Today was my first day of real teaching (ps. I had problems posting yesterday, so most of this was written yesterday, with a few additions today). It's taken a couple of weeks to finally get here, but after a week of training and then a week of introducing myself to the students, it's nice to actually do something productive.
Since I mentioned the week of introductions, I'll start there and then work my way to my first lessons. Last week was very easy and straight forward, which is certainly a very different experience from the first week of teaching back home. I teach 20 different classes each week, plus a couple of extra conversation classes for students and teachers after school. Each class is a different set of students, so I will only get to see any given student once a week. I have 10 classes of grade 1 (grade 1 middle school is like grade 7 at home) and another 10 classes of grade 3 (grade 9 at home).
Most of the students enjoyed the pictures, though I wish I had had more on my computer from which to choose. A lot of the students really liked the wedding picture of Jen and myself on the beach, and of me making crazy faces. One of their favourites was of me zip lining in Costa Rica. They really got a good laugh out of that one.
A lot of the students asked if I had babies, how many babies, when I was going to have babies!! It was pretty funny. I got a couple of really random questions too, like what do I think of the Taleban, or if a student could have my cell phone number, or come over and visit me at my home. But some of my other friends here received questions that were way out there and probably inappropriate.
My students, for the most part, seem well behaved. Many of them are very chatty, making teaching somewhat of a challenge, especially when I do not speak the language. Then there are others who do nothing but give me blank stares all class or who fall asleep from the moment class begins! It's a little discouraging, but I'm doing my best to reach as many students as possible and so far I've had good feedback from my co-teachers.
At any rate, my first lessons for both the grade 1s and the grade 3s went well. I was a little nervous, never having taught English before, and never having been in this kind of environment where I didn't really know the culture or the language, but I was happy with the outcomes of all of my classes. All my co-teachers and I also worked well together and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year with them. So after a slow week (it can get a little dry doing the same introduction presentation 20 times in the same week), it was nice to be somewhat productive with some real lessons.
In other news, I've been missing my CBC Radio in the mornings, so I'm presently listening (online) to Anna Maria Tremonti on The Current. The big issue today is the funding of Catholic and other religious schools, and also on the related issue of how this is playing out in the upcoming Ontario provincial election. It's nice to be listening to the news again and to be feeling a little more connected with home.
And in a sort of sad ironic twist, I've also just realized that half-way across the world in Seoul, as I continue to listen to the CBC Radio, I will likely be more informed on the issues of Canada than many Canadians who are living at home...
However, on a brighter note, I'm happy to think that, as I so often did at home in the past, I will soon be able to start many of my conversations and stories with my friends here, with the phrase "Oh, I heard on the CBC the other day..." Ah, how it brings a smile to my face!!
- Jeff
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