Student Teaching is over...



Well my last week of student teaching is now over. During my last week I was placed in a 6th grade classroom. At first glance I was very surprised with the classroom itself. Included in the classroom library were English books. They were very simple books, mainly by Eric Carle, but I was happy to see them none-the-less. There were also English projects displayed within the classroom, an English daily schedule, and student made signs in English for objects around the room. I was told that the teacher has a great passion for learning the English language and even teaches his class English once a week in addition to their normal English classes. Even when I spoke English to the 6-4 classroom teacher, I noticed I was speaking at a rather normal pace. It was almost refreshing.

Throughout my week in the 6th grade, I observed many classes and was able to teach math to the students. They were studying how to find volume of cylinders, squares, etc. I was worried at first because I did not know if the students would know the proper vocabulary. My thoughts were that if they did not know the correct English vocabulary it would take at least one lesson just to teach them. When I observed a math lesson I was pleasantly surprised. The teacher makes an effort to teach them the English math terms as well as the Korean math terms. Therefore, the students already had the prior knowledge of what volume, cylinder, altitude, area of base, formula, pi, etc. meant. This made teaching math lessons so much easier! One of my lessons was about how a cylinder divided up into equal sections can be taken apart and transformed into a rectangle. Then, I gave the students the task of making a cylinder that can be taken apart and made into a rectangle. I had an example that I made before the class started. I showed them how my cylinder was able to transform and more or less just let the kids explore in their groups of 4. The students loved this project and they ended up with great results. The overall purpose of this lesson was to show them that the volume of the cylinder and the transformed rectangle are the same. They tested and proved this to be true by finding the area of their cylinder and rectangle. My other lesson was about doubling cylinders and finding the volume of the original cylinder and the doubled one. The students were learning how many times bigger the double cylinder is compared to the original cylinder (hint.. the double cylinder is always 8 times bigger :D ). The activity for this lesson was to have a pair of students cut a cylinder out of one piece of paper. They had to use their prior knowledge to figure out the circumference of the circle and the radius (hint.. radius x pi = circumference). In this situation, the students already knew the circumference and pi so they used this equation to figure out the radius. If they did not use this information their cylinder usually did not fit together correctly. There was lots of trial and error but overall the students learned how to correct their mistakes. Then, they were required to find the volume of their cylinder, the double of their cylinder, and how many times bigger it ended up being. The teacher of the 6th grade classroom told me that all the students loved my activities and they wanted him to start teaching math like I did. It was definitely a confidence booster for me :)



The cylinder divided into sections

The cylinder taken apart

My example for the class

 

Friday rolled around and it was finally time for me to say goodbye. It was a sad last day :( My CT, Jeong-a, gave me a really nice watch, traditional Korean candy and cookies, magnets and pins as a gift. I loved all of it! My other CT, Joy, gave me letters from all of my English students, face moisturizer spray that I am obsessed with, and eye patches. I do not know if the last part of the gift means I have dark circles under my eyes or puffy eyes, but maybe it is a hint! HAH! :) She is also making me a scrapbook and I am excited to get it this coming Wednesday. They are both amazing people and I will always cherish the gifts, advice, and companionship that they have offered me over the past three months. We celebrated my last day with a teacher's sports day and school dinner. The sports day consisted of randomly splitting up the teachers into 4 teams. My team name was team Harmony. The teachers chose that because in Korean it sounds really funny. Just imagine pronouncing it this way... Ha-money. They all laughed anytime it was said, rather entertaining! There were 5 events total. We did the 5-person 6-legged relay race, Frisbee pass, bowling with basketballs and plastic bottles filled with sand, group jump roping, and dodge ball with a soft Frisbee. Quite the interesting events. Team Harmony ended up taking 1st PLACE!!! I was so excited!! Then, we had dinner in the school cafeteria. Steamed pork was on the menu! The principal told me that if I ever come back to Korea looking for a job to let him know and he will make sure I have a job at his school. Apparently, he wishes I would stay because he wants me as a teacher for English. That was very nice to hear and made me feel much appreciated. Then, they asked me to give a goodbye speech.. Where I cried like a baby! I just thanked all of the teachers for accepting me for the short time I was here and allowing me to learn so much from all of them. It was a good last day filled with gifts and memories from both the students and teachers and I will never forget any of them!



