September 1, 2014

September 1, 2014

Today was really hard. I had one too many Korean surprises and I just want to go to bed but have about a million lesson plans to go through. 

I finally caught a bus on time so I didn't have to take a taxi and was planning to talk to the teachers so I could finalize lesson plans (I have had minimal communication about what exactly I'm supposed to be teaching and how to access the textbook lessons online). Then Mr. Song called me the second I got off the bus and asked where I was. I told him I was a couple blocks away, heading for the school and was confused because I wasn't late. He told me the students and teachers had been waiting out on the field for me to give a speech (this was the first I'd ever heard of such a thing). I told him it might take me a few minutes to get there and he said "Oh...that's no good." So I told I'd run and he said "Yes, run please." I was carrying 5 textbooks in a sack as well as my backpack full of teaching materials so the run was not fun. Needless to say, my speech was very asthmatic and scattered. 

After that it was just one thing after another - the English room wasn't set up like they'd told me it was. No internet, the projector wasn't working, I couldn't access my lesson plans, and then I spilled orange juice all over myself. I hadn't even had time to do my hair so it was huge and frizzy after all the running around. Kids showed up and I had nothing prepared. The 3rd grade teacher was no help because she didn't understand me but I finally asked her to take the students back to her classroom and we did the lesson there. After that things went okay. My games ended up being hard to explain to the students but the 3rd graders got into theirs once they understood it. The 6th graders weren't that into them so we had to do boring textbook stuff. Same for 5th since they hadn't learned the vocabulary I thought they had.

I tried to get a head start on my lesson plans for Wednesday when the Vice Principal came in and told me we had to go to my 2nd school (which I'd never been to) right then. I didn't get a chance to save anything to my flashdrive and had to gather up all my stuff and run. 

Luckily, the 2nd school was very nice. The teachers were friendly and one of them speaks English and has offered to give me a ride to and from school so I don't have to bother with a 3rd bus route. The Principal and Vice Principal were both brand new - they'd just arrived that day so there was cake in the faculty room (They called it "cake"... it was not cake. And they kept making me eat more - I dida notu likeu). Misun (the 4th grade teacher who speaks English) showed me around, gave me a NEW stack of textbooks and introduced me to the other teachers. They were all very nice and friendly and the librarian wants to do a language exchange with me, which will be nice. I might spend breaks with her in the library if I get any. I have six classes a day at that school back to back.

The teachers were going to have a party for the new Principal and VP, which seemed to involve a lot of alcohol and a lot of meat. They were all excited and kept asking if I wanted to come. I knew it would be rude to turn down but I just couldn't do anymore. I asked Misun if it would be okay if I just went home and got started on lesson plans for tomorrow. She agreed and told me not to worry about it.

Anyway, I'm having dinner at the 1st counselor's house tomorrow. He was kind enough to offer me a ride from my school. Hopefully things get better soon. I just need to get a feel for how these classes work. 

-Whit