my students

Some people have said they want to hear about my students. Well they are all little monsters. Nah just kidding, they are alright. Honestly my kids are a lot like any elementary kids back in Canada whether you know them from teaching or remember being a kid yourself. I have some kids whose hands go up for every question and I have some who never want to answer and go beet red if you call on them. I am fortunate to have Moon Hae Jin, my co-teacher, teach every class with me. There are always two teachers and she already knows the kids from last semester. They gave a lot of information out during orientation about the differences between Western and Korean kids. That they would make personal comments like you’re fat, you’re pretty, you’re handsome etc. and that they are more respectful since teachers are more respected in general over here and that you might be treated like a celebrity since you’re the only foreigner they know. So far none of that has been true for me although I have heard it occasionally from the other English teachers I hang around with. I do get a lot of “Hello teacher!” in the hallways.

I think the biggest difference is the way they do ages over here. Everybody is born 1 and then everybody turns a year older at the same time on new years. So if you were born late in the year, say December, it is possible to be 2 years before your actually 2 months old. They stick to that and so you can see some really young kids in your classes. This might be a slight benefit in learning English however, as the younger you are the easier you absorb it and the more likely you are too participate. My grade 3 class will dance and sing all the time well it is impossible for the more shy grade 6’s to do the same. They get more nervous in front of their peers as they get older.

I’ll post good student stories as I live through them.

Greg