Dear Buheung High School:
I’ve survived my first month of the new
school year with you! It may seem odd to westerners how the students enter a
new grade at the beginning of March, instead of September, but I suppose it
does make a lot of sense since 2013 is still fresh and February was the Lunar
New Year.
Walking into you (*the school – haha this
letter-writing perspective can make for a bizarre read*) that first week back
and seeing all the new first year high schoolers (like grade 10s in Canada) gasping
in awe and excitedly running up to me to say hello to the “waygook” teacher is
nothing short of amusing. I felt like a celebrity all over again. Want to feel
beautiful? Want a pick-me up? I walk through your halls and will receive
everything from low bows, to cheerful waves and grins, gifts of Korean candies
and endless compliments about how beautiful my hair, skin, eyes and even nose
are! One boy bowed so low the other day that he almost fell over. And one other
boy came right up to my face, his eyes staring deep into mine and used what
little English he knows… “Woowww, Teacher, beautiful eyes”.
Despite having been here for 6 months
(halfway mark in Korea!!) at the beginning of this new school year and having
already become comfortable at my school, there have been many changes that have
made 2013 new and exciting. I’m now teaching an Extensive Reading class for
second years. I was skeptical at first about it (why have a native English teacher
teach reading, not speaking, when a Korean teacher can do it well?), then
excited (about the opportunity of making changes in the reading material to
include things other than boring and tedious graded readers), then brought back
down again when the realities of the Korean testing system made me realize it
may be impossible for me to do everything I want to do in this class… It has
been an interesting journey and learning curve. Needless to say, I am enjoying
it more than I expected and many of the students, especially the girls’
classes, have impressed me. But, ah, the other teachers assure me nervously
that “their English is very low… lower than in other high schools… what do you
think?” I think they need to read
authentic English. I think they need to be exposed to English that will
actually make them interested in English. I think they need to enjoy it. How
else will they even want to put any effort in? I showed them a variety of
places they can find and read English: some blogs, social-networking sites, funny
English signs, ads, menus and t-shirts, horoscopes, newspapers, personal/love
ads, song lyrics, gamebooks, comics, magazines… the list goes on! And I
definitely succeeded in hooking a lot of them! Then of course I hear the bomb AFTER
being told I can use these other “authentic” and “fun” materials. The graded
readers are easier (in terms of vocabulary), easier for assessment and seem to
be of a more “elite” status in preparing them for the notorious Korean exams. I
may be slightly bitter about it, but I’m determined to find a way to slip some
of this into the curriculum whenever possible. Rawwr! I shall!
In addition to this change, I’ve also been
teaching 2 after-school first-year Conversation & Culture classes. These
kids make me excited to teach them. Their personalities, participation and enthusiasm,
despite being a low level in English make me want to try hard for them. My
Conversation & Culture classes with the second years are much different. I
know all the students already, so we’ve already got a connection going and they
understand how I teach. This year they are making country teams/groups and even
more than ever, I’m infusing culture and global education into my curriculum. No textbook for my class – no problem! I
think I actually prefer creating everything from scratch and challenging myself
to meet their needs, what I think they should learn and what they want to
learn. There are always challenges with the apathetic students, the sleepers and
the talkers in these classes (I’ll post you a letter about this later), but I
feel like they’ve improved immensely since last year. Or maybe I’m also
improving too? :p I’d like to hope so! My student mentoring classes are also
very rewarding. These students are more advanced in English compared to the
rest of their grade and they’ve been picked by their homeroom teachers to join
my class for an extra challenge and to cater to them more. I have the 15 of us sit in a circle around some
desks and we have an intimate, comfortable space. I find these classes allow me
to experiment with my teaching methods and activities and have made me realize
what I wish education in schools would become. This new school year has been
busier, but somehow I also feel happier. I feel more invested and more
connected to you and your students. They’ve become MY students too.
What makes teaching
here at your school so interesting is the variety of classes that I teach. I
get to teach adults too: Two English Teachers’
classes, a Non-English Teachers’ class and a Parents’
class. In this latter one, there were 8 moms that came to this week’s
class and all are at different levels (which makes it difficult), but we have a
nice, comfortable conversation class and laugh a lot! Each week, one person
brings a snack for everyone and I provide the tea/coffee!
I’ve wanted to post about my teaching
experiences for quite some time now. I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg,
so to speak. I’ve learned a lot about the Korean education system from being
with you, Buheung. And there’s still a lot I have yet to learn. I’ll “mail” you
some more letters soon.
TGIF!
Signing off,
~Leana
