Yes, I know. It has been too long since my last post and it seems as if I have become lazy or carless Neither, I have to tell you, is true. I have been extremely busy, or even preoccupied. As I mentioned in my last post I began work last monday and my first actual teaching day was last tuesday. What I may not have mentioned was that at the end of the day on that first monday, my Korean co-teacher asked me to do something. He asked me to make and get to him, a schedule detailing my lesson plans for the next 11 weeks, for all of my sixteen non-regular classes. In Korea, the children start officially learning English in school in the third grade. This means with textbooks and such. Those are the regular classes. All GEPIK ( Geyongii(the area of Korea surrounding Seoul) English Program in Korea) native English teachers are supposed to teach 22 classes a week. Since I work for a very small school I have only 8 regular classes so the rest are supplementary classes. Same idea, same goals just no textbook and set materials. Now, I was not initially put out by this request. It was the next day when he asked me if it was done, and then when he received a negative response, he asked if I could have it done by wednesday, that I got upset. Actually I wasn't upset at first because I was far too astonished to be upset. I had not even met all of the classes by then. To make matters more difficult, when I asked,I could get no answer as to what their actual levels were or what each class had studied all year( the Korean school year actually begins in March and ends in Feb., the second semester began in sept). How in the world am I supposed to plan 11 weeks of classes when I have no idea what the students have been doing or what they can do.
Wednesday, "Tomirika,are you done with the schedule yet? "no." Thursday, "Tomirika, are you done with the schedule yet? "no"(frustrated, angry, grinding my teeth). Friday, "Tomirika, ...(He must have seen something in my eyes)...umm...I like your sweater." And that was the last I heard of it. I don't even know why I wore myself out trying to fulfill such an unreasonable request, but I did. I went home friday and refused to even think about the stupid schedule. I played the Sims3 and went to dinner with my new foreign friends. Saturday I slept in, went the the PC bang and window shopped for awhile. I started work on the schedule again that afternoon and finished it sunday night. I handed it to him before he could ask monday and that was that. Now I had begun to think that the pressure to get this schedule done so rapdly was due to the big "school inspection" that every school has once a year. Ours is today, continuing on around me as I sit shut up in my little office now that my classes are over. I was told a couple of days ago by my new friends that asking for things or notifying you of things last minute and expecting it immediately is the Korean way.
All in all, that is why I haven't uploaded all the pics and stuff I promised but since as of tomorrow there will be no more "big school inspection" to get ready for I should have more free time during my free time to actually do that.
Good news, my Korean is getting better every day, I have stopped worrying that I will end up in Japan or something when I take the bus alone, I have my own little office now and I have made some friends.
Korean Trivia #3: The korean government puts very large faith in the proverb that still waters produce stagnation. Because of this faculty members change schools every three years. In addition, each year a teacher may be teaching a different grade or subject depending on what the Principal thinks they should teach that year.
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