Back in Korea!

Hi everyone!!


Well, we're back in Korea and back to teaching English! I only had to teach 12 classes instead of 22, so that was a nice way to ease back into the routine! I've had a lot of free time at my desk, but I wanted to write about those 12 hours of teaching. My Co-teacher and I specifically skipped all four of the "Story Time" sections in the textbook in order to combine them all into one super story time lesson. Was it fun? Definitely not. Was it better to cram 4 story time periods into 1? Definitely! We actually got to read the story (filled with plot jumps, grammar mistakes, and very strange words...I mean do the kids really need to learn the word "liver?") in 1 class period so everyone actually understood the story. Normally, the story is broken into 4 parts, 1 part in each unit. This would mean that every 2 weeks the students would read the next part of the story. Not the best way to teach a story in my opinion. Anyway...


I knew that Super Story Time! would not be an exciting "Welcome back to English class everyone!" but we had to teach it (couldn't put it off any longer) and I was nervous about how the period would go. I was excited to see the kids again and I hoped they would be happy to see me too. While some kids only politely bowed when they entered the class, most students said "HELLO JENNIPA TEACHA!!!" and seemed excited to see me. Many wanted to talk to me, play with me (some new hand game thing kinda like the one where 1 person's hands are on top, the other's are on the bottom and the bottom hands have to flip up and slap the top hands.) So many of the students have new hair cuts, new glasses, and new clothes. They are always surprised when I notice those things!


I've finished all the classes (story time and a review period) this week and I have to say...I'm really glad I'm back in Korea teaching. I love my job, the students (most of the time!), and the friends I've met here. I definitely miss home and I'm so thankful I had time to go home for a month. Now, I'm ready for another successful year! Now back to teaching this week...Super Story Time was a success! When I asked them about it, the response was generally that it was not fun, but they were happy all the story sections were put together. The review period was much more engaging. I forgot how happy I get when I see 28 students on-task, practicing English, and having fun in my classroom. Sometimes, the kids are either sleepy zombies or hyper chatty monsters, but the moments when the entire class is learning...those make all the "What's going on with these kids today!?" moments seem like distant memories. 


Luckily, I have 1 more period to teach this year. I'm meeting with my Co-Teacher today to discuss our plan. I'm thinking...textbook scavenger hunt (might as well force them to go back in their textbook to review the content, right?), Golden Bell/Bomb Game Review (team competition games that are super popular in Korea), take a class picture (for me!), and give small treats/winning team prizes. I'll let you know what we decide to do. Alright, time to get back to work! Bye!