My Christmas card from Jeong-a

The watch :)

My tin of goodies!

5-person, 6-legged race on
Teacher's Sports Day

Bowling on Teacher's Sports Day

Setting up for dinner in the cafeteria





The students at my school were all so sweet. I will never forget how excited many of them were anytime they saw me walking in the hallways. It always cheered me up to hear "Hello Erin Teacher!" or "Bye Erin Teacher! I'll miss you" even though I would be seeing them the next day. I think every single student melted my heart and they will never be forgotten. It was such a joy to see the students progressing on a daily basis with their English skills. They were so eager to learn from me, even calling my English "real English" and only wanting to listen to me speak! For the most part, the students have a real passion for the English language and I was impressed with how much each student knew. They never seemed intimidated around me but instead fawned over me. On my last day, the students were all asking me to sign a piece of paper for them like a celebrity, take a picture with them, or exchange email addresses. The 6th grade class I was with this past week almost made me cry with all of the sweet notes they gave me. The student body at Seokgye will definitely be one that I will remember throughout my teaching career. I could not imagine a better group to teach during my student teaching semester.



6th grade girls :)

More 6th grade!

Some of my wonderful classes!

I was able to interact with many teachers during my 3 months in Korea. Every week, I was participating within in a different classroom as well as teaching English. This really made me feel more connected to the school. I knew that I could turn to at least one teacher from every grade level if I needed help. All of the teachers that allowed me to come into their classroom and teach really tried to embrace the English language. They all expressed to me their desires to improve their English and supported me in any way possible. It was so comforting to have teachers that had a strong passion for education and worked to bring out the best in me. The language barrier never seemed to pose a huge problem surprisingly. My fellow English teachers ended up being some of my best friends here in Korea. I spent a lot of time with them both during school and outside of school. They are very kind individuals who will always be a part of me throughout my teaching. I hope that we can meet again someday soon!

 

Joy and I

All of the English Teachers :)

 

My student teaching semester here in South Korea has been even better than I could have imagined. Looking back, I cannot believe how fast time flew by. There is one thing that shines through to me as being my biggest accomplishment. I was asked to teach students from 2nd to 6th grade in English. These are students who either did not have any English instruction in school at all or only had English class 3 times a week. I am very proud of myself for creating multiple lessons suitable to their English comprehension level while still keeping them engaging and fun. I wanted to make learning English fun in order to encourage their studies. I feel like I reached students in all grade levels and was able to show them how fun English can be! Incorporating songs, hands-on activities, home-made videos, dances, small competitions, and much more were just some of the ways that I reached out to the students. Through my lessons the students also showed me how rewarding teaching can be. It is amazing to watch students learn and progress day-by-day. I am also proud of my unit plan that I taught to 5th and 6th graders. I put so much effort and determination into it and it turned out even better that I had imagined. The students showed me that my unit plan is still with them when they all wrote me sweet good-bye letters. I have grown so much as a teacher while being abroad in South Korea. I was able to teach to English Language Learners!!! This is something I have never done before. I went to conferences to try to improve and get more ideas! Overall, I wanted my students to succeed in the best possible environment.

An older class.. 5th grade!

My youngest class.. 2nd grade!

Successful Friendly Letters!

There are many things that I will miss about teaching here in Korea. First and foremost, I will miss all of the students and teachers that I was able to know during my 3 months here. The students are very respectful to authority figures, generally bowing and saying hello whenever paths are crossed. The teachers all work very hard and the principal and vice principal are always challenging them. Everyone is very proud of their school and the accomplishments made daily. I love that the most about Seokgye Elementary. Pride really goes a long way. I will miss my office and having a place to call my own. As odd as it sounds, I will miss some of the school lunches. I have learned to appreciate the food here in Korea. It is different yet very healthy for the body. I will miss the friendships I have formed and the welcoming atmosphere of my school. Overall, I will miss being a teacher who is both respected and appreciated. I really hope to find a teaching job as soon as I can in the US. It is a great feeling to be a teacher.

 



My little office!

