TESOL- Solo Flight One

Ok... So here goes... Teaching in Korea
On Friday, approximately 39 hours after arriving in Korea, I started school, but mostly to observe. I'm responsible for nine forty minute sessions Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and seven on Tuesday and Thursday. I leave for work about 9:00 and get home around eight at night, which sounds like a long day, but I have a few one or two hour breaks in there that keep it feeling a little better.
Friday was both more and less scary than I thought it would be. Just like everything else, I've prepared for all the wrong things, which is teaching me to laugh at myself. In my head I was figuring out how to structure my lesson plan, which was intimidating, but in reality I'm taking two pages of material per class and figuring out how to stretch it into forty to eighty minutes. The toughest thing is realizing that it needs to take that long to teach the pages, and that hammering pronunciation into the minds of these kids might be the most important thing I do. I'm realizing that I'm not great at it, but that I'm alright and at least comfortable considering that I'm midway through my first full day of teaching.
On Friday, I was frustrated when I couldn't just take the reigns in the classroom. Today I keep thinking to myself that I'm missing something and I'll only realize halfway through the following class that I'd forgotten to review the homework in the first. Thankfully, the morning is all kindergarden and gave me a little practice before the afternoon. I've successfully learned all of my kindergarteners' names, which I was kinda worried about, and had my first student vomit in the middle of class this morning. I think I handled it pretty well, mostly because it didn't smell at all. i just felt bad because I didn't know where stuff to clean it was, and asking turned into one of the Korean kindergarten teachers cleaning it up for me, which made me feel like a snob.
Anyway, right now I have an hour and a half break before I teach the elementary-age students, who are far more interesting to me. The kids are kids, and great ones, but I enjoy the ones I can engage with a little more. It's a totally different experience.
I am, however, a little intimidated about this afternoon in at least one way. The class that had only three students on Friday will have about nine today. Last week was school holiday here, so many of the kids didn't show up for Friday because it was the only day of class all week. I pretty much taught my afternoon classes because Sun, the supervisor, was walking me through the afternoon, while the first half of the day was only observation. When Sun stepped out, I was able to take over pretty naturally, which is why I'm also less intimidated. The lessons I'm teaching are more like the French lessons I used to teach and feel more like language lessons than kindergarten pronunciation books. In other words, this afternoon will be easier in some ways and harder in others, just like everything.

Hah, just got some good news. I don't have to stay until 7:30 tonight. My private student doesn't come back until the 13th (if I'm reading the schedule correctly). I get to go home at six. The day is half done!

To cope with the long day and to compensate for jet-lag and culture shock, I've rediscovered coffee, but will, I hope, wean back off of it as soon as I've started running again. I'm hoping that'll happen tonight. It's just been hard to get motivated to do it with everything feeling a bit out of whack and not having my fuel-foods from home. If only I could make my protein shakes, ha! I'll figure it out soon, I'm sure.

Anwyay, since I'm at work, I won't be able to post this until tonight, at which point I'll have finished a full day of teaching solo. I just wanted to get my reactions down now while they were fresh and I had nothing else to do.
Now I'm off to prepare my afternoon lessons.

Alright... It's 6:15 Monday night and I'm back home. I love the afternoons, because I get to really challenge the kids and they understand SOOOO much more. Nice thing is that I don't have either of my late private lessons until the 13th, which is amazing because I get extra time to adjust and can really feel my way through this a little better.

Things I discovered about myself today:
I'm exacting, and almost cruel when it comes to potty time.
I understand very little Korean (i.e. the word for vomiting).
I am a pretty damn good explainer, but that doesn't carry over when the kids don't know what the words I'm using to explain things mean--also I'm fairly inventive.
Teaching the word "hug" is very rewarding and can make any bad day good.
Drawing things and inspiring competition will keep anyone involved.
I need to bring things that the kids can compete to get.
Korean kids know how to cheat.
Cheating will not help kids learn English AT ALL.
I hate myself a little when I recognize myself in the personality of students.

I think that's enough for me to have learned in one day. I also learned a few new words and am making my first teensy bit of progress with Korean. It's a tough language, which means that English is just as tough for these kids. I owe it to them to learn their language, if only so that I know what they're going through.

Anyway, all is well. I've survived a day of observing and a day of teaching. Life isn't half bad. Tonight we're thinking about making steak and potatoes because the meat market around the corner's pretty good and Jason's managed to acquire potatoes (no small feat, from what I understand).

Within five days, I have:
Learned a little Korean.
Navigated the subway and taxis alone.
Found a Catholic church with mass in English.
Visited five different "dong" (kinda like neighborhoods-- Somewhere between Chelsea or the East Village and Brooklyn or Manhattan).
Tried a lot of food I can't name.
Read a little C S Lewis.
Taught (kinda) two days of classes.
and made new friends.

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

If you have questions, post a comment. There's so much to cover, and I know I'm leaving out heaping chunks, so let me know what you want to know or if I'm being too long-winded.

Love to all,
Joe