I am sitting at my desk, at the back of the fifth grade classroom. I just finished the first draft of the hand out for a workshop I am leading at the Fulbright Fall Conference. The workshop is about leading a balanced life in Korea. What I mean by this is trying to achieve a healthy balance between work-life and social-life, building new relationships here, but not forgetting old relationships in the States, etc. It is impossible to achieve the perfect balance, but I think it is important to strive for it. Too much focus on one area of your life will cause you to burn out.
I quickly realized this during the first weeks at my placement. Because it is my first time teaching, I spent the evenings at home occupied with planning out my lesson, and even when I was eating dinner with my host family, or watching a movie, thoughts of work would not leave me. Very soon after I started work I realized that I can not take work home with me or I'll go crazy, so now I try to restrict work to the 8 hours that I spend at school.
I experienced the same thing with my host family. In my eagerness to not be a burden, and establish a good relationship with them, I began planning my entire day around their schedule. The kids are very young, so they go to bed around 8pm, and so I also began making sure I would be home and in my room by 8pm, so as not to disturb them. When I was eating dinner out with friends, I would frequently glance at my watch to make sure I would be home at the time I told my host family.
My effort to please my host family is not bad, and I still try to be considerate of the little ones' bed time. However, I have realized I need to strive for a balance. I cannot focus my entire energy on living for other people, which I had in essence been doing up until recently. I need to be considerate of my host family, while also realizing that I am my own person, and it is ok for me to occasionally come home after 8 pm (as long as I communicate my plans with my host parents).
So in conclusion, what I mean by balance, is finding a way to carefully and consciously spend my energy on work, social life with friends, host family and myself in a way that gives equal attention to all aspects of my life. Only with balance, I think, will I avoid burning out in one or all areas.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Student life
It's been over two weeks, and teaching 6 classes of 5th graders, 3 times a week has allowed me a small insight into Korean students' lives.
A few days ago, my co-teacher gave each 5th grade class an exam, to test their knowledge of the unit we finished. Usually students sit in three rows of two students each, but on test day students came into the class room and upon instruction from my co-teacher immediately re-arranged the desks into six single rows of desks. This keeps students from being able to see what their neighbor is writing. What struck me about this was the familiar way in which students went through the action of re-arranging the classroom, taking the test and when finished, placing their hands on their head to indicate their completion. The comfortable way in which student performed all actions indicated to me that they were tried-and-true test takers. Their actions spoke of a weary resignation to dreaded exams. I have not taught in an American 5th grade class, but looking back to my own experiences as a 5th grader, I did not take exams and tests as seriously as they are taken in my Korean school.
Another observation:
Last week I went to the library a few streets from where I live. The library is close to my school as well. As I was walking up the stairs to the English section on the third floor, I passed the glass encased study room. Sitting at the tables were some of my students from 5th grade, diligently bending over their homework. My shock at seeing them working so studiously made me realize that, for me, 5th graders are still children. I don't think of them as serious students, trekking to the library after school to study. I certainly didn't think of myself as a serious student when I was in 5th grade. At that age school was about making friends, learning because it's fun, not more, not less.
The two observations above highlight an aspect of Korean student culture that (I think) differs from our own. In the US, 5th graders are certainly expected to learn much as well, however I think the US takes a more "what happens in school stays in school" approach. What I mean by that: US 5th grade students are expected to participate in school, and do their homework. But serious studying outside of school is not necessary. Instead, teachers and parents encourage students to balance studying with play outside of school. Here, in Korea, I think teachers and parents encourage students to study in school as well as out of school. Even in Elementary school parents pay for their children to go to academies for various subjects to study and learn so they will be ahead of their class. I think this is a big difference to the States.
However, I have also seen that more than anything, Korean 5th graders ARE still kids, and they joke and play as much as American kids do. It is just a different balance.
A few days ago, my co-teacher gave each 5th grade class an exam, to test their knowledge of the unit we finished. Usually students sit in three rows of two students each, but on test day students came into the class room and upon instruction from my co-teacher immediately re-arranged the desks into six single rows of desks. This keeps students from being able to see what their neighbor is writing. What struck me about this was the familiar way in which students went through the action of re-arranging the classroom, taking the test and when finished, placing their hands on their head to indicate their completion. The comfortable way in which student performed all actions indicated to me that they were tried-and-true test takers. Their actions spoke of a weary resignation to dreaded exams. I have not taught in an American 5th grade class, but looking back to my own experiences as a 5th grader, I did not take exams and tests as seriously as they are taken in my Korean school.
Another observation:
Last week I went to the library a few streets from where I live. The library is close to my school as well. As I was walking up the stairs to the English section on the third floor, I passed the glass encased study room. Sitting at the tables were some of my students from 5th grade, diligently bending over their homework. My shock at seeing them working so studiously made me realize that, for me, 5th graders are still children. I don't think of them as serious students, trekking to the library after school to study. I certainly didn't think of myself as a serious student when I was in 5th grade. At that age school was about making friends, learning because it's fun, not more, not less.