My English classroom

Seokgye Elementary

I was able to explore Seoul a great deal while I was here. I definitely wish I was able to visit other parts of Seoul, but my busy schedule and the lack of time never seemed to allow it. Hopefully someday I will be able to visit Korea again and explore some more! Two cities that I would love to visit are Daegu and Busan. Someday! My favorite places in Korea were Insadong, Nami Island, the Han River, the different universities and palaces, Myeong-dong, and Ewha. It was so fun to explore new districts in Seoul because they all had different attractions to offer. Some were known for their souvenirs while others were known for great historical sites. There are a few foods that will definitely missed. Some of my favorites included Korean BBQ, Chicken Galbi, Ice Cream Waffles, anything with sweetened red bean paste, Jjim-dak, persimmons, and the best sugar-free mints! I have already decided that if teaching does not work out I will be opening a Korean BBQ restaurant that serves Ice Cream Waffles as a dessert. It will no doubt make millions! :))) On the other hand, I am definitely looking forward to eliminating my daily helpings of seaweed and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had wayyyyy to much of these two and they need to disappear for a while. The transportation is Seoul is amazing; top of the line! The subways and buses are cheap at about $.90 a ride. Even the taxis are very cheap. I could ride in a taxi for about 10 minutes and only pay $8.00. It was nice to have an easy way to get around at such a cheap price. The only downside was that it took a little longer to get to places because it involved a lot of walking to and from subway stations. I will definitely not miss the attitude on the subways though. Most Koreans did not want to sit anywhere near me and if I sat down next to them, they would get up and stand instead of sitting next to me. I guess it had something to do with the fact that I was foreign.

Chicken Galbi

Ice Cream Waffles

Korean BBQ

Seoul City Bus

Seoul Subway Routes

Seoul Bus Routes

 

Changdeok Palace

Han River

Myeong-dong

The culture in Korea definitely took me some time to adjust to the differences. My first thought was that they lack a certain amount of manners. No one apologizes for randomly smashing into you or cutting in front of you. There are no sorry's or excuse me's or pardon me's, not even spoken in Korean. Eventually I realized that it is just how the Korean culture is. Even the people that I met here in Korea have said that it is not rude, it is just how things are. There are no public trashcans therefore trash tends to litter the streets. People also spit anywhere they please. It is gross and the sound that accompanies it is even worse. Koreans are glued to their cell phones, IPods, IPads, any form of technology etc. They use them while walking, while on the subway, while sitting in a coffee shop, while paying for their food, and at any time possible. This is just another aspect of Korean living. The fact that I did not own a cell phone here made me feel like I stuck out even more as a foreigner. Koreans love their kimchi and rice. They eat it morning, noon, and night... literally. I cannot imagine a breakfast with rice and kimchi but this is just how things are in Korea. Koreans also love their alcohol. It is very common to bless a dinner by taking a shot of Soju, which is basically like the Korean equivalent of vodka. They also have many kinds of beers, including a rice beer called Makgeolli. Drinking is a part of the culture here. The holidays are a very big event just as in any culture. The biggest celebrations are for the Lunar New Year and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Overall, one of the biggest things I have noticed about this culture is how sensitive and still broken they are about the country being split. Many Koreans have no desire to visit the DMZ and it is a very sore subject. They strongly long for unification. I have heard many Koreans saying that their biggest wish is for unification to happen during their lifetime. It is so sad to see a culture that has so much to be proud of still broken and bent. I have learned to care about the Korean culture and I truly want peace between the North and the South.

 

Soju and Kimchi

DMZ

Technology OBSESSION!

 

I have only made a few friends while here in South Korea. Clearly I will miss the teachers that I have become friends with over the past three months. I will also miss our Teacher's Assistant, Ally. She has been very helpful and always tried to show us new things about Korea. She set up tours for us, planned dinners, helped us open our bank accounts, and overall was our source of information while here. I will also miss Hongbum. He is Falyn's Korean buddy but I think he ended up being a great friend to all of us. He was willing to hang out with us, go out to dinner, be our translator, go to movies, listen to us talk at Pizza Nights, and give input on the Korean culture. I know that all of us will miss him a lot. We all hope that he comes to USA to visit sometime soon! Pey and Natalia were fellow student teachers in our program. They are from Florida State University. They are fun, energetic, and outgoing individuals. Even though I only saw them a few times a week, they are always a joy to be around. Hopefully we stay in touch once we all return to the US. I was introduced to 8 Korean buddies, but we never stayed in contact. It seemed like we were all busy and our schedules never coincided. I wish I could have had the chance to get to know them better. The friends that I have met while abroad in South Korea are people who have changed my life and who I will never forget! :)

With Ally and Hongbum

UMSL and FSU student teachers!

