If my workload is any indication, things are DEFINITELY back to normal around here. I have been so busy, and I was busy enough with only half of my usual classes for the last couple weeks! It’s stressful because I feel that I don’t have the time to devote to each class’s learning like I should—you know, hours of devoted thinking on how exactly to help them learn and what steps, in what order, would best achieve this. I have hit a streak where I feel my lessons are a bit off and not really teaching them what I intended (if anything), and that’s pretty frustrating. Also, I am thinking lately that I should not have done the alphabet with kindergarteners, and I should have done more phonics with it with the other kids. I am struggling with the levels here, too, and now that we’re done with the alphabet, I’m not really sure where I should head from here. One of my suggestions for Fulbright will be to have a special focus for elementary ETAs on phonics—teaching the alphabet, reading, etc. I mean, it’s not exactly an easy subject for any teacher, let alone for one with no teaching experience in a country that does not have the same writing system. It doesn’t seem fair to subject these innocent kids to my inexperienced mutilation of traditional teaching lessons.
Speaking of which, I have realized lately just how far I have deviated from these book lessons I was supposed to teach. I haven’t heard back on whether the other teachers like it or not, so until I hear otherwise, I’m going to keep doing it. I think a big reason I have so many sixth graders who are absolutely terrible at English was because for the past four years, they have been taught in a way that allows them to completely shut off and just mindlessly listen and repeat. It’s discouraging, but I am definitely interested in seeing how my methods pan out. It takes me much longer to get through units nowadays, especially now that I am teaching the alphabet, too, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Perhaps I just need to consolidate units…I just don’t know. I’m too new at this! I am really pleased with the progress of some of my kids, however. They are always surprising me how much they pick up! I have some classes where the teacher doesn’t really help much, but I actually think that’s better, usually, because then they learn to listen to me and be more patient. My fourth grade class has rapidly ascended the ranks to my favorite class. They are so enthusiastic and with my new classroom management methods, so obedient! Almost every student participates on at least a semi-regular basis and they are learning so much! Sometimes I am afraid I am not giving them enough credit and moving too slowly, especially when I compare how much vocabulary my first and second graders have learned in comparison, but I think it’s more important at this stage to keep it simple and easy, so they don’t become discouraged. It’s in the higher levels, where abilities are so split after years of passive “learning”, that this becomes a problem, because I have kids who could probably write a page or so of English, and those who can barely write their name. This, of course, is combined with a lack of motivation, but the skills are definitely minimal to begin with. It’s hard. I wonder if the kids I teach would be any different…I’d like to think so!
Other than teaching picking up pace, it’s really just been the usual…TKD every night, and then computer stuff, and before I know it, it’s time to go to bed! My SK class last night was good for once—they have me teaching out of this lame book, so I have to do absolutely no work and they seem relieved because this is probably a return to their accustomed learning methods, rather than my haphazard American-style pseudo-teaching. Afterward, I came home to the smell of what I found out was roasted sweet potatoes (gogooma)…yet another food I had heard of but never tried before Korea. They are absolutely delish, by the way, and I highly recommend them. I sat with Oma, Eun Ho, and Ye Eun at the kitchen table, eating and making jokes and in general putting in the family face time I have been missing lately. I don’t know what’s happened, but I feel like I don’t hang out with the fam that much anymore and it’s something I need to make a higher priority. Anyway, they helped me grade papers, too, and made this menial task seem a little bit more exciting.
Today I went to an education museum with some of the teachers after the teachers’ workshop (which was thankfully cut short by our proposed journey). It was kinda lame—I mean, who saves overhead projectors and puts them in “museums”?—but not completely horrible. I wish I’d stayed at school, but I don’t think that would have sent the right message. Afterward, we all went out to dinner in Hongsan with the chairman of the school board, I think. It was a really elaborate 3+ course meal, but there wasn’t that much food for me. I sat down to anju (side dishes) and out of the 15 or more there, I could only eat eggs, dried gogooma, and egg rolls because all the rest were fish! We didn’t even have kimchi! The main meal was slices of raw fish accompanied by more seafood, followed by fish soup (with a floating fish head) and rice. I got my fill of the aforementioned vegetables and corn, but it was all good. After I Bin’s biting comment yesterday that I now have two babies (her and the one in my tummy), I’m not really into overeating at the moment. We women had to sneak out of the restaurant to go home because, I was told, “The party isn’t over yet,” and it was at this time that Kim Eun Soon, the female fourth grade teacher, told me “I will ride you home.” I tried to correct her, but she just repeated this sentence. It was the perfect situation to have someone around to nudge with my elbow and knowingly grin, but alas! No one else understood the joke.
Now, I am sitting at home and enjoying life a bit before grading more papers…it never ends…