A quick update on things in my life.
Right now across from me, my Korean co-teacher is cutting her hair with office scissors. I find this to be strange but comforting. I can get away with doing pretty much anything I want here. Korea is so weird. It's like teachers don't really teach.
I finally caught up on most of my work. In spite of a terrible computer fail earlier today, I managed to finish all of my final exam questions, and begin working on my lesson plans for my summer camp. My computer decided to eliminate all of my grade 1 and 2 exam questions, as well as all of the charts and pictures I had to include in the exam. So, I had to recreate everything, re-edit the photos, and re-write the questions. But I finished!
I also FINALLY wrote all of my stupid letters back to my students. They do this thing where they write letters asking for advice from a teacher. I get a lot of letters, because I'm intriguing to students, but they don't actually ask for advice because they don't know enough English. So, instead, they just write these ridiculous letters that basically say: "TEACHER! I LOVE YOU!" and the like. So I write back these equally ridiculous letters like, "wow, thank you very much. I hope you love English class a lot too!" and I decorate them with hello kitty stickers and various gelly roll pen doodles. I sound like i don't like this activity, but really I do. It's an ego boost when I have 10 letters on my desk and the other teacher in my office has three. ^_^
I also finally created a board with outstanding student work. It has stars and gold and drawings by my students right now. It seems to spruce up the room a little.
Also, we finally finished stamps. THANK GOD. I hated giving those stupid stamps with a passion. Now, stamps are over. Or at least until next semester! *^_____________^*
Now I just have to adjust to a totally new schedule that was just changed.
Oh, and for the best news of my entire week. This one student, the evil one who made me cry back in November. The one who seems to intentional try to make every teacher go mad, has reformed. By some miracle or some grace of god, this student today in my class was a perfect angel. We had free study time, so it's not like thre was really much of anything to do. But, still. Previous free studies have been like torture for me, where she just loses control and goes crazy. Today, she spent the entire 45 minutes studying. She even raised her hand and asked me a question. And while her question was in Korean, and I had trouble explaining, she sat and listened until she understood. And then she went back to studying. I've never felt such sheer unadulterated joy in my life. And so after, to reward the 5 or 6 students who were really good, including reformed demon student, I had them stay a minute late and I gave them Chupa Chups lollipops. The one student, when I said she could have one, looked at me with a look that could only be described as utter shock and awe, and said, "Teacher, ME?!" and when I said yes, she said, "Oh teacher, really very very thank you! I love you! Thank you!" I think that she and I have been growing on each other. I have to give her lots of attention, but that's okay. If I praise her (even verbally, not just with candy/bribes), she seems to perform much better. So everyday, I look for some way to say something positive to her, in hopes that she will continue to behave well. Then, at lunch, she and her friend came back to my office to talk to me, and reformed demon student MADE ME COFFEE. omg. I can hardly handle it.
So yeah. That's my life these days!
xoxo
A
Showing posts with label classroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Friday, September 11, 2009
My school
As promised, this post will contain a discussion (and PICTURES) of my school. Apartment pics coming sooooooon.
Anyways, so my school is called ShinHeung Girls' Middle School. It is a five minute walk from my apartment, which is very convenient. The Girls' middle school is located immediately next to a Boys' middle school by the same name (replace Girls' with Boys' and there we are). There is also an elementary school behind the middle school. The students wear uniforms at the middle school but not at the elementary school. My schools uniforms are not pretty. They aren't terrible, but they fit the girls SO poorly. The skirts are blue red and green plaid (navy background) and are below the knee and pleated. The blouses are a hideous pink (with navy blue, forest green and garnet? wtf?) and the shirts are always clearly too small for the girls. I can't tell if it's just because the uniforms are a half year old (they started in March) and the girls have just grown, or if they have always been that small. In the chest area, some of the girls can't even button all the buttons. Plus, they are entirely too short. They all have to wear tank tops underneath for modesty's sake.
My school is 4 floors, with the main office on the first, grade 1s and the teachers office/principals office are on the second floor, grade 3s are on the 3rd floor, and grade 2s are on the 4th floor. The Science lab is on the first floor, and the English lab is on the 3 floor along with the grade 3s. I basically have a whole wing of the school entirely dedicated to me, which is SWEET. I see ~575 students each week (every single once/week) which is simply not enough. To make matters worse, I don't know anyone's name, and all my students names are moderately similar (Imagine: one class, 8 students last name Kim, two Kim Yoonas, a Kim Yooni, a Kim Yang-gi, etc-- they put family names at the beginning).