 

 

 

 

 







I have very few days left in South Korea. As it is clear that I am sad to leave my life here behind, I am also excited to return to my reality in the US. I am ultimately looking forward to seeing my friends, family, and dog again. The holiday season is here and it is just not the same being so far away from those I love the most. It has been a long time since I have seen them. Although I get to Skype with them quite often, it is just not the same. Yes, I even Skyped with my little doggy! He is my companion and I miss the sweet boy! I cannot wait to graduate! December 17th is just around the corner. It is hard to believe that 4.5 years of college have already passed. I am ready to start my job search and figure out the next steps I will take in life. As strange as it sounds, I have already made a list of things to do once I return stateside. It's my weird desire to always be busy. I am looking forward to having a car again! There have been a few times in the past 3 months when I just wanted to jump in a car and drive nowhere in particular. I like the freedom that a car offers. Speaking of cars, I will apparently be on a new car hunt since mine is currently sitting with a dead battery in my parent’s garage. Poor thing. I am also looking forward to the contact that my cell phone provides. Yes, it sounds very lame but I love having the ability to call someone when I have had a bad day or the best day yet. I love the convenience of it. Although, I am fearful about turning my phone on at the LAX airport. It may or may not explode in my hand... :/ Finally, I am looking forward to my comfort food back home. I miss my American diet. I am proud of myself for being brave and venturing out so far with my foods, but I am ready for some normalcy.

Such a precious little pup :)

Fam :)
















Korea has provided me with an amazing experience. It is one that I will never forget. I hope to be able to come back some day but I also hope to start traveling to other places around the world. There is so much out there other than what the US has to offer. I am very thankful for all that the US has, but I want to learn how to appreciate other parts of the world as well. My principal at my school had one wish for me and it was for me to understand and find comfort in the Korean culture. After my three months here, I can say that I have a much greater understanding of the people and life in Korea. It has changed my view on life in the US and the goods that are available to me on a daily basis. I cannot wait to return to Korea someday soon. Definitely life changing.

~ E

Side note: This was definitely a hard blog to write. It brought me to tears several times.. I guess that is what happens when something comes and changes your life so unexpectedly :)))

Pizza, Pizza!

While here in South Korea, all of the students participating in the Student Teaching Abroad program meet every Wednesday for a Pizza Night and discussion with our professor and teaching assistant. KU pays for the pizza at every Pizza Night. My professor here at KU is Professor Son. She has actually taught in the United States before and in The Bronx of all places. This helps her understand our background quite a bit but she is also able to give great feedback on our experiences here in Seoul.  

I think all of us look forward to Pizza Night because it is food that seems normal to us! After having school lunches that may not agree with all of our stomachs, a good piece of pizza (or three) is the cure. The attendance varies from week to week but generally the people who attend are me, Keely, Betsy, Falyn, Professor Son, Ally (teaching assistant), Pey (FSU), Natalia (FSU), and some Korean students who have an education major. There has been as many as 10 Korean students and as few as two. The Korean students tend to be on the quiet side, while the rest of us chat away.

Our pizza of choice

Delicious chicken ranch pizza!

This blog post is going to be updated every week after each pizza night occurs. I will post all of the topics/questions that we have ahead of time so everyone is on the same page :) Then, I will post my review of the pizza night.

September 21st: School Environment

- Please describe the school environment (i.e. - seating arrangements in school, school building, instruction material, etc)

- How is the atmosphere of your class?

- What is your favorite class in terms of school atmosphere?

- How is the school environment/setting different in Korea?

- What are some pros and cons of the Korean school environment?

- What would be an alternative classroom environment?

