Korean Job Discussion Forums

[huffdaddy]

I enjoy it when my students do something to prove they've been learning. Today, on the way home from our field trip to the park, my director (who speaks quite good English, but makes some common Korean mistakes) told us to look at the "cherry blossom." One of my precocious little kindy boys said, "No, cherry blossoms." It made my day.

On the other hand, he tries to "correct" my English in class all of the time. At least something is getting through to him.

[oneofthesarahs]

I was playing Scattegories with one of my classes today, and the category was "Something you put on your head." One of my students wrote "elephant fur hat." I told him that elephants don't have fur, definitely not enough to make a hat out of. We then had a relatively heated argument (he was arguing that elephants are mammals, therefore, the have hair, and with enough elephants surely you could make a hat). Normally with my classes I choose my words carefully to make sure that they can understand me, but halfway through the argument I realized that I was arguing with him in the same way that I would talk to any native English speaker, and he was matching me beat for beat. I was so impressed that I conceded and let him have a point for his answer.

[richardlang]

I will one day get to the point where I don't have to remind my high school students to insert indefinite and definite articles. Then again, I teach the entire school, seeing each student once a week for fifty minutes. I don't know why they aren't learning grammar in their other English and Literature classes, both of which they attend every day.

But I understand their troubles are true ones. Their day-to-day troubles are far greater than anything I could've conceived before I arrived here.

My students are so burnt out, I truly feel sad for them. They wake up each day around 6:30am, get to school at 7:30am for homeroom, have class until 10:30pm, ride the bus home and, finally, arrive sometime after 11:00pm. Many students attend private academies after they leave the school's mandatory "self-study," which, again, lasts until 10:30pm. I've been told "self-study" after school is, principally, not mandatory, but I don't know of more than four students, all of whom study art (and so get to go home early), who actually go home at 4pm when I do.

I apologize for my reply. I am proud of my students, I really am. That they make it to school, and are generally cheerful in my class, and don't shoot or hang themselves before or after school, makes me proud of their perseverance.

When they ask me about going to school in America, I want to tell them I didn't go to "school" as they know it. I mean this in the same way that Pentecostals are said to really "have church" in ways Methodists or Baptists could never fathom.

I haven't posted much on this board. Did I just thread-crap? I'm genuinely proud of my students, and I've given justifications for such sense of pride.

[Alyallen]

I had a class today. Basically it's remedial 5th and 6th graders. Not great at English but come to the class ready and willing to learn. I decided to teach them the song Ob La Di by the Beatles. I used the karafun program to make it karaoke style with scrolling text as they sang (they also had the lyrics on a sheet of paper). I taught them the song Monday and yesterday they were able to sing the song on the fastest tempo, the slowest tempo and pretty much everything in between. I was so STUNNED. I just gave them high fives and told them I was proud. Smiles all around the room...I knew they were feeling really proud!

[Ya-ta Boy]

Our students are reshuffled every 6 weeks or so. I started here just before the last reshuffling and got a student who really wasn't up to the level of the others in class, either in speaking or writing.

On Monday he gave me a story about falling in love while serving in Iraq that he'd written over the weekend. It's exceptionally well-written (and touching). He got the courage to write it because he went from the bottom of the pile on their bi-weekly essay tests to the top last week. He got one of the 4 A's we're allowed to give. He has been busting his buttons with pride since I handed back their papers.

I'm really proud of him. He not only improved, he improved more than the other students who have also been improving. Come-from-behind victories are always inspiring.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Watching my students completely out-class the competition to take first prize at the school district speech competiton - I've never had a prouder moment as a teacher, looking around at all the other teachers coming to the conclusion that they're likely shooting for second place after my students had finished. Way to go Miru and Mingyeong!

[ilovebdt]

I am proud when my students actually try to conduct a conversation with me in English outside of the classroom and when they get my silly jokes.

ilovebdt