The two observations above highlight an aspect of Korean student culture that (I think) differs from our own. In the US, 5th graders are certainly expected to learn much as well, however I think the US takes a more "what happens in school stays in school" approach. What I mean by that: US 5th grade students are expected to participate in school, and do their homework. But serious studying outside of school is not necessary. Instead, teachers and parents encourage students to balance studying with play outside of school. Here, in Korea, I think teachers and parents encourage students to study in school as well as out of school. Even in Elementary school parents pay for their children to go to academies for various subjects to study and learn so they will be ahead of their class. I think this is a big difference to the States.
However, I have also seen that more than anything, Korean 5th graders ARE still kids, and they joke and play as much as American kids do. It is just a different balance.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Working life
Okay, I admit it, I totally underestimated all the work my teachers did over all my years in public school. Teaching is so much more than just standing in front of the class talking about a certain subject. In my case English, and half the class is spent playing a game, in English. Teaching itself is so much fun!! But...then comes the rest of the day, when I am confined to my desk breaking my head over how to make the kids' rather dull textbook lesson interesting for the next day. Lesson planning...it's hard people!! I have been told, and do believe, that it will get easier with time. But for now, I spend 4 hours a day thinking about creative ways to make grammar and vocabulary fun. Only now am I truly beginning to appreciate the tremendous effort my teachers put into teaching me.
School officially started back last Thursday. For the next three weeks I will be teaching 5th grade, then 3 weeks 4th grade, and then 3 weeks 6th grade, and then switch back to 5th, and so on. Teaching itself is so much fun, and relatively stress free. So far the kids respect me, and I have not been confronted with the need for discipline. My work situation is also good. All my co teachers are very friendly, and the other teachers are polite and welcoming as well. Still, I think the knowledge that I am the only foreign teacher in the school, as well as the least experienced one makes me feel a sort of pressure in and of itself. I know that the teachers and principal expect certain standards from me and their watchful gaze makes me anxious. Especially because I do not speak their language and can not actually understand their communicated expectations.
In Korea, once or twice a semester, depending on your school, all teachers including the principal and vice principal go out to dinner together. Last Thursday this happened, and it was great fun! These dinners are largely designed to create a feeling of community and belonging. It is also a chance for co-workers to drink together, something that is accompanied by several cultural traditions. Pouring a drink for someone is considered extremely polite, and the younger should always pour for the elder first. When you pour, you must pour with two hands, and you must be kneeling (everyone is sitting on the ground, as is custom for Korean restaurants). When you receive a drink, it is also with both hands, and when you raise your cup to your mouth (with both hands) you also must turn away from your elder, because it is not polite to drink directly in front of someone. It was so interesting watching this happen at the dinner on Thursday. During the course of the dinner all teachers eventually made their way to the principal to pour him a drink. It all seemed like a well-choreographed dance, as people moved between the low tables, greeting each other, drinking together and then moving on.
As a foreigner people did not expect me to join in the tradition, and so I was left to observe quietly. It was a lot of fun, and my only regret is that I do not understand enough Korean to really know what is going on....maybe next time?
School officially started back last Thursday. For the next three weeks I will be teaching 5th grade, then 3 weeks 4th grade, and then 3 weeks 6th grade, and then switch back to 5th, and so on. Teaching itself is so much fun, and relatively stress free. So far the kids respect me, and I have not been confronted with the need for discipline. My work situation is also good. All my co teachers are very friendly, and the other teachers are polite and welcoming as well. Still, I think the knowledge that I am the only foreign teacher in the school, as well as the least experienced one makes me feel a sort of pressure in and of itself. I know that the teachers and principal expect certain standards from me and their watchful gaze makes me anxious. Especially because I do not speak their language and can not actually understand their communicated expectations.
In Korea, once or twice a semester, depending on your school, all teachers including the principal and vice principal go out to dinner together. Last Thursday this happened, and it was great fun! These dinners are largely designed to create a feeling of community and belonging. It is also a chance for co-workers to drink together, something that is accompanied by several cultural traditions. Pouring a drink for someone is considered extremely polite, and the younger should always pour for the elder first. When you pour, you must pour with two hands, and you must be kneeling (everyone is sitting on the ground, as is custom for Korean restaurants). When you receive a drink, it is also with both hands, and when you raise your cup to your mouth (with both hands) you also must turn away from your elder, because it is not polite to drink directly in front of someone. It was so interesting watching this happen at the dinner on Thursday. During the course of the dinner all teachers eventually made their way to the principal to pour him a drink. It all seemed like a well-choreographed dance, as people moved between the low tables, greeting each other, drinking together and then moving on.
As a foreigner people did not expect me to join in the tradition, and so I was left to observe quietly. It was a lot of fun, and my only regret is that I do not understand enough Korean to really know what is going on....maybe next time?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)