My Classes

I've realized as I look over posts I've written, that I haven't really talked about teaching very much; despite the fact that I spend over 40 hours a week at school. In fact I think I only mentioned it once. Where to start.... First: I'm really enjoying teaching here. Once I got over my original feeling of being overwhelmed I was fine. I feel like now I've really hit my stride.

I've been thinking about my classes a lot because next week is graduation, and my entire schedule will change. My kindergarten class is called 7-2. The kids are seven years old, and this is their second year of English. Starting in March they will go to Korean first grade; that means I will get an entirely new class. Some of them will come back and take classes in the afternoon, but I'm getting ready for everything to change. I'll tell you about my kindergarten class first because I really do love those kids.

In the seven months I've been here some students have come and gone. As it stands now, I have seven students. Four boys: Aden, Eddy, Peter, Sean, and three girls: Sunny, Katie, and Angela. Angela joined my class only a couple months ago, but the others have been their the entire time I've been in Korea. It's impossible to describe all of them, but we definitely are a class of characters. When I got to LCI (my academy) there was another teacher named Liz so on papers, and in everything else I was referred to as "Liz W". At first my kids thought that was really funny, and I didn't understand why until I realized their names are structured differently, and they didn't get what the "W" was about. Korean names are spoken with the last name first. I explained the "W" to them, and since then they have now become: Aden H., Eddy D., Peter P., Sean K., Sunny L., Katie P., and Angela O. I have also been given a variety of nicknames. The best is Liz Baby (I don't know how that happened) and the extended version is Liz Baby Superman Teddy Bear (yes they do really call me that). They even went so far as to name one of our two pet snails Liz Baby (the other was Transformer); at least they have great senses of humor right? I love it.

One of my favorite things we do in class is Song. We start everyday with a song and work on it for two weeks. The best part is that I get to choose the song. In the last couple months we have done: Three Little Birds, Windy, Heal the World, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Hit the Road Jack, Love Train, Do You Remember, Little Saint Nick, and Jingle Bell Rock. Currently we are working on our graduation song and dance. Our song is I'm On My Way by The Proclaimers. They always do a great job with our song whether we're singing the Beatles or Jay Sean.

After Song everyday I teach Themebook, which is their main lesson for the week. This month it is endangered and extinct animals, in the past it has been household items, things to do on the playground, seasons, etc. we cover everything. I also teach two reading books, a writing book, and math. One of my other favorite things we do is Writing Diary. I get really excited about it, and it's been fun watching the kids slowly warm to it since I would get so pumped. What it is, simply, is writing. Each week they have a different topic. Why I get so excited is because all the other books are about circling answers, or connecting dots, or True or False, rarely do the kids have to write their own sentences. It's very rewarding helping them, and watching them have to write on their own. We started Writing Diary in July where my only requirement was that they write at least three sentences. Now they write five or more on their own, I'm a very proud teacher. They've come so far.

Other funner things on the schedule include: Cooking, Art, Science, P.E., Kids Excel, and Project. There's a special room for Cooking, and every week we make something simple from tortilla pizza to kimbop (Korean sushi, no fish). The kids love Cooking. Art is also fun, it's one of my favorite things we do, and every week we have set projects. One week they'll draw, and the next week make something. Sometimes drawing will involve making something with origami to put in the picture which I am always challenged at. That said, I can now make both a persimmon and a penguin with origami paper. The crafts range from ducks, to dolls, to spaceships. I think Art is so much fun because we just chill, put our songs on, sing, create, and have fun.

Science is also a set project. I get a poster with instructions, and we go from there. We've made periscopes, cranes, thermometers, and done magic tricks. In P.E. I get to play whatever games I want with the kids. For Kids Excel they do a Reader Rabbit game on the computer. Project is a new period that started in September. It lasts for six weeks and involves a variety of projects focused on one topic. So far we've done Money, Dads, and currently are doing Graduation. It was a bit of a joke at first but has gotten better. The money one involved the kids bringing in different kinds of money and we even got to go to a grocery store to talk about what things cost. At the end of each Project the kids get a booklet with all the papers they did and pictures of them. The most important part of Project is getting the pictures of the kids working. It's a sad truth but that's the reality of a hagwon. Below I'll post some pictures of the kids during Project because you can see my classroom and me looking like a real teacher :)

After kindergarten I have two elementary classes. My first elementary class consists of kids in their first year of Korean school. They went to kindergarten at LCI and were the top kindergarten class. They are some of the highest level students at the school and are all really smart. I have a lot of fun with them. Like my kindergartners, they know enough English that their personalities really shine through. I can explain difficult words to them and they understand. I love drawing pictures when explaining things to them because they think it's hilarious. Let's just say I'm no artist, but I do get the message across. Some of them recently have been reading the Harry Potter books (in English too) and right now that's all they talk about.

I have that class Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 2:40-4:50. From 5:10-6:50 I have my last class which are three crazy boys. These boys are nine and never went to an English kindergarten but have been studying English for at least two years. They are hilarious. Okay, first I should say that their crazy, but over time we've come to terms with each other. They take a certain kind of patience and a sense of humor. We had our rough patches but we've come to an understanding, and I really like those boys a lot. I wish I could share their little -isms but they would not be done justice typed. Sometimes I just have to shake my head - like when they try to hide from me, or mutter things in Korean; but most of the time I just find them hilarious.

Those are my classes, and I'm really lucky to enjoy them all. Most teachers have at least one class they struggle a lot with, but since the boys and I hit our stride, everything has been good. After graduation there's a chance that my schedule will completely change and I'll be given completely different classes. Time will tell. Until then, I hope I've given a little more insight into my classes here.

