Camp is officially over and I am confined to 3 days of desk warming. I suppose the term is more appropriate now than it was in the winter as it's still really really really really warm outside. Did I mention it was warm out?
After having 3 straight weeks of camp I don't particularly mind getting the chance to just relax for a couple of days. Only problem is dragging myself out of bed in the morning...and that it's so warm outside. But, as much as it's unfortunate that I have to leave my air conditioned apartment, getting up on time at least makes me more productive...even if I still haven't cleaned my apartment like I've been meaning to for the last week or so.
Being the only non Korean speaker definitely makes things interesting though. One slightly scary teacher came up to me yesterday and said, "Lebecca, let's go." I didn't have the guts to say no. We all got in his car and we drove....and drove and drove and drove. We ended up in the middle or no where...in fact I'm pretty sure it was North Korea. After lunch of cold noodles and 만두 we drove and drove and drove back again. fun times.
Today I braved the only bathroom available...drinking three cups of coffee really isn't a good idea when the one women's bathroom is under construction and the only one open is on the third floor, where it's a million degrees, and there are still students running about. I managed it...and returned once more to my desk only a little traumatized.
And that is my VERY interesting life. Happily it will become more interesting next week as Maryam and will head to Jeju next Friday. Now THAT will be an epic trip.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Level
The unfortunate thing about teaching A level students is that most of them have the English ability to argue about...well just about anything. None of my classes are so bad as my 3-1 class. The smartest of the 3rd grade students are in this class and they NEVER let up.
A couple of weeks ago they had to prove that Canada was NOT the second largest country in the world. Today told me that my french numbers were wrong and that the price of a wii was not 200,000\ but 300,000\ to the point that they wanted to look it up on the internet just to prove me wrong.
These kids in particular will argue until they're blue in the face.
I'm glad I was never like that....
A couple of weeks ago they had to prove that Canada was NOT the second largest country in the world. Today told me that my french numbers were wrong and that the price of a wii was not 200,000\ but 300,000\ to the point that they wanted to look it up on the internet just to prove me wrong.
These kids in particular will argue until they're blue in the face.
I'm glad I was never like that....
Physical Education
I stopped today to notice a PE class in action. This is what I saw:
Most of what looked like 70 kids were playing soccer...sort of. A few were playing basketball, a few more were playing baseball. Some were wandering around aimlessly from group to group and still others were chicken fighting, trying to knock each other down into a puddle. The rest of the students were sitting at the sidelines of the soccer field just having a jolly good time and doing their own thing.
While all this chaos was happening the PE teacher (the drill sergeant man from yesterday) was biking around the track, over and over and over again.
At least they were all having a good time.
Most of what looked like 70 kids were playing soccer...sort of. A few were playing basketball, a few more were playing baseball. Some were wandering around aimlessly from group to group and still others were chicken fighting, trying to knock each other down into a puddle. The rest of the students were sitting at the sidelines of the soccer field just having a jolly good time and doing their own thing.
While all this chaos was happening the PE teacher (the drill sergeant man from yesterday) was biking around the track, over and over and over again.
At least they were all having a good time.
Scategories
I played Scategories with my 2nd grade middle schoolers today.
One of the first letters was R. One of the categories was snack. A group listed "rice drink". When I stopped the students said, "it's a traditional Korean drink." So I allowed it.
The next letter was T and one of the categories was colour. Along with 'titanium blue' (which I allowed) one of the teams had chosen 'tree colour'.
When I saw it I asked, "what kind of colour is tree colour?"
Student: "Teacher, it is a Korean tradition colour."
Smartass.
One of the first letters was R. One of the categories was snack. A group listed "rice drink". When I stopped the students said, "it's a traditional Korean drink." So I allowed it.
The next letter was T and one of the categories was colour. Along with 'titanium blue' (which I allowed) one of the teams had chosen 'tree colour'.
When I saw it I asked, "what kind of colour is tree colour?"
Student: "Teacher, it is a Korean tradition colour."
Smartass.