Erin's Review: We started out the first pizza night with an introduction session. Everyone said their name, major, and a few other important tidbits. There was quite a few people in attendance so it was hard for me to remember every detail about everyone. Each of the 6 student teachers went into the discussion and basically shared our thoughts about the first week at our school. Falyn and Betsy started at their school two days before everyone else so they have already seen a full week of school. The remaining student teachers, myself, Keely, Pey and Natalia, have only seen three full days at each of our respective schools. Each of us are having very different experiences. Falyn, Betsy, and I are all in elementary schools in the Seoul area and our situations vary already. Falyn and Betsy have started teaching and I will start the following week. Natalia is in a middle school, while Pey and Keely are in two different girls high schools. We are all experiencing some frustrations with our schools, the coordinating teacher, and the language barrier. FSU and UMSL have certain requirements for their student teachers and it seems to be hard to get these requirements known to our schools. I would say that the high school teachers are having problems with trying to get their students to speak in English and it almost seems like their students do not know as much English as some of the elementary students. I have the problem with my students wanting to constantly speak both Korean and English, which sometimes interferes with learning and disrupts the class. Overall, it was a good first week of our Pizza Night. I have learned that others are having some of the same difficulties and frustrations as I am so I am not alone! These are great meetings to pass around our successes and to bounce ideas off of one another as well. I am looking forward to these weekly Wednesday meetings.

September 28th: Students

- What makes it difficult for you to understand the students' behavior?

- How much do you think you understand the students' behavior?

- How well do you think you know the students learning ability/English ability?

- How much do you think the students understand your instruction?

- What could facilitate your understanding of the students?


Erin's Review: This was a VERY small group. Professor Son was not present because she had a meeting in Japan and would not make it back in time. Ally, our TA, ran the Pizza Night and recorded all of our responses on her cell phones recording device. I do not think that this was a very focused discussion but conversation was still happening. From the meeting, it seems like the biggest difficulty the elementary teachers are having with their students is not being able to fully understand their behavior because of the cultural difference and language barrier. I have been able to get a good grasp on my students English ability through various observations and co-teaching in 5th and 6th grade. It seems like Falyn and Betsy have an understanding of their students' levels as well. Falyn has definitely taught the most so far but I think all of our experiences are helping us grow and learn as a teacher. The pizza nights are great because I get to hear about all levels of education in Korea. We are able to compare and contrast to what we are used to in the United States. It seems like PeyFSU are having the hardest time because they have never had to teach a class before. Their curriculum at FSU involves them taking classes and then finally teaching during their student teaching semester. After this semester is over they will graduate with a Masters in English Education.. this still baffles me but every university is different.


October 5th and October 12th: Classroom Management

- Do you have a classroom rule? If you do, how do your students respond to it?

- What classroom management skills are you using?

- What would be a good classroom management skill?

- What should be the teacher's attitude to control the class?

- What do you think your difficulties are in controlling the class?

- What could be some strategies for time management in class?


Erin's Review: Ahh, classroom management. Something we all know and love, yet sometimes do not have a clue about what to do. This topic has covered two weeks because it is SO important. Classroom management is something that all teachers should be well versed in. All of us seem to be using different classroom management skills ranging from non-verbal to verbal. Some are working and some are not.  I think we all have noticed that what may work for some may not work for others but it is worth a shot in the end. Classroom management is tricky. It can be very difficult to handle a class of young learners, especially when their native language is something other than English. Many of us, including myself, use the techniques that the teachers already have in place and add a few of our own. I have mainly added nonverbal cues to get students back on track and it is working for now. If problem behaviors come up, I will adjust as I see necessary. Some of the nonverbal cues that I am using include eye contact, proximity, silence, etc. If a verbal cue is necessary I will sometimes name drop in a part of my lesson. The students do not like having direct attention during the middle of a lesson and it gets them right back on track. My techniques seem to be working but as I said adjustments are necessary at times. Professor Son really did not have much to say. She said that the Korean teachers, especially English teachers, do not have much classroom management because they are not homeroom teachers and only see each class about three times a week. Apparently English class is the "goof off" time more than anything. This provides a real challenge for us as student teachers because the children are not used to these classroom management techniques that we are trying to implement. Some of us are having better success than others and I really think it depends on how much respect the students have for the teacher and vice versa. Until next time, wish us all the best of luck!

