Fourth Weekend in January, 2010:
Got to Korea! Somehow, Thursday got lost in travel. Found other Chungdahm teachers and have managed to get lost EVERY TIME we venture outside. Freaking out over test the next day.
Fourth Weekend in January, 2011:
It effing snowed again. Dinner with Siobhain and Care!!!!! The next day was dinner with Edward! (Much fewer !!!'s)
Fourth Monday in January, 2010:
Hahaha! Passed the test! And the medical exam! Got lost in the hospital even though directions included "Follow the yellow line upstairs."
Fourth Monday in January, 2011:
Taught the lesson I was trained on a year ago! I did much better actually teaching it than in mock. Instead of using the examples in the book, I created a whole theme of convincing your mom not to hit you (we were learning about arguments and reasons).
Fourth Tuesday-Thursday in January, 2010:
Eagle reading scares the crap out of me and I hope I never have to teach it. I may or may not have cried.
Fourth Tuesday-Thursday in January 2011:
Intensives over (kind of sad face because I liked my kids). Eagle reading is awesome!
Fourth Friday in January, 2010:
Yes! Passed training! Now to Suji............and I'm the only non-Asian here...
Fourth Friday in January, 2011:
More non-Asians. I am not alone (.."they are here with me..."). In one year, I have gone from newbie to most longest-lasting teacher. My English has also obviously eroded into....awful.
Fifth Weekend in January, 2010:
Am so tired post-training and jet lag has caught up!
Fifth Weekend in January, 2011:
Am so tired because we have to work!
I remember telling myself that it would become much easier once I got in there and started working. I was right. Signed a contract to stay another year. As with all jobs, there definitely are things that aren't exactly stellar, but I know Chungdahm's shortcomings and can deal with them. I really like my students. I can tell that I'm getting bored with the curriculum, though - I go off book probably more than I should. However, Chungdahm is a business, and my students like my class, and they come back.
I'll be honest, this hasn't been a huge journey of self-discovery. I haven't changed or assimilated into Eastern culture. Heck, I have barely learned Korean. But I think I might be happier. This job is much less stressful - mostly becuase I'm responsible for SO MUCH LESS. I have probably become lazy (shh, don't tell my parents), but I've also learned how to teach someone else's curriculum - which is a good balance from what I was doing before (writing everything myself). It's definitely been a lesson in humility.
I have noticed a few ways I've changed. I used to correct people a lot - don't do that as much as I used to. I also quit saying "y'all" (with the exception of the text I sent Cait earlier - but she's from the South, so she gets it ;)). And, if it's at all possible, I think I cook less.
Showing posts with label chungdahm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chungdahm. Show all posts
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Summer ---> Fall
The last time I wrote, it was so hot that I wanted to die. I should be used to this, being from Florida and all....but it still totally kills me. Now, it's actually cool enough that at night, I kinda wish I had a jacket. My Septembers aren't like this - Septembers for me are usually just as godawul as Augusts, so I'm kinda liking this change.
I say this now, but snow will still happen.
Last time we talked, I was in the middle of intensives. The only thing that got me through was the knowledge of that extra money I'd be bringing home thanks to the extra hours. Unfortunately, we went from those extra hours back into our old schedule for just a bit, and then into a completely new schedule (for those who aren't in this special The Know group, the first two weeks of any term always involve more work). However, our hagwon caved and *actually* gave us a vacation - we got the 3 days for Chuseok (read the freaking Wikipedia page **). Yes, we do have to work the Saturday before and after, but that three days straight was pretty nice :)
Spent my Chuseok mostly with Siobhain, who pretty much is my Korean family :) We spent a lot of time knitting (because it's us), and going to cafes. Sio also introduced me to jjimjilbangs and.......I'm in love. Going to write a separate entry on this that is going to be so awesome and epic and helpful that I think Aclipse should totally feature it in their teacher blog section (hint hint =p)
My knitting has come leaps and bounds here. I don't think I've done anything that hasn't required some sort of pattern or challenge. Right now, I'm doing this cowl for one of my coworkers and a few other smaller projects, but I've worked up the nerve to start lace work and I'm making a shawl for mom that I'm *hoping* will turn out really nice (or, at least nice enough for her to think that I'm a total yarn genius). Gloves have proved to be a giant pain in the rear - I now understand why there are so many fingerless glove and mitten patterns on Ravelry and much fewer fingered glove patterns. For the 1% who are reading this and haven't gone "What is all this knitting nonsense", yes, yarn is available in South Korea - you just have to know where to look.
