Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

You get lots of people talking about non-enlightening things they hear. I smiled when one of my kids said a certain word in Korean to me. I can't remember how to pronounce it. They said "Teacher, you are ingun".
I asked "What does that mean?". I have a great rapport with that class.
I also was very generous with them that day, told them to go to the water fountain, asked who need to go the washroom. I am not sure that's why.
And they said, "We're human, and you're human".

It had nothing to do with me teasing them ages ago when we were studying "Jungle Book" and the words repeated in the book, "We are of the same blood you and I".

Frankly, I think I have very open-minded students and many weren't happy when I was going to take days off and have a substitute come in, so I could relax. They didn't want the change.

I know some folks think it's a bad thing to give snacks to the students. I don't do it all the time. Last week, I gave a couple of classes some chocolate that's from Kazakhstan and Russia. I figured it would be an exposure to something new, in terms of taste and culture. My co-worker loved the chocolate, too. The kids wanted more. It sure was good!

[Yesterday]

congratulations!! from reading your post - I am really not sure - what we are supposed to say??

but congratlations for a new waste of space of Daves - just to slow the site down more - you did the trick!

[I'm no Picasso]

I'm doing the movie thing this week, at the suggestion of my co-teachers, after finals, and the last few days have produced some really nice downtime with my students as a result. The co-teachers leave the room to go do whatever, and a few students from each class who are normally not so vocal in class or between in the halls, have moved back to the table I'm at and struck up the most endearing conversations. Mostly just small personal questions, one of the most common being, "Teacher happy in Korea?"

They've come to be very comfortable with me over the course of the last nine months. I work at a school in a mostly poor neighborhood with boys who have very low level English and little to no exposure to foreigners. It was rough going at first, but I really feel like a part of the 'family' at my school now. That is due almost entirely to the kindness and openness of my students. These days, they are helping me study Korean, practicing my dialogues for class with me over and over again until I can pronounce them perfectly. They're good boys. I'm going to genuinely miss nearly every one of them when they go on to high school.

Overall, my experience living and working in Korea would be a whole lot lonelier and less fulfilling without my students.

[I'm no Picasso]

[Adventurer]

[fermentation]

It's sad, because after highschool they'll be robots.

A few years back when I was teaching English, I brought kit-kats and Twix bars to class to show them American candy. Only to realize they have them here, or at least, have Korean imitations of them.

[oldfatfarang]

Out of the mouth of babes:
Yesterday, a first year middle school girl asked me:
"Are you leaving this school?"
Me: Yes.
"Why are you leaving?"
Me: No reply.
"You changed. You old now!"

Thanks dear. Just what I need to hear right now.

[Whitey Otez]

[AgDragon01]

[I'm no Picasso]

[Emeliu]

I once tutored a Korean girl who was doing 8AM to 1AM every day, I had to tutor her from 12 to 1 (in the states). They're robots when they're young too.

[Whitey Otez]

[I'm no Picasso]