"Sonsaengnim" Means Teacher

I woke up this morning with a mixture of excitement and anxiety ready to begin my teaching career here in Bundang. Of course I was up way too early and ready before I needed to be, so I left for school and decided to take my sweet time getting there. I felt so funny once I got close to the school buildings (there is a middle school right next to my elementary school) because I was walking on the sidewalk and crossing the street with a sea of Korean students surrounding me.

I was supposed to meet Hye-son promptly at 8:30 A.M. and she strolled in at 8:48 A.M. This seems to be typical of Koreans and her especially. Acting all flustered and like we were in a huge hurry she led me downstairs. I met the principal for the first time. She is this little old lady sitting in this huge classy office. I had prepared a bit of Korean to speak to her with Hyun-jin’s help this weekend, and she was very impressed.

Hye-son will be observing my sixth grade classes throughout the week and another English teacher, Lisa, will be observing my fourth and fifth grade classes throughout the week. I taught four classes today, three sixth grade classes and one fourth grade class. I must speak honestly and say that I was slightly appalled with the Korean students’ behavior today. Hye-son warned me about the sixth grade. They were extremely noisy and talked nonstop the entire class period. On top of that they talked over each other, laughed at other students, played with pencils, erasers, anything they could get their hands on. One student was even playing with a tiny pet mouse that crawled out of a little tin home on her desk. It did not even seem to faze them that I was a guest teacher in their building. Very rude. I was thinking that the fourth grade might be a little better, but no dice. They were very distracted, bouncing balls, playing with clay, talking, etc. the whole time as well. It made me feel a little better that they did not act any differently towards their Korean teachers, so I know it is not just me, but I was still kind of in shock at the disrespect. Either the two Korean teachers that I was with today have no classroom management skills (which seems evident) or these Korean children are some of the most poorly behaved schoolchildren I have worked with thus far.

I cannot really comment on their level on English yet, but most were able to speak to me and write some English so I was pleased to see that. Some students even told me that they had been born, lived, or traveled to English speaking countries before.

Tomorrow is a new day with a new set of classes to teach, so I will be observing their behavior and I will report back. Could it be that I just happened to teach the three worst sixth grade classes and the one worst fourth grade class all in the same day?? I’m thinking I might not be that lucky…

You know the old joke seen on T.V. and in movies about the “mystery meat” served in American school cafeterias? Well, that will pretty much be my lunch everyday. I eat the school cafeteria food with some other teachers in the cafeteria. I have decided the best way to approach lunch is to embrace a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I don’t really want to know if that sauce covered meat is dog.

There was a teacher’s meeting after school today where all the teachers and principals discussed important happenings, assessments, etc. At the beginning of the meeting I was asked to come up to the front of the room and introduce myself. They all “ooooed” and “ahhhhed” as I made my way up there. Once again I dazzled them with what very little Korean I know. They all clapped for me. Now, if you have ever attended a teacher’s meeting in the States, or any business meeting for that matter, you fully understand what a boring hour or more you are in for. Try attending one solely in Korean.

Namaste