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 :)
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!
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.
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!
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| Joy and I |
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| 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.
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| My little office! |
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| My English classroom |
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| 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.
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| Chicken Galbi |
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| Ice Cream Waffles |
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| Korean BBQ |
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| Seoul City Bus |
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| Seoul Subway Routes |
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| Seoul Bus Routes |
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| Changdeok Palace |
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| Han River |
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| 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.
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| Soju and Kimchi |
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| DMZ |
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| 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! :)
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| With Ally and Hongbum |
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| 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.
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| Such a precious little pup :) |
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| 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 :)))
1 comment:
You made me cry too.......and i am so glad that you had such a WONDERFUL experience while in Korea. However, I too am anxious for you to return home. Love you and can't wait to see you.
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