Finally caved and went to Itaewon (the foreigner-gathering place). I think there are two types of foreigners in Korea: the type that thrive for places like Itaewon because they can't handle all the unfamiliarity, and the type who avoid Itaewon because they think they're "better" than that. I'm definitely in the second group. Yes, there is a lot of ethnic food there, but there's a lot of ethnic food everywhere in Seoul...and for much cheaper, too. It's the only place in Korea that's really loud from people and not just city noises. Plus, as one of my friends has pointed out, it's also one of the few places in which strangers will actually know what we're talking about.
I've also made peace with the M-4101. I discovered the Jonggak/Jongro/YMCA bus stop. It's the second stop on the route (once into Seoul) and pretty close to a few subway stations. I found the line one station, and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I turn the other way, I'll hit the City Hall station which is connected to line 2. It's saved me about an hour of my trip into Seoul (arg..traffic between Jonggak all the way to the Myeongdong/Euljiro-il-ga (or ip-gu if you're talking to Calvin) makes me want to stab puppies). On this, I realized that I can get *back on* the bus here, and not have to deal with the whole ajjuma shove-fest to get the last seat.
** For the condensed version, Chuseok is pretty much the "Korean Thanksgiving", except instead of eating turkey and watching football, they give thanks/praise/etc to their ancestors and eat songpyeon (tiny rice cakes full of surprise goodness)...and, apparently, according to that Wiki page, play tug-of-war...
I say this now, but snow will still happen.
Last time we talked, I was in the middle of intensives. The only thing that got me through was the knowledge of that extra money I'd be bringing home thanks to the extra hours. Unfortunately, we went from those extra hours back into our old schedule for just a bit, and then into a completely new schedule (for those who aren't in this special The Know group, the first two weeks of any term always involve more work). However, our hagwon caved and *actually* gave us a vacation - we got the 3 days for Chuseok (read the freaking Wikipedia page **). Yes, we do have to work the Saturday before and after, but that three days straight was pretty nice :)
Spent my Chuseok mostly with Siobhain, who pretty much is my Korean family :) We spent a lot of time knitting (because it's us), and going to cafes. Sio also introduced me to jjimjilbangs and.......I'm in love. Going to write a separate entry on this that is going to be so awesome and epic and helpful that I think Aclipse should totally feature it in their teacher blog section (hint hint =p)
My knitting has come leaps and bounds here. I don't think I've done anything that hasn't required some sort of pattern or challenge. Right now, I'm doing this cowl for one of my coworkers and a few other smaller projects, but I've worked up the nerve to start lace work and I'm making a shawl for mom that I'm *hoping* will turn out really nice (or, at least nice enough for her to think that I'm a total yarn genius). Gloves have proved to be a giant pain in the rear - I now understand why there are so many fingerless glove and mitten patterns on Ravelry and much fewer fingered glove patterns. For the 1% who are reading this and haven't gone "What is all this knitting nonsense", yes, yarn is available in South Korea - you just have to know where to look.
Finally caved and went to Itaewon (the foreigner-gathering place). I think there are two types of foreigners in Korea: the type that thrive for places like Itaewon because they can't handle all the unfamiliarity, and the type who avoid Itaewon because they think they're "better" than that. I'm definitely in the second group. Yes, there is a lot of ethnic food there, but there's a lot of ethnic food everywhere in Seoul...and for much cheaper, too. It's the only place in Korea that's really loud from people and not just city noises. Plus, as one of my friends has pointed out, it's also one of the few places in which strangers will actually know what we're talking about.
I've also made peace with the M-4101. I discovered the Jonggak/Jongro/YMCA bus stop. It's the second stop on the route (once into Seoul) and pretty close to a few subway stations. I found the line one station, and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I turn the other way, I'll hit the City Hall station which is connected to line 2. It's saved me about an hour of my trip into Seoul (arg..traffic between Jonggak all the way to the Myeongdong/Euljiro-il-ga (or ip-gu if you're talking to Calvin) makes me want to stab puppies). On this, I realized that I can get *back on* the bus here, and not have to deal with the whole ajjuma shove-fest to get the last seat.