My students are pretty much your standard 13 year olds on methamphetamines. By this I mean they simultaneously don't give a shit about anything in life (13 y.o.) but still manage to be the most talkative, giggly, screamy set of girls you'd ever meet. My days consist largely of students yelling, "HELLLOOOOOOOO TEACHA!" or "Hiiiiieeeeeee teacha!" Throw in a couple "nice to meet you"'s (this is what they say when they see you outside of school as well, which is humorous) and a "I'm fine thank you, and you?" or two. The talkative part is usually a good thing because they are more willing to participate in the class. Unfortunately sometimes it is difficult to get them to chill out for 10 seconds to listen to the rules of a game or conclude a class. CRAZY.
My students are great though. Really. They have taught me how to create a cyworld account (still impossibly difficult to operate because it is all in Korean, and without any obvious buttons, which makes it extra hard), talked to me about Chaebom from 2pm (so sad he is leaving Korea T.T), taught me the yeong kae baek su dance (chicken dance, ahahaha) and the nangmyeun dance (cold noodles dance), while still managing to sort of learn some English. I love having them around all the time. Most people I talk to who are teaching abroad seem to feel like they always want a reprieve from the student's attention, but I love having them around. It means they are interested and that every opportunity is teaching. My students have already asked me about essay competitions and for help with other English things.
My classroom is huge and gorgeous. It consists of three parts: 1. a large, colorful, high-tech classroom (see the huge, touch screen t.v.
connected to the computer and a ridiculous microphone system (which I don't use...) The window shades have images of various world landmarks (some in the English speaking world, others not) including the statue of liberty, the Colosseum, and Tower Bridge in London (mistakenly identified on the window shade not as London Bridge, but as BIG BEN, which is a bit hilarious). There is a big world map and special Allison-made (and partially store-bought) decorations on the bulletin board. To the left of the calendar bulletin (yes that is a giraffe chillin on top of the month, there is a scene of summer with a cutout of a girl saying, "I love learning English!" 2. a listening center with 7 computers, a dozen and a half dvds, more cds and a study area. This area is not frequently used, and so I leave
the lights off and the a/c off over there almost always. Occasionally during lunch a girl or two will go online over there. If you look closely at the wall, over the computers, there is a picture of 
Harvard University (diane!) as well as Columbia (to the right) and Yale (which you can't see). These schools are the dreams of Korean girls. 3. my office/movie screening area/reading area. haha, this area is really a hybrid. This is where my main desk is, as well as a second and third computer strictly for my use, another huge screen t.v. (for watching English movies at lunchtime), a couple hundred English books, tables, and about 2 dozen American games (Apples to Apples, Boggle, Scrabble, etc). My 
main desk, as you can see, appears to be a receptionist's desk for a real-estate agency of some sort. You can't tell, but there is even blue mood lighting for the background. Very cool. I also have my very own laminator, which is pretty much the greatest thing ever made. I laminate lots of stuff 
these days. everything, it seems, is ripe to be laminated. Currently, during lunch, we are watching the Princess Diaries (omg, Sarah, Amy, Ali-- I totally confessed my school girl crush on Michael to the students who thought it was ridiculous [I think they all prefer Erik VonDetton] ahahahah). Sometimes girls play Guess Who (which they seem to like a lot) but only in Korean. Forget asking questions in English.
Anyways, so like I said, during lunch students often come in and hang out, and sometimes some students come in after school too (particularly Scarlet and Audrey, my FAVORITES). During that, they do all sorts of things but for the last two weeks usually there are about 3-7 girls crowded around my desk gossiping with me about who the cutest member of 2pm, big bang, ShinEE, etc is, or helping me set up an account on cyworld (Korean facebook).
I LOVE IT HERE. Seriously. I haven't the slightest bit of homesickness (yet). Knock on wood. Everything here is great. Ask me again in a month or so. We'll see how I feel then.
p.s. I went to a doughnut shop today called Doughnut Plant New York City. SO DELICIOUS. A bit pricy, but the doughnuts are huge and I had an espresso one, and they are so COOOOOOL. srsly. Come visit, and we will enjoy Korean doughnuts.
Up next: a discussion of my apartment, the subways (and the people who ride them), SHOPPING, and more about my students and co-teachers (who are the greatest people in Korea).
xoxo,
A
Anyways, so my school is called ShinHeung Girls' Middle School. It is a five minute walk from my apartment, which is very convenient. The Girls' middle school is located immediately next to a Boys' middle school by the same name (replace Girls' with Boys' and there we are). There is also an elementary school behind the middle school. The students wear uniforms at the middle school but not at the elementary school. My schools uniforms are not pretty. They aren't terrible, but they fit the girls SO poorly. The skirts are blue red and green plaid (navy background) and are below the knee and pleated. The blouses are a hideous pink (with navy blue, forest green and garnet? wtf?) and the shirts are always clearly too small for the girls. I can't tell if it's just because the uniforms are a half year old (they started in March) and the girls have just grown, or if they have always been that small. In the chest area, some of the girls can't even button all the buttons. Plus, they are entirely too short. They all have to wear tank tops underneath for modesty's sake.