Pictures of me teaching Project in kindergarten:

Drawing: I'm sure, one of my infamous pictures. (Dad Project)

Checking their letters to their Dad (Dad Project)

"What can we buy with money?" Action shot in the grocery store. (Money Project)

A good view of the classroom, and what appears to be everyone paying attention. woo hoo! Starting at the back table from left is Sean, Peter, and Aden. At the front table from left to right is Angela, Eddy, Katie, and Sunny.

Valentine's Day and Other Holidays in Korea

Last Tuesday was Valentine's Day. I printed a coloring sheet for my kids so we would have some Valentine's Day related activity. A lot of the kids also brought in candy to share with me and the rest of the class. Behold my Valentine's Day gifts:

Valentine's Day is celebrated here although it's a little different than in the U.S. Typically on Valentine's Day girls will give chocolates to their boyfriends. Then, on White Day (March 14th) the guys give gifts to the girls. My friend told me the gift is usually candy unless the couple is older in which case it would be a purse or something like that. Can you imagine a guy buying you a purse? Anyways, I wasn't surprised that Korea in its couply glory would want to make Valentine's Day mulitple days. I remember being told that technically every 14th of a month is a holiday for couples (although I don't think they're really celebrated). The only exception is April 14th which is a day for singles. 

Celebrating Valentine's Day reminded me of another holiday I had forgotten to share with you: Pepero Day! Pepero is a snack, and maybe you've heard of the Japanese version Poxy. It is a thin biscuit stick covered in chocolate. Sometimes it also has nuts on the outside or there is a version with the chocolate on the inside. We can complain about some holidays in the U.S. being created by greeting card complanies, but Pepero Day really takes the cake as a holiday manufactured by a company. Ready for this? Pepero is November 11th because.... yup, you guessed it: the date 11/11 looks like four sticks of Pepero! Brilliant! This year was ultimate Pepero Day since it was 11/11/11. All the kids in my class brought in Pepero to give to each other and to me. Here are my Pepero gifts:

As you can see, I recieved a variety of Pepero. The boxes in the middle are the "nude" ones (it literally says nude on the box) which have the chocolate on the inside. The bigger Pepero looked kind of like those breadsticks, but dipped in chocolate. My favorite thing by far though, was spotted when I was walking down the street. Outside a shop I saw literally, a baguette that had been dipped in chocolate. The ultimate Pepero! I can't imagine who would eat it but maybe that's not what matters. I'm sure couples gave each other Pepero, and the bigger the Pepero the more love behind it right? I'm just guessing here... :)

Since I'm discussing holidays I should also mention Lunar New Year. A couple posts ago I mentioned what I did that long weekend, but we did have celebrations in school. It was my second opportunity to wear the Korean hanbok. From what I understand, the holiday is mainly about bowing to your parents and grandparents. Of course, I got the kids perspective, and I guess they get gifts/money for bowing during this holiday too. We had some celebrations at school on the sixth floor (our gym/auditorium). The kids all bowed to us which was very cute. Here are some pictures from that day:

My boys :)

Sunny and I (she looks so sweet here, she's usually crazy)

Tug o' war!

Mr. and Mrs. Chung: the Director and his wife (Mrs. Chung is a big part of the school but technically doesn't have a title other than "the Director's wife")

My fellow teachers

February 11th

Yesterday, February 11th, was the one year anniversary of my father passing away. The week leading up was not easy. Last year that final week was both a blessing, and the most difficult time of my life. Going into the 11th I wasn't sure how I would feel. Overall, it was a good day.

At first I didn't know how I wanted to spend the day, but I did know that I wanted to spend the day alone. In the morning I packed my kindle and my guidebook and went to the cafe next to my school to have a waffle and plan my day. It was very relaxing and a good way to start the day. As an added bonus I got talking to the woman seated next to me. She was in her 40s and was working on English homework. She had a question and asked if I could help. We were chatting for a while and now I think I might have another language exchange partner; that or at least someone that can teach me how to cook Korean food!

The cafe by my school

At the cafe I decided I would go to Leeum, the Samsung Museum of Art. I caught the bus to Seoul and was on my way. It was nice traveling alone for once. I felt I needed a quiet day and that's what I had. I got to Leeum just in time to catch the 3:00 tour in English. As luck had it I was the only one there, so I got a personal tour. The tour was an hour and half and she took me through the highlights of the museum.

The museum itself is broken into three parts: Museum 1 - ancient Korean pottery, metal works, and drawings; Museum 2 - Modern art, both Korean and Western; and Museum 3 - a children's learning center. It was great having the tour, especially for Museum 1. Korean pottery looks so simple and is usually one color but it's really complex. Almost everything is inlaid with another clay. The pottery also changed across the dynasties. I learned a lot and definitely have a higher appreciation for their work. Museum 2 was also good. Modern art for me is hit or miss depending on the piece (obviously my personal opinion) but they had a lot of things that I liked.

There were no pictures allowed inside but this is the outside of the museum. The building to the left is Museum 3, the middle round one is Museum 1, and the one to the right is Museum 2.

After the tour finished I went back through both museums again. She had just done the highlights so we breezed past a lot of pieces. It was nice talking my time and inspecting everything. Although dad was never a fan of Art Museums it was a great way to spend the day. People all talked in hushed voices and it was very peaceful. I stopped on my way to the bus home to get a green tea latte (my favorite drink now) and that just completed the feeling that everything was going well.

There was a small hiccup on the way home when I took the wrong bus. I've never done that before here. Luckily I ended up in a place I had heard of before that wasn't too far from where I live. Once I got over my initial panic, I was able to grab a taxi and get myself home. I ended the day with macaroni and cottage cheese which was a dad classic. It was a good day and went exactly the way I needed it to. I can't believe it's already been one year.