** For the condensed version, Chuseok is pretty much the "Korean Thanksgiving", except instead of eating turkey and watching football, they give thanks/praise/etc to their ancestors and eat songpyeon (tiny rice cakes full of surprise goodness)...and, apparently, according to that Wiki page, play tug-of-war...
Sunday, June 6, 2010
친구 - it's been ages =p
Yeah, I never post anymore...
New term has started. Even though I was hired to teach the higher-levels, I have a ton of lower levels again. However, I'm different from many of the teachers - I like the lower-level ones. Prepping is easier, and they are so cute! And usually say things that make me laugh so hard :) My "token child" this term is a self-proclaimed dancer. So far, all of the sentences he has to construct during "Let's Talk About You" have been about dancing. My favorite was the "is different' from": "Teacher's dancing is different from my dancing" (then he stood up and did the hula). I'm also teaching the Level 2 (higher level) IBT prep class, which isn't as painful as I thought (I'm owing all of that to the kids and their insanely awesome personalities - not sure how much actual work we'll get done.....), and 2 Alba Listening classes (higher level). The Alba kids are quiet as ghosts - probably because all of the outgoing ones are in the IBT class. My branch does higher levels on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and why they are offering the Level 2 IBT electives on the SAME days as the regular reading and listening classes is beyond me. I'm hoping that it's just first-day shyness and that they'll open up a bit more in the coming weeks. Didn't help that our Critical Thinking Project totally blew (sorry CDI, but the Track B Lesson 1 CTP STTIINNNKKKSSS - but, don't worry, in true good-teacher fashion, in class I pretended it was the coolest thing on the planet).
Went on another total shopping spree today with my "man-friend" Tim. Spent way too much money; however, I have like 4.5 million won saved so far. Intensives are coming up, and that little egg is going toward The Future. But I digress - let's talk more about the shopping because, face it, it's a lot more fun =p. Went to The Gap (partially because I am frightened that I still don't fit in Korean-store clothes....and partially because I am currently coveting some of their summer line) and I bought replacements for 2 shirts I purchased a month ago that are now too big. God, I love it. Put an asterisk here - I'm coming back to this idea*. I know that I probably could've taken out my shiny new sewing kit (<3 u, Lotte Mart!!) and taken them in, but I think I'm going to cut them up and do a t-shirt deconstruction project. Man I wish I'd brought my copy of Generation T: 108 Things To Do With A T-Shirt; however (don't you love these contrast transitions???), I did find this cute shrug pattern which may prove promising :).
Okay, back to that asterisk I know you _all_ placed. If you're reading this because you followed my blog here from Aclipse and/or found through a search engine because you are coming to Korea soon and are like me and wanted to read about everyone's experiences (INHALE), here's something you need to know: be prepared for your weight to fluctuate. I don't own a scale, but I know I've lost like 2 pants sizes here. Now, that may not prove true for everyone - I was like insanely overweight when I got here, so, really, it didn't take much for all of it to fall of. BUT (circle!!) I will guarantee that _all_ of your clothes will stretch with washing because Korea doesn't have dryers. (You get a drying rack - really makes you appreciate how easy it was to do your laundry back home.) I am probably not really a medium, but I buy most of my clothes from American stores here (yes, like The Gap) in a medium because they stretch out. Hence why I had to buy 2 new shirts (still, looking forward to turning the old ones into shrugs...especially seeing that this country isn't a giant fan of the tank top).
Also, I will buy dinner for the person who comes over to my apartment to tell me *where* I can put more clothing storage.
Related, Jessi, I owe you dinner (this is from like a month ago, but I'm just now confirming). Keep a tally and you can cash in when I come back :)
I realize that this whole entry has been about shopping and clothes. I'm not sure if it's me growing up, or this country, but I have become so vain! Before, washing my face was like a 30 second process - now, I'm running out of room in my bathroom for all of my facial products!!! Not entirely sure it's made my skin clear up, but I *can* see a difference in the clogged pores on my nose. Future expats (if you're still reading), don't worry about bringing a ton of products to Korea. You can't walk down the street without running into 5 or 6. Million. Plus, on weekends, they are constantly trying to lure you into their stores with free stuff - take advantage of the competition and score it all! If I need like 3 things, I will go into three different stores just so I can get the 3 different free gifts :)
Family who are reading this: don't worry, I'm not spending all of my money. I barely scratched the surface of my savings, and it was fun. I promise I only do this like once a month (if that) AND my shopping partner is moving back to America in August.