Friends and Spoons
At school I usually eat lunch in the cafeteria. When selecting that just perfect place to sit I usually opt for somewhere as close as I can get to another English teacher/speaker. Today I turned from the lunch line to see my co-teacher sit at the end of the table, with the nurse lady beside her and a PE teacher across from the nurse. I stood for a minute, perplexed. The PE teacher is a little scary, very intimidating, and resembles some sort of military officer...maybe the boot camp kind that yells at people all the time.
Seeing my confusion, he looked at me, glared, whacked table on the spot beside him, and said, "Sit."
I sat.
He said, "My friend", pointing at me.
I nodded.
Later in the afternoon I stole upstairs to the music room for a bit of peace and quiet. It was still lunch time but the students were in their classrooms watching a movie so I figured I wouldn't be disturbed.
I was wrong. A student wandered in, a third grader who is not my student, but seems nice enough. I stopped briefly to chat with him. This was his story:
Me: How are you?
Hwang Gyu: Very bad.
Me: Why?
HG: Head, hurt.
Me: Do you have a headache?
HG: No.
Me: Well what happened?
HG: Teacher, hit. Father.
Me: Your father hit you? Why?
HG: Teacher, father and me, fight. Hit head with spoon. Whack! (claps hands together and makes appropriate noises)
He promptly showed me the spot where he was hit and wandered off again. When I saw him later and asked if he had had lunch he said, " No. Head hurt."
Seeing my confusion, he looked at me, glared, whacked table on the spot beside him, and said, "Sit."
I sat.
He said, "My friend", pointing at me.
I nodded.
Later in the afternoon I stole upstairs to the music room for a bit of peace and quiet. It was still lunch time but the students were in their classrooms watching a movie so I figured I wouldn't be disturbed.
I was wrong. A student wandered in, a third grader who is not my student, but seems nice enough. I stopped briefly to chat with him. This was his story:
Me: How are you?
Hwang Gyu: Very bad.
Me: Why?
HG: Head, hurt.
Me: Do you have a headache?
HG: No.
Me: Well what happened?
HG: Teacher, hit. Father.
Me: Your father hit you? Why?
HG: Teacher, father and me, fight. Hit head with spoon. Whack! (claps hands together and makes appropriate noises)
He promptly showed me the spot where he was hit and wandered off again. When I saw him later and asked if he had had lunch he said, " No. Head hurt."
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Juice Boxes
For lunch today my school served juice boxes as a bit of a treat.
Somehow seeing the principal and vice principal sipping on juice boxes renders them just a little bit less scary....
Somehow seeing the principal and vice principal sipping on juice boxes renders them just a little bit less scary....
Monday, June 27, 2011
Backup
Since the weather has become significantly warmer it has become necessary to have the windows beside my desk open. They only open to the hallway but, with all the windows open, a nice breeze comes through the building.
Unfortunately, more often than not, there are delinquent students sitting outside in the hallway writing lines or sitting with their hands in the air or doing push ups or standing with their hands on their heads...all sorts of fun punishments.
Even more unfortunate is that these delinquent students have discovered that I can't say no when they ask for candy....
Also, today, the exam papers are being sorted and divided and put away into a very unsecure cabinet. Students were forbidden from coming into my office and at least half of the teachers in my school were on the other side of my desk helping out with the sorting.
So, when I student leaned in through the window to ask for candy and didn't leave right away when I said now (because they were stealing it and I had none left) at least 10 teachers yelled at him to 가! or GO!
They probably didn't realise they were helping me, and if they had known they probably wouldn't have done it, but man, these teachers make good backup.
Unfortunately, more often than not, there are delinquent students sitting outside in the hallway writing lines or sitting with their hands in the air or doing push ups or standing with their hands on their heads...all sorts of fun punishments.
Even more unfortunate is that these delinquent students have discovered that I can't say no when they ask for candy....
Also, today, the exam papers are being sorted and divided and put away into a very unsecure cabinet. Students were forbidden from coming into my office and at least half of the teachers in my school were on the other side of my desk helping out with the sorting.
So, when I student leaned in through the window to ask for candy and didn't leave right away when I said now (because they were stealing it and I had none left) at least 10 teachers yelled at him to 가! or GO!
They probably didn't realise they were helping me, and if they had known they probably wouldn't have done it, but man, these teachers make good backup.
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