October 19th: No Pizza Night because of Mid-terms!

October 26th: Planning for Instruction

- What are some reasons for planning?

- How do you plan your classes?

- What needs to be considered for planning?

- What are some components of successfully planned lessons?

Erin's Review: There was a relatively good turnout for the pizza night this week. The usual 8 people (myself, Keely, Betsy, Falyn, Professor Son, Ally, Pey, Natalia) and about 6 Korean students showed up. At this point, Professor Son has had the chance to observe at least some of us at our schools. She observed me today. I think it is easier for her to talk to us during these pizza nights because she can see exactly what the classroom, teachers, students, atmosphere, behaviors are like. The topic was planning for instruction this week. I think we all agreed that planning for instruction is so important! A teacher will get no where by walking into a classroom with no plan. I also pointed out that it is good to go into a lesson with back-ups because one can never predict how a lesson is going to go. It also helps to have a back-up plan because some students may be on the very high or very low end of achievement and alterations need to happen. 5 out of the 6 girls that are student teaching here use lesson plans of some format to plan for their lessons. I was rather shocked to hear that one of the girls never does a formal lesson plan for her lessons! If I do not make a lesson plan, I feel completely lost! When making a lesson plan, some of the most important things to think about are the ability levels of the students and time management. Professor Son pointed out that many teachers seem to have problems with time management because the classes are so short! (i.e. - 40 minute periods in elementary school.. crazy!) Most of us struggle with time management here because of the short class periods and the fact that one day is one lesson. We are not allowed to make one lesson extend over two days. Their curriculum says one lesson for one day and that is the way things are going. Another struggle are the activities that are planned. Some of us have great ideas but it would take longer than one class period to implement so we have to cut down to shorter and more simple versions of the activity. Overall, this was probably our most successful Pizza Night. A lot was discussed and a lot of information was passed between the student teachers and the Korean students. Oh, and the pizza was delicious which is always a plus :)


November 2nd and November 9th: Delivering Instruction

- How do you deliver your instruction plan (i.e. - attitude, skills)?

- Do your students follow your instruction plans? Please share your experience.

- Do you get anticipated results?

- What are some effective delivering methods? In what specific situation do you think you can use the methods?


Erin's Review: This topic mainly seemed to focus on high school and how their instruction is delivered because they seem to be having the most problems. Their problems include students falling asleep, not caring about English instruction, or very low level language skills. The Korean students tried to give a few pointers but the difficult part is that none of the Korean students that we've talked to seemed to really like their English classes from their younger years. I think we all agreed that it is so important to keep the students guessing with each lesson. The students should not be able to come into the classroom and expect how the lesson will flow during each class period. It should be something fun, new, fresh, and energetic that will keep the students coming back for more! A teacher needs to have a great attitude while delivering the instruction because if a teacher does not seem excited the students are not going to have the drive to participate in what is going on.  Also, a teacher should never expect a lesson to go exactly as planned. Things happen and situations come up that can teachers may not be able to aniticipate. It is important to try and anticipate misbehaviors and complications within different parts of the lesson plan, though. This will help a lesson run a bit more smooth. For example, if there is a game that will require students to be up and moving make sure to include rules and expectations for staying safe while still having fun. This type of thing should be thought about before a lesson, not after someone gets hurt. My students have always achieved the results that I wanted from the lessons that I have taught but sometimes it definitely takes a bit more work on my behalf. Explaining in depth, using a variety of methods, pictures, examples, simplified words, dramas, and others are all things that I must try when a student does not understand my instruction. Ideally, I strive to have all of my students understand each lesson to the best of their abilities so I work very hard to have that happen. There are definitely lessons where each of us have struggled in delivering. Some said it was because they were not excited about the lesson or they just did not feel comfortable with the topic they were teaching. Delivering instruction is something that takes work and dedication by a teacher. It will not happen overnight but rather through a trial and error process with necessary corrections following!

November 16th: Evaluation

- What is a good evaluation?
- How do you evaluate students?
- How often do you evaluate them?
- How can we find out how much the students have progressed or understood?
- Do you find the evaluation system of your school effective?