New term has started. Even though I was hired to teach the higher-levels, I have a ton of lower levels again. However, I'm different from many of the teachers - I like the lower-level ones. Prepping is easier, and they are so cute! And usually say things that make me laugh so hard :) My "token child" this term is a self-proclaimed dancer. So far, all of the sentences he has to construct during "Let's Talk About You" have been about dancing. My favorite was the "is different' from": "Teacher's dancing is different from my dancing" (then he stood up and did the hula). I'm also teaching the Level 2 (higher level) IBT prep class, which isn't as painful as I thought (I'm owing all of that to the kids and their insanely awesome personalities - not sure how much actual work we'll get done.....), and 2 Alba Listening classes (higher level). The Alba kids are quiet as ghosts - probably because all of the outgoing ones are in the IBT class. My branch does higher levels on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and why they are offering the Level 2 IBT electives on the SAME days as the regular reading and listening classes is beyond me. I'm hoping that it's just first-day shyness and that they'll open up a bit more in the coming weeks. Didn't help that our Critical Thinking Project totally blew (sorry CDI, but the Track B Lesson 1 CTP STTIINNNKKKSSS - but, don't worry, in true good-teacher fashion, in class I pretended it was the coolest thing on the planet).
Went on another total shopping spree today with my "man-friend" Tim. Spent way too much money; however, I have like 4.5 million won saved so far. Intensives are coming up, and that little egg is going toward The Future. But I digress - let's talk more about the shopping because, face it, it's a lot more fun =p. Went to The Gap (partially because I am frightened that I still don't fit in Korean-store clothes....and partially because I am currently coveting some of their summer line) and I bought replacements for 2 shirts I purchased a month ago that are now too big. God, I love it. Put an asterisk here - I'm coming back to this idea*. I know that I probably could've taken out my shiny new sewing kit (<3 u, Lotte Mart!!) and taken them in, but I think I'm going to cut them up and do a t-shirt deconstruction project. Man I wish I'd brought my copy of Generation T: 108 Things To Do With A T-Shirt; however (don't you love these contrast transitions???), I did find this cute shrug pattern which may prove promising :).
Okay, back to that asterisk I know you _all_ placed. If you're reading this because you followed my blog here from Aclipse and/or found through a search engine because you are coming to Korea soon and are like me and wanted to read about everyone's experiences (INHALE), here's something you need to know: be prepared for your weight to fluctuate. I don't own a scale, but I know I've lost like 2 pants sizes here. Now, that may not prove true for everyone - I was like insanely overweight when I got here, so, really, it didn't take much for all of it to fall of. BUT (circle!!) I will guarantee that _all_ of your clothes will stretch with washing because Korea doesn't have dryers. (You get a drying rack - really makes you appreciate how easy it was to do your laundry back home.) I am probably not really a medium, but I buy most of my clothes from American stores here (yes, like The Gap) in a medium because they stretch out. Hence why I had to buy 2 new shirts (still, looking forward to turning the old ones into shrugs...especially seeing that this country isn't a giant fan of the tank top).
Also, I will buy dinner for the person who comes over to my apartment to tell me *where* I can put more clothing storage.
