To teach, or not to teach

It has occurred to me that although I have been telling a great deal about my time in Korea, I have yet to mention very much about what it is I am doing here. As I approach the end of my first month of teaching, I feel that I have gained more confidence since I started and a better understanding of the students here.

Generally speaking, my day starts at about 1:00 pm when I leave my house to bike to school. It isn't a very far bike ride and usually only takes me a few minutes to get there. I make sure to have all my class materials with me and do my board work before I start my first class.

I usually teach anywhere between two and ten students and each class usually runs about 50 minutes. My classroom isn't very big, but it works well enough for me.



Just opposite of my classroom is the lunch room, so its not very far for me to go for a coffee or a snack...probably one of the reasons I chose this classroom to begin with. The school itself takes up the entire second floor of the building and there is about eight classrooms. There is also a computer room where kids can go to do the computer component of their English work. Adjacent to this is the lobby and the main office, where our director Tom can usually be found.



Classes run from 1:40 to 6:45 pm, but I don't necessarily teach the full day. Every teacher usually gets one break period, sometimes two, but it is always different and depends on the day. For example, today I had a break period from 2:35 to 3:20 pm, but I also didn't have a scheduled class for the last period, 6:00 to 6:45 pm. So I only had to teach for about 3 hours and 20 minutes.

My students so far haven't been too bad, some better than others, but I'm beginning to know their faces and how to deal with situations when they arise...which is always bound to happen with a classroom full of kids.

The schedule I have right now is good, but since they change every month, I'll likely end up with something completely different next week. The only thing that will probably stay the same will be my students and of course my classroom...which I might add, also has a very nice view of the World Cup Stadium and surrounding area.



Yesterday was our first time for a meeting together to discuss the new schedule, so we decided to go out to a restaurant for a meal and some drinks. We were following one of the teachers, who is from Seogwipo, however, we were lead astray and got lost in the back roads of downtown Seogwipo.



After going down a few one-way streets, we eventually found our lost companion and the restaurant. It was an interesting experience, as we were lead into our own room with a table setup for us...and of course, like in Japan and many other Asian countries, the tables are only about a foot off the ground.



The meal was ribs...and they were absolutely fantastic. They are served a bit different from the way they are back home. There is a grill in the middle of table, which accommodates about four people per grill. You are given a plate with the ribs to cook yourself and there is an abundance of fixings to go with them, including: crab meat, a sesame oil/salt dipping, some sort of raw/rotten fish dipping (which I didn't try), a hot red bean paste, some crisp radish, a bowl of hot and sour salad (used as a topping on the ribs), some hot chili peppers, and a basket of fresh lettuce leaves.

The lettuce leaves are used much like taco or pita wraps. You place a few pieces of pork on the leaf, add some red bean paste, some hot and sour salad, and then fold it up and pop it in your mouth. It tastes just great.

Later we had some other noodles served to us in a giant salad bowl with ice. There is a spicy sauce on it and you mix it up with the pork and ice making a refreshingly cool yet hot noodle dish. Served with some Soju and beer its a perfect meal. Tom, my boss, is the guy giving the peace sign at the end of this clip.



After the meal we sat and discussed the new schedule for an hour or two. I didn't have much input, being the new teacher on staff, and spent most of the time talking with the secretary about her previous jobs and trip to China.

While I was sitting there, it reminded me of something that the other native English teacher, Paul, had told me...that we're not really here to teach the kids, but to play games with them while practicing their English skills.

It made me think that we're probably considered glorified babysitters by most, and that offended me. As much as it is our job to help the kids with their English skills, most consider that they learn more in the Korean-English classrooms, and I agree...but here's the thing, and I was speaking with my fellow teachers about this, there is a big difference from a student having perfect grammar skills and having the ability to even hold a simple English conversation.

It seems to be a big problem with most students. At a university level, Korean students will have superb English grammar skills, since its required for their entry exams, however, most will not be able to speak English.

My fellow teacher, Brian, who studied in Kentucky for several years, gave me a very good example...one day he saw someone running wearing a tee-shirt with the South Korean flag on it. He stopped him and asked him about it, and found out that the guy had taught in South Korea for several years. Brian was amazed at how well he spoke Korean and was surprised to find that it only took him about three years to reach almost perfect Korean proficiency. He asked him, "If I study English for three years, do you think that I will be able to speak as well as you speak Korean?" And he bluntly replied no.

As hard it may seem to learn Korean, and many other languages for that matter, English still remains one of the most difficult languages for anyone to learn. Its not impossible, but it certainly takes a lot of effort and time to learn. So even if my students aren't learning as much grammatically from me, I hope that I can help them to improve their speaking skills. Even the smallest amount will benefit them and make me feel like I have done something here.