Erin's Review: This was a good final discussion. A lot of our discussion was geared towards how each individual person evaluated their students at their school, instead of following these exact questions. Overall, it seems like all of us have done a lot of informal assessments versus formal assessments. A teacher needs to have a plan for how the evaluations will be done but the key here is to be evaluating students at all times! It is not something that happens once or twice, but multiple times daily! Records should be kept on each students progress as the days, lessons, and units pass. Keeping records is very important because, for example, they can be referenced for questions from parents or used as reflection. Evaluations should also be used to alter and change lessons on a daily basis. This is why students should be evaluated daily. If a lesson concept is too difficult or easy, a teacher can use the evaluations to make changes for the next day or next lesson. Basically, evaluations can tell you what the student has understood and what may still be confusing. I believe that evaluations also tell the teacher if their methods for teaching are successful or not. There are a lot of ways that evaluations can be used. This were the topics covered in this final Pizza Night. Professor Son let us out a little bit early as well.

November 23rd: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We all loved this Wednesday night. Korea University provided the exchange students with a Thanksgiving Dinner! We were allowed to invite up to two guests to come with so I invited my CT, Joy Teacher. She was very excited to be able to experience a Thanksgiving Dinner. Although not all of the food was the same as in the US, it was still good to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving halfway around the world! :)

The turkey! (There were 2)

The feast!

Our group!



A clementine for anyone?

Our turkey carver.. scary!

Happy Thanksgiving :)

 

Joy and me

The four of us plus our TA, Ally,
and Hongbum

All of the student teachers
this semester!

Many thanks to Korea University, Professor Son, our TA Ally, and all of the Korean students who helped make our weekly Wednesday Pizza Nights a huge success! We all learned so much from one another and it was great to have a time to talk about our experiences!

SEMESTER ENDS!

~ E

Did you know.....

that in Korea, when a pre-service teacher graduates from college they belong to the government??? Each teacher does not have to search for a job because the government places them at a school. Therefore, no one has to apply for a job in the teaching industry. The teacher will work at their given school for 5 years and will then be transferred again by the government. This means that someone who went to college seeking a degree in Education will always have a job! I found this to be very shocking! When I told my teachers how I have to apply for teaching jobs that I want, they were just as shocked. They thought the government would be placing me and was wondering why I was so worried about getting a job after graduation. This is just one of the many differences in the world of teaching in South Korea. I can see how the teachers here like just being placed by the government. There is no stress about finding a job and having a source of income. On the otherhand, if the teacher does not like their school they are stuck there for the next 5 years. I can see the ups and downs of a system like this but I simply wanted everyone to be filled in on this point!

~ E

Shop Til Ya Drop!

Well this was my 2nd to last week of school. Monday we had a school holiday so I had no school. It was a nice break. I met up with one of my teachers, Kuki, in Insadong to do some souvenir shopping. I was so thankful to have her there because she knew the best places and how to get the best deals. I bought a lot but I wont say what because some are presents!!! Insadong is really cool place to walk around. There are a ton of stores with anything you could ever want for sale. It was definitely a great place to knock out some shopping. I can tell that it is very popular for foreigners!

Tuesday and Wednesday were my days back in English with the 5th and 6th grade students. I was supposed to teach 6th period English on Tuesday but there was a military training that took place from 2pm until 230pm so that interrupted the entire class. The military drill was a bit odd. The entire country observed this drill during this time period. To say the least, it was chaos. The students were cheering because they did not have to sit in class. The teachers were wondering what was going on and there were weird voices over the intercom in our school. Eventually, everyone found their way to the cafeteria in the basement but it was just a time for the students to play on their cell phones and chat with their friends. I immediately went into drill mode thinking it was supposed to be serious and orderly. I asked the teachers what to do and they looked at me like I was crazy because they had no clue what to do. It was rather unorganized and I could never see this taking place in a school in the US. Other than that, the 6th graders were starting the unit "Would you like to come to my house?" We used the topic of American Thanksgiving and Korean Thanksgiving. I talked about the similarities and differences and asked the students "Would you like to come to my house for Thanksgiving?" They practiced a bit with Joy teacher using a PPT and then we played a bingo game. It worked on  recognizing the key phrase and ways you could respond. The 5th graders were working on telephone dialogue. I actually had to observe for these classes because Joy Teacher was practicing for her open class that she had on Friday. I just assisted where necessary. They played a speed game where they worked on the dialogue for the unit and learned how to make an appointment with a friend. Some of the content that they were learning were how to say hello, goodbye, how to introduce yourself on the phone, how to ask for a friend on the phone, and how to make an appointment.

