"I got off the plane at 7am and had to teach at 10am," Rebecca had told me. I would have died. I mean, I think that literally might have ended my life on the spot had I been made to do that. "They'll probably put you in charge of Ruth's class because she just left. You'll sub for that class for a few days, then the Kindergarten graduates. Then we have a few days off next week for the Lunar New Year, and the new school year will begin. You came at a really good time," she explained.
A few days off??? That IS fortunate...it explicitly states in my contract that we are to get 5 days off at summer, and 5 days off at Christmas (starting Christmas Day) and that was IT. What luck! I'll have time to explore the city while the other teachers who have been here longer go out of town on trips, to Shanghai for example.
The walk to school was a bit difficult that first day because it had snowed about 3 inches the day before. Rebecca actually took me out shopping in the pouring snow. We hopped in a cab and went to a HUGE Target-like store called Home Plus where I bought towels, tupperware, a hair dryer, a rice cooker, a small Hello Kitty bathmat, hangers and some food items. It was a fun trip. This store must have had a hundred employees--there was one on every aisle eager to help. One small woman was pouring over me in the hair dryer aisle, trying to sell me the next more expensive model than the one I was looking at. I ended up buying the cheapest one anyways. It was about $10.
The journey home was interesting...still pouring snow, with arms full, Rebecca and I set about catching another cab back to the apartments. It was not easy. I'm under the impression that it can already be difficult for a couple of white girls to catch a cab...much less in the snow with arm loads of merchandise. My hands were near frostbite-status when we finally got picked up. A couple of my fingers really hurt as they thawed out. I thought maybe I had injured them while they were numb, but they went back to normal quickly. I'm not used to this cold!
Anyways...I've gotten sidetracked. I was talking about the walk to school. Walking on that powdery snow was like walking on a sandy beach...much more difficult than plain pavement. It was hard not to look up at all the new, unfamiliar sights as I dodged icy patches and watched where I was stepping. We weaved through the streets and alleys, adorned with shops, small restaurants, fresh fruits, fresh fish, frozen stingrays, weird things I don't know what they were, etc! I mean...they got sidewalk sales going on in the snow, ya'll. You ever seen such a thing? I don't think I had. Maybe in Munich, but not like this...shops had fuzzy pajamas out on racks on the side of the street. I guess there's nothing like walking in 3 inches of snow to make you want fuzzy pajamas!
The walk took us about 15 minutes, although I didn't time it so I'm not sure. It's a good distance. It feels so good to be out walking around again! In Tennessee you have to drive everywhere, and you don't see people walking out on the streets shopping and stuff...especially not in this kind of weather! I love it. I need this. My body needs this. It feels...I don't know...more natural, somehow.
My school is in a tallish building on a busy street. On the first floor is a seafood restaurant. On our way up the stairs we pass a small bowling alley, and usually a couple of people in the hall smoking cigarettes. The school is on the 4th floor. When we walked in I saw the front desk with two ladies sitting at it, and a place to put shoes. You have to immediately take off your shoes upon entering or the principal will be mopping where you stepped, and apparently he's not too fond of doing that. There is a large mat where you can step, but you must remove your shoes and walk in socks to the cubby where our indoor shoes are kept. I brought my Birkenstocks in my bag to wear at school. A lot of people wear slippers; some wear sandals or flats. It really doesn't matter as long as they are for indoor use only. As someone who prefers to live in Birkenstocks and cannot wait for the weather to get warm enough so I can wear them again, this was just fine with me!
The entrance was very warm and welcoming, and looked just like a cute elementary school should look...painted in bright primary colors, with a library to one side and a small playroom (where the kids have recess) on the other. "Experience Canada in Korea," a sign on the wall boasts. Another sign reads, "No Speaking Korean." I was introduced to the principal, who does not speak any English, and shown to my temporary classroom by the vice principal, Miss Julia. She does speak English. The classroom was very cute, with two little tables surrounded by kid-sized chairs, and cloud wallpaper. It looked just like any classroom might look back home. Miss Julia showed me the lesson plan and the books I'd be using. It was pretty self-explanatory. I wasn't sure what to do for "circle time," but I'd make due.
