A Good Day.

Yes I took a hiatus. And yes I've had a lot going on. And maybe I'll update on it. ^o^ I blame it on Chaz....because he's my husband, and I can.

But for now...I'm going to write a happy post about my happy day because most of my posts about school are depressing and angsty. So basically, if you're into teaching, you may find this interesting. If not....sorry, could be boring! After Spring Break, I came back to school to teach a new school year of English Speaking.

Scratch that.

I came back to school to wait for a week and a half to teach as my schedule wasn't ready. At the beginning of the school year. No schedule. Ah, well, such is teaching in Korea. Now, I've been teaching for the past three weeks with new Level 1 students, and my previous Level 1s and 2s moved up a notch on the hierarchy of the school system. It's been great to come back and see my old students. See how they've changed, matured (or continued in their immature patterns) with their newfound responsibilities as older students. This semester I'm teaching 20 hours (meaning 20 different classes) throughout the week, and I have two different after school classes: one meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other Thursdays and Fridays. 24 teaching hours total. Two less than last semester, which isn't bad at all. I have three new co-teachers, one previous co-teacher, and one Eunah (who I'm actually co-teaching with this semester). I've had much more success with co-teachers this time around already, and I'm looking forward to continually working with and succeeding with them.

Now that logistics are over....to my good day.

Today I had two Level 2 classes, and two classes of Level 1. My Level 2 classes this year (previously Level 1s) I'm convinced are a wonderful class. The class as a whole seems full of smart, nice boys who are good students and possess relatively good English speaking skills (compared to other classes). I began today with the students who stand at the front gate and bow to the teachers, actually bowing to me and greeting me.

~In my school, a group of class leaders must stand at the entrance gate and welcome the teachers each morning. It's hit or miss whether I get a greeting (meaning I'm not seen as an "actual" teacher). I count it a good day when I'm greeted.~

This day I was greeted. Good sign. First period brought me my joy for the day. The class was full of smart, personable Level 2 boys, so I was already gearing up for a good time. Their first lesson in my book is "I Hope I Will Fly Someday." Basically, it's discussing future goals/dreams, and also works on discussing events and feelings. I began class with having students finish the sentence, "When I was a child, I dreamed I would be a ________________." Students then had to draw themselves in that role. They had to think about a silly dream they had as a child and complete the activity. I prefaced it with my childhood dream: to play in the NBA and be the next Michael Jordan. This got many laughs as, clearly, I'm no Michael Jordan. It also helped students get a bit creative with their answers. In Korea, creativity is squelched (not purposely) because they're much more focused on becoming good test-takers than creative, problem-solvers. It's difficult to get students to think outside the box because they'd much rather take notes and memorize as that's what they're used to. My students threw themselves into this activity with a fervor I've not yet seen. When finished, I had some chefs, a world dominator, some scientists, a Superman, and a Power Ranger (to name a few). We definitely had a great range of childhood dreams in the class, and students loved sharing and hearing their classmates dreams. After some book speaking activities, we returned to the beginning activity to bring it to today. Students had to fill in the blank, "When I grow up, I hope I will be a _______________." Being the feel-goody teacher I am, we ended class with discussing how we can work now to achieve our dreams, and, sappily, I wished them success in all they dream to do.

Go ahead, laugh at me. Make fun of me. But this day was one of those rare moments when activities translated and everyone had fun. Success. Little by little.