Related, Jessi, I owe you dinner (this is from like a month ago, but I'm just now confirming). Keep a tally and you can cash in when I come back :)
I realize that this whole entry has been about shopping and clothes. I'm not sure if it's me growing up, or this country, but I have become so vain! Before, washing my face was like a 30 second process - now, I'm running out of room in my bathroom for all of my facial products!!! Not entirely sure it's made my skin clear up, but I *can* see a difference in the clogged pores on my nose. Future expats (if you're still reading), don't worry about bringing a ton of products to Korea. You can't walk down the street without running into 5 or 6. Million. Plus, on weekends, they are constantly trying to lure you into their stores with free stuff - take advantage of the competition and score it all! If I need like 3 things, I will go into three different stores just so I can get the 3 different free gifts :)
Family who are reading this: don't worry, I'm not spending all of my money. I barely scratched the surface of my savings, and it was fun. I promise I only do this like once a month (if that) AND my shopping partner is moving back to America in August.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Being a Hagwon Teacher - First Impressions
Where has this job been all my life? Seriously - at AOE, I constantly felt like I spent so much time chasing after students for makeup work or calling parents because the kids weren't doing their work to actually grade their homework and assess their skills in a timely manner. Likewise, I was too busy rewriting IEP goals and scheduling progress meetings to actually make the accommodations for the students in my class. In short, planning was getting in the way of teaching. Here, that's all I'm responsible for: to teach. It's kind of nice.
I remember before I came, I read all of the online reviews of CDI and saw lots of negatives. People complained about the teaching hours, of the rules, and how mindless the structure is. I've decided that these people never had a teaching job in America. The structure is the same everyday, but it seriously beats staring at a class and realizing the lesson you planned will not work and you have five seconds to pull something out of your ass before the kids figure out you have no clue what you're doing. The rules are nothing uncommon compared to what was required of teachers in America - one person I think complained about having to cover her tattoo......ummm....yeah.... When you're part of one of the most respected professions, it is kind of expected that you at least act like an adult. The hours do kind of suck, but they are probably the least surprising aspect of it all. If you show up in this country as a hagwon teacher and aren't aware that you'll be working evenings...well...just go back to America - if you seriously were unaware, you don't have enough common sense to be here anyway.
I do have to say that I feel more like a daycare counselor than a teacher, though. Because hagwons are businesses, the idea is to attract and keep students. You can have as awesome as a curriculum as you want - if you can't keep the kids, you aren't surviving. This was something that bothered me about AOE - we made a lot of degrading decisions (such as accepting makeup work 3 months later) for the sake of keeping our numbers - but somehow, I kind of understand the concept with CDI. Probably because I have yet to be asked to do something that compromises my teaching morals. I'm getting off subject. The comment about the daycamp counselor comes from the delivery. We are teaching, we do have a curriculum with goals, but the way we're supposed to teach it is to sell it - is to keep the kids almost entertained. I think I'm wary because this isn't hard work at all. AOE was - AOE kicked my ass and completely turned me into a monster. When I go back to America, I'll list CDI on my resume as teaching experience, with all the BS verbal jargon, and when asked, I will talk about how it's one of the highest rated private academies in South Korea, but I'll know. I don't feel like AOE was real teaching experience either because it was a whole lot of babysitting and absolutely no follow through with expectations. Maybe there is no such thing as real teaching experience - or maybe AOE and CDI have been more than I am giving them credit for.
Teaching here definitely kills a lot of Asian stereotypes, too. These kids are just as lazy and prone to mischief as American students. The only difference is that they back down sooner (well, most). The girls are in no way as boy crazy as my middle schoolers in America, which makes teaching *really* nice. It's funny - they don't even talk to each other. The boys are just like American boys, though - they either are your favorite or your least favorite students. I told one of my classes that they would have no problem fitting into an American classroom.
Some stereotypes are true - like the math thing. It's not because they're Asian, though - it's simply because they don't repeat the same math curriculum for grades 1-5 and then start learning new things in 6 like we do in America. Some of the kids are bad at math, though - I asked one of my students to answer 50 thousand plus 50 thousand and he just looked at me blankly (he did, however, know 50 plus 50). The politeness thing I think is more true because they don't really understand, and therefore don't use, sarcasm. A few of my kids get it, but those are ones who have lived in America for a number of years. When teaching sarcastic tone in reading class, I really had to exaggerate the author's words to get them to see it. Most students are polite, but there are definitely a few who are downright rude. One in particular comes to mind - and if you're one of my coworkers in Suji (and still reading this =p), you know exactly who I'm talking about. However, teaching my American misfits for so long has made me kind of like the rude ones, so I'm not gaining any gray hairs over this kid.
I've heard getting into high school compared to college entrance in America, but I don't think that's an accurate comparison. These students put a lot of stress on which high school they attend, whereas I think there's a pretty big "It doesn't matter" attitude with college...maybe the Ivy League schools. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that more kids in Korea care about their high school than kids in America do about college.