So in the mornings, school starts at 9:50am. Every teacher (there are 10 English teachers at my school, from the US and Canada) has kindergarten or preschool until 2:30pm. Everyone has their own class they are in charge of teaching. At noon we get an hour for lunch. At 2:30, we send the little ones home, and we get a 30 minute break. At 3pm the older kids come in. By older, I mean anywhere from 7-11 years old. I'm not sure their exact ages because Koreans add a year (or two) to their child's actual age. When you're born, you are considered 1 year old. So my "six year olds" are really 5, etc. It's a bit confusing. "They count the time you spend in the womb as part of your total age," one teacher explained to me. That makes sense, I get that. OK. The older kids are with us until about 6pm, and then we go home. I am told that the schedule will change a bit with the new school year and some days we will be there later, until 7:20pm.
Let me just emphasize that I LOVE how school doesn't start until 10am. Back home, I was late if I got to school after the ungodly hour of 7:30am. This feels like heaven to me, and I don't even care that we are at school until well into the evening time.
Anyways, my first class they put me in charge of was Kindergarten. The kids were about 5-6 years old (US age). They already spoke English pretty well. "What's your name?" they asked me. "Miss Annie," I replied. "Annie Teacher?" That's how a lot of them address teachers, by their first name followed by the word "teacher." Other teachers prefer to be called "Miss Rebecca" or Miss such-n such. I think I'll have the kids call me "Miss Annie," since that would be considered more polite back home, and it sounds like that's the experience they're going for!
The kids (I had 11 in that class) worked out of textbooks and workbooks. My lesson plans basically gave me the name of the book and the title of the Unit with page numbers. They don't really use a "curriculum," but rather, they go by the textbooks. Parents expect to see textbooks completed; that is what impresses them. I was impressed with what these 5 year olds could do. They were writing English in complete sentences every bit as good, if not better, as the kindergarteners I student taught back home. They immediately started to take advantage of me, asking "May I go to the bathroom?" and "May I play with Legos?" But, every kid completed their work, and they completed it quickly. We had Language Arts, Math, and Science lessons. We played a lot of games that day. It went by fairly smoothly.
That afternoon I had 4 boys come in as my second set of kids. They were about 8 years old, I'd say. They had spelling words that were equivalent or maybe even of a higher level than 3rd graders back home would have. They also had language arts, science, and social studies, where they were studying American government, symbols, etc. They spoke English very well. I was more than impressed. When we finished early I let them play Hang Man with each other; they were pretty psyched about that!
On Wednesday, the kindergarteners graduated. They had a little ceremony in the "big room" (like a small gym) and gave them little diplomas and everything! It was so cute! "Get used to these awards ceremonies...they love them here," a teacher told me. They took lots of pictures of each class.
On Thursday we didn't have kindergarten. Instead, we had a teacher meeting and stripped our classrooms. They switch it up every year; everyone changes rooms. I had originally been told that for the new year I'd be taking one of the preschool classes. The kids would be about 3 years old and not speak a word of English yet. Some of them will have never seen a white person. However, that day, my Korean supervising teacher pulled me aside and told me that they had changed their minds and I would not be taking that class after all. "The parents," she said, "are very picky and demanding. They want someone with a lot of experience." Instead, I was to become the Music and Science teacher! Basically, I will not have a kindergarten class of my own, but rather I will take each class for 30-40 minutes at a time for either a music or science lesson. What luck!!! I felt like I'd won the lottery. I'm going to be the "fun" teacher! Plus, I'll get to work with every child in the school.
So I'm not quite sure how that's all going to work exactly, but for the first month I'll be fortunate enough to "shadow" the current Music/Science teacher before she leaves. For once, my lack of experience--and luck--have paid off!
How does the principal NOT speak any English? lol. And...a bowling alley in the building? That's awesome.
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