A Member of the Teaching Ranks

I realize I haven't talked much about the teaching aspect of my Korean life on this blog, because it makes me tired just thinking of all the work I've had to do. Every six months this school holds an Open Class where kindergarten parents can come in and see what their children are doing, and it was my responsibility to lead one of them. This event requires a ton of preparation, and considering I've only been here about two and a half weeks with no prior teaching experience, you can understand why there was so much pressure. I was jumping into a situation where I had to be at my best immediately, and there was also a lot of catching up to do, as the teacher I replaced was in the hospital for a while just before I got here.

I went over the schedule with Mrs. Kim several times, and even stayed late to practice my presentation the night before. For good measure, I also watched the following clip for inspiration:



It's not exactly like my job, but it's closer than you'd probably think. I'll bet Danny Kaye could've been the greatest ESL teacher ever if he wanted to be, but then, I doubt there's anything Danny Kaye couldn't have been great at if he wanted to be.

This morning was the moment of truth, and I won't lie, I was nervous. I felt a little sick to my stomach before it began, but fortunately, Mrs. Kim and the Korean teacher for that kindergarten class were there to assist me when I needed it. I often find ways to credit my improv classes for helping me become a better person, but I really feel like it applies here. I goofed up the script a few times, but I somehow managed to cover my slipups like a pro. That's improv, baby! Truthfully, it felt like a minor miracle that some parts went as smoothly as they did, but thank God things worked out. That clip from Hans Christian Andersen also found its way into part of the presentation, because at one point the kids got a little rowdy and I tried to say "ladies and gentlemen!" to calm them down. It didn't work as well for me. I guess there can be only one Danny Kaye.

I was told later that most of the parents don't speak English themselves, so they couldn't tell when I made mistakes. Still, I felt good about the job I did, and the feedback I got was nothing but positive. What a relief! I was told that a lot of the parents liked me and were impressed by how tall I was. In six months I'll have to do it all over again, and I imagine this experience will be a boost to my confidence.

Now that Open Class is over, I'm told it gets easier. Of course, there are still a ton of other classes I teach, and they require preparations of their own. I was told about kindergarten when I was first hired, but in fact, I only teach one kindergarten class. Most of the stuff I teach is with the older kids. Also on my schedule: science classes, math classes, phonics classes, current events classes, history classes, and plain old English classes.

Most classes start with a session of "How Are You?", in which I ask each student how they are doing, and give them a chance to practice their English. The answer is usually "I am happy" or "I am sad" or "I am angry," followed by a reason. Some kids get lazy though and give "just because" as their reason. In cases like that I have to start initiating questions like "what did you do over the weekend?" or "what are your plans?" In classes where there's a Korean assistant teacher, they sometimes ask for help saying what they want to say. It's pretty cool, and a good way to ease into the class.

I'm surprised at how rowdy some of these kids can be. It's nearly impossible to keep them in their seats at times. Was I like that when I was their age? I don't remember ever being that way, but perhaps I've forgotten. On the other end of the scale you have kids you can barely get a word out of, who can be almost as frustrating. Though it's stressful when the kids don't behave, it's funny to think back on those classes later (sort of an "I can't believe I survived that" feeling). I hope the humor doesn't wear off, because being able to laugh about things makes them bearable.

Though there's been a lot for me to absorb since I've been working here, the experience has been rewarding so far. I love the language I speak, and I'm gaining a greater appreciation for it by working with it on a daily basis. Maybe to most people this wouldn't be a big deal, but I always feel kind of cool when I'm asked to check someone's grammar or to explain a word. It makes me feel like I'm an expert in something, even though I know it's nothing more than being a native speaker clarifying for a non-native speaker. Still, I enjoy getting to share my knowledge of English with others and being the person who introduces certain words and concepts.

The other day I introduced the word "batch" to the kids. It was math class, and I had to type up some word problems beforehand. These kids know their math already, but the goal is to get them to understand mathematical concepts in English. For each word problem they had to figure out whether they were adding, subtracting or multiplying, then answer the question. One of the word problems I typed up was "My mother made three batches of cookies. If each batch has 12 cookies, how many cookies are there altogether?" I had to explain to the class what a batch was, and though they kind of robotically said "yes" when I asked "does everyone understand?", it seemed clear when checking their work later that some of them didn't. With one girl who got it wrong I tried explaining it again:

"When we make cookies, do we put just one cookie in the oven?"

"No."

"Right. We put in lots of cookies. So if my mother puts 12 cookies in the oven at one time and does that three times, how many cookies do we have?"

"Ohhhhhh!"

Her face lit up like she suddenly understood, and when she came back to have her work checked again she had the correct answer (36, for those of you who can't do it in your head). Inside I felt like "Wow! I just taught someone something!"

One thing that makes this job difficult is that you hear English spoken all the time, and your brain assumes an understanding behind the words. The fact is that many of these kids can say certain phrases, but they can't completely think in English the way a native speaker does. When you speak to them you have to remind yourself that they might only be partially understanding you.

This job is most definitely a challenge, but it's one I enjoy tackling. I can't wait to see how I'm doing in a month from now.