My school is 4 floors, with the main office on the first, grade 1s and the teachers office/principals office are on the second floor, grade 3s are on the 3rd floor, and grade 2s are on the 4th floor. The Science lab is on the first floor, and the English lab is on the 3 floor along with the grade 3s. I basically have a whole wing of the school entirely dedicated to me, which is SWEET. I see ~575 students each week (every single once/week) which is simply not enough. To make matters worse, I don't know anyone's name, and all my students names are moderately similar (Imagine: one class, 8 students last name Kim, two Kim Yoonas, a Kim Yooni, a Kim Yang-gi, etc-- they put family names at the beginning).
My students are pretty much your standard 13 year olds on methamphetamines. By this I mean they simultaneously don't give a shit about anything in life (13 y.o.) but still manage to be the most talkative, giggly, screamy set of girls you'd ever meet. My days consist largely of students yelling, "HELLLOOOOOOOO TEACHA!" or "Hiiiiieeeeeee teacha!" Throw in a couple "nice to meet you"'s (this is what they say when they see you outside of school as well, which is humorous) and a "I'm fine thank you, and you?" or two. The talkative part is usually a good thing because they are more willing to participate in the class. Unfortunately sometimes it is difficult to get them to chill out for 10 seconds to listen to the rules of a game or conclude a class. CRAZY.
My students are great though. Really. They have taught me how to create a cyworld account (still impossibly difficult to operate because it is all in Korean, and without any obvious buttons, which makes it extra hard), talked to me about Chaebom from 2pm (so sad he is leaving Korea T.T), taught me the yeong kae baek su dance (chicken dance, ahahaha) and the nangmyeun dance (cold noodles dance), while still managing to sort of learn some English. I love having them around all the time. Most people I talk to who are teaching abroad seem to feel like they always want a reprieve from the student's attention, but I love having them around. It means they are interested and that every opportunity is teaching. My students have already asked me about essay competitions and for help with other English things.
My classroom is huge and gorgeous. It consists of three parts: 1. a large, colorful, high-tech classroom (see the huge, touch screen t.v.
connected to the computer and a ridiculous microphone system (which I don't use...) The window shades have images of various world landmarks (some in the English speaking world, others not) including the statue of liberty, the Colosseum, and Tower Bridge in London (mistakenly identified on the window shade not as London Bridge, but as BIG BEN, which is a bit hilarious). There is a big world map and special Allison-made (and partially store-bought) decorations on the bulletin board. To the left of the calendar bulletin (yes that is a giraffe chillin on top of the month, there is a scene of summer with a cutout of a girl saying, "I love learning English!" 2. a listening center with 7 computers, a dozen and a half dvds, more cds and a study area. This area is not frequently used, and so I leave
the lights off and the a/c off over there almost always. Occasionally during lunch a girl or two will go online over there. If you look closely at the wall, over the computers, there is a picture of 
Harvard University (diane!) as well as Columbia (to the right) and Yale (which you can't see). These schools are the dreams of Korean girls. 3. my office/movie screening area/reading area. haha, this area is really a hybrid. This is where my main desk is, as well as a second and third computer strictly for my use, another huge screen t.v. (for watching English movies at lunchtime), a couple hundred English books, tables, and about 2 dozen American games (Apples to Apples, Boggle, Scrabble, etc). My 
main desk, as you can see, appears to be a receptionist's desk for a real-estate agency of some sort. You can't tell, but there is even blue mood lighting for the background. Very cool. I also have my very own laminator, which is pretty much the greatest thing ever made. I laminate lots of stuff 
these days. everything, it seems, is ripe to be laminated. Currently, during lunch, we are watching the Princess Diaries (omg, Sarah, Amy, Ali-- I totally confessed my school girl crush on Michael to the students who thought it was ridiculous [I think they all prefer Erik VonDetton] ahahahah). Sometimes girls play Guess Who (which they seem to like a lot) but only in Korean. Forget asking questions in English.Anyways, so like I said, during lunch students often come in and hang out, and sometimes some students come in after school too (particularly Scarlet and Audrey, my FAVORITES). During that, they do all sorts of things but for the last two weeks usually there are about 3-7 girls crowded around my desk gossiping with me about who the cutest member of 2pm, big bang, ShinEE, etc is, or helping me set up an account on cyworld (Korean facebook).
I LOVE IT HERE. Seriously. I haven't the slightest bit of homesickness (yet). Knock on wood. Everything here is great. Ask me again in a month or so. We'll see how I feel then.
p.s. I went to a doughnut shop today called Doughnut Plant New York City. SO DELICIOUS. A bit pricy, but the doughnuts are huge and I had an espresso one, and they are so COOOOOOL. srsly. Come visit, and we will enjoy Korean doughnuts.
Up next: a discussion of my apartment, the subways (and the people who ride them), SHOPPING, and more about my students and co-teachers (who are the greatest people in Korea).
xoxo,
A
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