I naively thought that they might have an English related question. What did they really want? "Beautiful sister number"
Ultimately they were all huddled around the desk, hoping that I might give out Christine's number (they had seen her in one of my photos and had clearly fallen in love). Its bad, but honestly they have never seemed more focused on English than in that brief moment when they were asking for her digits. Apparently they are capable of speaking the queens English when there is genuine incentive. I think I might make her fake number a termly prize or something.
After lunch I taught a smaller class and that was really a whole lot more pleasant. I suppose they didn't really have very big shoes to fill as a member of the previous class had his hand stuck down his pants for the vast majority of the 50 minute lesson. There is really only room to grow from there, as far as I'm concerned. I know I have to be firm, but I'm jut not quite at the stage where I can tell students off for going down south.
By the time the last class pulled around I had begun to get into the swing of things. I had stopped bothering to be all polite and moved the trouble makers around the room (tyrant Claire mwahhaha)
All in all a very interesting first day. I topped the evening off making these frozen dumpling things I found at the supermarket. They are pretty delicious. I cannot read the writing, so I really don't know what they are made of. Pork, fish, cat could be anything. They are good all the same. I sat on Saturday night having a conversation with a really nice girl, Lindsay, who lives in my block. We were saying that Korean food is all about closing your eyes and grabbing a piece of 'something' with a set of chopsticks and hoping for the best.
Nothing else too crazy to report. I did find a green tea flavored ketchup in Homeplus today which I really must try with fries at some point. Always wanted my chips to taste like tea... yummy.
Lastly cannot wait till Friday! Because the T-dawg with be gracing Korea with her presence!!!!!!check out her blog - Pears puddles and piano Keys
Here are 2 other great blogs from my fellow EPIKers.
With a gift for burning (Chasity)
Her beautiful adventure (Saree)
Sorry I will post pictures tomorrow :)
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
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