[Traveling Teacher] Fun Stuff

Teachers!

Guys, I really can't complain as an elementary school ESL teacher here. I know I'm technically in the honeymoon stage still, but this job has a lot more perks than downfalls. Like the scale is way unbalanced. The only moments where I get frustrated are when the kids are a little too rambunctious--it's a little more tolerated here than in the States. Things like "listening ears" and "quiet when others are speaking" aren't really enforced to the levels they are at home, and it's not just like that in school either. Often times, I have to tell students to quiet down when I'm trying to get one of the quieter students to say something, and that can get annoying, but kids are kids after all! I kinda would rather see them too rambunctious than overly reserved.

Group 9! Can you find me?

Anyhow, here's an example of some of the fun stuff that comes with being a teacher! Today the elementary students had a sort of festival (not sure how to phrase it). Typically the Namwon teachers leave school after lunch on Wednesdays anyway. We go to an elementary school nearby our villa at 3:00 p.m. and either have a Korean lesson or a Korean culture experience. However, today we met at Haneul Middle School where the education office set up a sort of "Running Man" style festival for us and the students. We were split into 9 groups, and we went to each station to learn about Korean culture. The kids had to act as our translators, and the other teachers judged them on their abilities to speak English. Everything from a Hanbok fashion show to tea drinking to ordering tea at a cafe to playing traditional Korean games--we got a little exposure to it all. It was an absolute blast, and the kids were so stinkin' cute! I didn't get any of my students from my usual schools, but I met new ones who were adorable. It was kind of funny because our group had two teachers, myself and Tom, and without fail our group tended to break apart into the girls with me and the boys with Tom.

This mission: "Make teachers creatively fashionable with 7 scarves."

It was also nice because we were in the old downtown of Namwon, and a lot of the shops got involved and gave out little souvenirs to us and the kids after each round. Probably the absolute funniest moment, though, was at the end. This is one of those prime Korean kids vs. American kids moments. One of my girls was trying to give a scarf to a teacher while we were all crowded, trying to get a picture. When she thought the teacher realized she was talking to her, she tossed the scarf at what she thought would be her open hand. However, it turns out the teacher wasn't paying attention at all, and it seemed like the girl was just throwing something at her. The girl's embarrassment was so extreme! She covered her face and crouched down, and stayed like that for a good while. I was laughing as the Korean teacher realized the mistake and just waved it off, and I had to keep telling her it was alright.

One of my co-teachers and our students.

Anyhow, I'm really liking this teaching thing, in case you're wondering. Even the "naughtier" kids make my day. Like one of my other students, whose favorite thing to say to me is, "Teacher, give me candy," was disappointed I wasn't in his group, according to my co-teacher.