Pause: I think Coffee Bake bought a new CD. Fantastic :)
Next week will be the last week of the term. I've fallen in love with one of my afternoon classes and will be so sad when they transfer to evenings. Evening students are so blah, whereas the afternoon students are so enthusiastic. I've said a few times that I want to continue to teach them, but I think the transformation will break my heart.
I remember before I came, I read all of the online reviews of CDI and saw lots of negatives. People complained about the teaching hours, of the rules, and how mindless the structure is. I've decided that these people never had a teaching job in America. The structure is the same everyday, but it seriously beats staring at a class and realizing the lesson you planned will not work and you have five seconds to pull something out of your ass before the kids figure out you have no clue what you're doing. The rules are nothing uncommon compared to what was required of teachers in America - one person I think complained about having to cover her tattoo......ummm....yeah.... When you're part of one of the most respected professions, it is kind of expected that you at least act like an adult. The hours do kind of suck, but they are probably the least surprising aspect of it all. If you show up in this country as a hagwon teacher and aren't aware that you'll be working evenings...well...just go back to America - if you seriously were unaware, you don't have enough common sense to be here anyway.
I do have to say that I feel more like a daycare counselor than a teacher, though. Because hagwons are businesses, the idea is to attract and keep students. You can have as awesome as a curriculum as you want - if you can't keep the kids, you aren't surviving. This was something that bothered me about AOE - we made a lot of degrading decisions (such as accepting makeup work 3 months later) for the sake of keeping our numbers - but somehow, I kind of understand the concept with CDI. Probably because I have yet to be asked to do something that compromises my teaching morals. I'm getting off subject. The comment about the daycamp counselor comes from the delivery. We are teaching, we do have a curriculum with goals, but the way we're supposed to teach it is to sell it - is to keep the kids almost entertained. I think I'm wary because this isn't hard work at all. AOE was - AOE kicked my ass and completely turned me into a monster. When I go back to America, I'll list CDI on my resume as teaching experience, with all the BS verbal jargon, and when asked, I will talk about how it's one of the highest rated private academies in South Korea, but I'll know. I don't feel like AOE was real teaching experience either because it was a whole lot of babysitting and absolutely no follow through with expectations. Maybe there is no such thing as real teaching experience - or maybe AOE and CDI have been more than I am giving them credit for.
Teaching here definitely kills a lot of Asian stereotypes, too. These kids are just as lazy and prone to mischief as American students. The only difference is that they back down sooner (well, most). The girls are in no way as boy crazy as my middle schoolers in America, which makes teaching *really* nice. It's funny - they don't even talk to each other. The boys are just like American boys, though - they either are your favorite or your least favorite students. I told one of my classes that they would have no problem fitting into an American classroom.
Some stereotypes are true - like the math thing. It's not because they're Asian, though - it's simply because they don't repeat the same math curriculum for grades 1-5 and then start learning new things in 6 like we do in America. Some of the kids are bad at math, though - I asked one of my students to answer 50 thousand plus 50 thousand and he just looked at me blankly (he did, however, know 50 plus 50). The politeness thing I think is more true because they don't really understand, and therefore don't use, sarcasm. A few of my kids get it, but those are ones who have lived in America for a number of years. When teaching sarcastic tone in reading class, I really had to exaggerate the author's words to get them to see it. Most students are polite, but there are definitely a few who are downright rude. One in particular comes to mind - and if you're one of my coworkers in Suji (and still reading this =p), you know exactly who I'm talking about. However, teaching my American misfits for so long has made me kind of like the rude ones, so I'm not gaining any gray hairs over this kid.
I've heard getting into high school compared to college entrance in America, but I don't think that's an accurate comparison. These students put a lot of stress on which high school they attend, whereas I think there's a pretty big "It doesn't matter" attitude with college...maybe the Ivy League schools. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that more kids in Korea care about their high school than kids in America do about college.
Pause: I think Coffee Bake bought a new CD. Fantastic :)
Next week will be the last week of the term. I've fallen in love with one of my afternoon classes and will be so sad when they transfer to evenings. Evening students are so blah, whereas the afternoon students are so enthusiastic. I've said a few times that I want to continue to teach them, but I think the transformation will break my heart.
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