Let me show you
I've managed to avoid the "demonstration" classes until today.
nb. a demonstration class is usually little more than a teacher teaching kids having put 500% more effort than normal into the preparation and planning, as anywhere between 10 and 50 "observers" will be present (or, in the room). and the added bonus of anywhere between 2 and 10 "practice classes" (so the kids know the subject and don't need the class by the time the demonstration comes along, but hey, it helps, so let's all move on).
mine today was not the usual. i was to teach a subject OTHER than English, using English for the Korean kids. Immersion program. okay, 500% more planning and preparation, but no chance for a practice class, and also, a different school. the kids didn't know me, or my style, or, "style".
Ms Gang, my co-teacher, and i prepped a great group of kids on the water cycle, and after an hour teaching kids words such as cycle, heat, cool, rise, fall, evaporation (they actually understood that too!), i was seriously apprehensive about moving onto the water cycle class proper. then, as the bell rang, 30 ppl shuffled into the back of the class (some were watching in through open windows) and i started, only to stop, being told the school actually started at a 2nd bell 5 mins after the first. GREAT START!
40 odd minutes of theatre sports later (props, worlds worst, party quirks, everything short of scenes from a hat), the kids all had a rough idea that the sun heats oceans, warm air rises, cools, becomes cloud, rains, or something to that effect.
i'd used a flashlight shining sunlight on my forehead (which explained my sunburn, which the kids were unfamiliar with - they thought i'd been drinking soju), a globe, which the kids could play with for hours, and a plastic bag slowly getting filled by bottles of water (and the poor boy who was holding the bag having to carry them around the room as it got heavier and heavier - mwahahaha, i love my job). only, i'd used the bare minimum of English. the kids didn't learn condense, precipitation etc, that is normal to learn, and SHOULD be in an immersion program, surely.
i had to go to a meeting afterwards, discussing the feasibility of an immersion program, which Emperor Lee Myeong Bak has already filed in the not-gonna-happen-for-some-time basket. having walked out of the toughest class i've taught since my first kindergarten class, i had to give an assessment. it went along the lines of, for the kids normally bored by the ease of school English, they seemed to love it, and for the kids who barely know their abc's, they were most likely more frustrated than they normally are. a practical class that i tried to present as a puzzle to solve. give the kids the pieces, then they can put it together...
on the whole, i enjoyed it, but i'd never get involved in an immersion program in Korea, unless they double my salary. so much work, and so difficult, and also, so pointless for many kids - attack them when they're young.
anyways, i have 5 work days to go!! Dee and i are traveling in a very short time!! wahoo! i keep looking at my backpack and wanting to fill it - to practice now or not (i usually begin packing 4 hours before i leave).
nb. a demonstration class is usually little more than a teacher teaching kids having put 500% more effort than normal into the preparation and planning, as anywhere between 10 and 50 "observers" will be present (or, in the room). and the added bonus of anywhere between 2 and 10 "practice classes" (so the kids know the subject and don't need the class by the time the demonstration comes along, but hey, it helps, so let's all move on).
mine today was not the usual. i was to teach a subject OTHER than English, using English for the Korean kids. Immersion program. okay, 500% more planning and preparation, but no chance for a practice class, and also, a different school. the kids didn't know me, or my style, or, "style".
Ms Gang, my co-teacher, and i prepped a great group of kids on the water cycle, and after an hour teaching kids words such as cycle, heat, cool, rise, fall, evaporation (they actually understood that too!), i was seriously apprehensive about moving onto the water cycle class proper. then, as the bell rang, 30 ppl shuffled into the back of the class (some were watching in through open windows) and i started, only to stop, being told the school actually started at a 2nd bell 5 mins after the first. GREAT START!
40 odd minutes of theatre sports later (props, worlds worst, party quirks, everything short of scenes from a hat), the kids all had a rough idea that the sun heats oceans, warm air rises, cools, becomes cloud, rains, or something to that effect.
i'd used a flashlight shining sunlight on my forehead (which explained my sunburn, which the kids were unfamiliar with - they thought i'd been drinking soju), a globe, which the kids could play with for hours, and a plastic bag slowly getting filled by bottles of water (and the poor boy who was holding the bag having to carry them around the room as it got heavier and heavier - mwahahaha, i love my job). only, i'd used the bare minimum of English. the kids didn't learn condense, precipitation etc, that is normal to learn, and SHOULD be in an immersion program, surely.
i had to go to a meeting afterwards, discussing the feasibility of an immersion program, which Emperor Lee Myeong Bak has already filed in the not-gonna-happen-for-some-time basket. having walked out of the toughest class i've taught since my first kindergarten class, i had to give an assessment. it went along the lines of, for the kids normally bored by the ease of school English, they seemed to love it, and for the kids who barely know their abc's, they were most likely more frustrated than they normally are. a practical class that i tried to present as a puzzle to solve. give the kids the pieces, then they can put it together...
on the whole, i enjoyed it, but i'd never get involved in an immersion program in Korea, unless they double my salary. so much work, and so difficult, and also, so pointless for many kids - attack them when they're young.
anyways, i have 5 work days to go!! Dee and i are traveling in a very short time!! wahoo! i keep looking at my backpack and wanting to fill it - to practice now or not (i usually begin packing 4 hours before i leave).
posted by the Emperor Fabulous at 5:52 AM
1 Comments:
Hey there,
seems like you got one kick-ass trip ahead of you. I kinda envy that freedom and guts to just pack up and leave yet I wouldn't want to take your place. The last year I felt tuck - people, job, city, everything was horrible and getting up in the morning got harder every day.
But things change, got a new project, a cool team and live in a great city with people more friendly than I could imagine and found myself a sweet apartment. Life can be quite surprising at times. ....and here I lost the thread again. My point is that I realised that I can be anywhere I want, a small village or a giant city, as long as there are people that understand me and that I feel comfortable being with, life is great.
That said, I wish you a great trip and that you'll meet familiar souls that make this journey unforgetable. And if you happen to visit Germany or France you could tell me some of your stories life :-)
Take care
Katrin
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