The rest of my week was spent in the music classroom. I do not know why I was back to music and it was not very interactive for me. I was not allowed to teach but just assist where necessary. The teacher was working on giving evaluations to all of the students and preparing for her English Training that she will be going to in a week. The students were learning about Korean Instruments, Korean Dance, and Korean Songs. I find topics like this to be interesting because it is new and different from what I am used to learning about. The students did not find it to be so interesting for the most part. At one point, during a 5th grade class I counted a total of 3 students paying attention while the rest of the class had their head on their desk sleeping. This was the first time that I have seen students sleeping in class and it really bugged me. The teacher did not seem to mind at all though. Now I know why the student teachers who are teaching high school get so frustrated with sleeping during class!

Oh and my teachers decided that for the last week that I am here in Korea I needed a new winter jacket. I did not bring my heavy winter jacket because it was too big and I didn't think it would be necessary. The teachers were so worried about me so they bought me one. It is goose down and I guess it costs the equivalent of about $200! I was so shocked but it was also very unnecessary. I understand why they bought it for me but I will only be in the country for another week. Sigh. They are just too sweet and I kindly accepted the jacket. I do not think they would have taken no as an answer! I wear that thing everywhere!  

The coat.. it is so puffy but so warm!

On Friday, my teachers and I left school at 130pm for our monthly cultural training. Every grade level is required to do this once a month. Apparently, we have skipped out for the past two months because we haven't done anything. First, we went to lunch. We had an 8 course meal. It was so filling! Some of it I would have again while others I could do without. For instance, raw beef. Gross, but they slopped it on my plate so I tried a bit. It wasn't disgusting just not something that I prefer. Some of the more delicious things were a salad with pork, shabu-shabu, bingsu, and sushi. Just an FYI, it is very weird to eat salad with chopsticks! If you have never heard of bingsu then you are missing out. It is delicious. Bingsu is shaved ice with sweetened red bean paste, vanilla ice cream, Frosted Flakes, and a bunch of fruit. Mix it all together and enjoy the sweet dish! I loved it! After lunch, we all headed for the NantaNanta again. They booked it before I could tell them that I had already seen it. Surprisingly, I liked it better the second time around. It was still entertaining! After that we parted our ways. It was a fun afternoon out with my teachers and it is good to get to know them outside of school! On the way home, Joy Teacher told me that I am like her younger sister and she now holds hands with me everywhere we go. As if we don't get enough stares because she speaks English with me, now try the holding hands thing. It results in a TON of stares. Aside from all of that, Joy is probably the teacher that I am the closest with and I will really miss her when it comes time to leave :(

Bingsu!!

NANTA stage

Saturday was perfect weather. For some odd reason, the town around our school was packed when Betsy, Falyn, and I went out and about. I think I was just being pushed with the crowd instead of walking by choice. We went out to search for Betsy's hotel that she is staying at when her husband arrives in a week. She could not find it so I think she is opting for one that is easier to find. Probably a wise choice :) Then we went to Myeong-dong. We did some shopping for gifts. I found some great things to give my teachers as a going away present. I am giving them each a t-shirt from UMSL, a pair of earrings, and a thank you card. Simple, but I like it. I was putting the gifts together after we got back and it was making me so sad. I will be very sad to say goodbye to my teachers. Especially because I do not know if I will ever see them again. I keep tell them to contact me if they are ever in the United States and to keep in touch regardless. Everyone of them has affected me in a positive way and I will always remember them!

Gifts for the English teachers

Well, I do not want to think about goodbye's until this upcoming Friday!!! The rest of my weekend was spent..... you guessed it..... WORKING ON MY PORTFOLIO!! Out of the 11 standards, I only have one left to finish. The end is near. The end is near!! It is so nice to know that all of my hard work throughout my 4.5 years of undergraduate schooling are all paying off. I have a busy week coming up. More details to come! Talk soon :)

~ E