Last Days of Teaching

JULY 17 (Tuesday): OPEN CLASS

3 more days of teaching and all I had to do was successfully execute my last Open Class for the 2nd grade parents. I worried that we wouldn't have time to get through each topic in the lesson. I packed more into those 40 minutes (to impress the parents) than we normally accomplished in one week. Everything went smoothly. The students listened, and for that reason, we almost got through everything with time to spare. Even the students who never paid attention raised their hands. I'm sure they were trying to impress their parents, too.

VIDEO: 2nd Grade reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears

VIDEO: 2nd Grade reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears

VIDEO: Grade 3-4 reading Hansel and Gretel

JULY 18 (Wednesday): LAST KINDERGARTEN CLASS

Daebul is surrounded by farmland

Different crops grown & harvested every week

Kindergarten class

Discipline & Sticker charts: Grades 1-2

Discipline & Sticker charts: Grades 3-4

Despite the discipline & sticker charts, the kids still run around like animals...

Standing on chairs...

Tugging on the fan strings...

JULY 20 (Friday): LAST DAY OF TEACHING

Bus Buddies   :)

My last day of teaching felt bittersweet. On one hand, I felt relieved that my teaching days were over. No more yelling. No more frustration with the language barrier. No more high-pitched voices whining for yellow stickers, candy, prizes, or the Angry Birds Game. No more ABCs! On the other hand, I felt sad knowing that I would never see their smiling, toothless faces again. I wouldn't know if they grew up to be doctors or lawyers or if they stayed in Yeongam for the rest of their lives. Who knows?

Seonmin & Seonju writing me farewell notes on postits

My desk calendar, now covered in goodbye notes

aww I'm an angel  *bwing bwing*

The kids still don't listen...I'm a terrible disciplinarian.

Jumping from desk to desk

VIDEO: Kids everywhere

VIDEO: A typical day before class starts

They jump on my desk too. It's insane.

Ok time to get my camera back

My last few classes consisted of end of the month evaluations for grades 1-4. I summoned them individually to my desk to test their retention of vocabulary, phrases, and reading that we learned in the past month. I showed them PowerPoint slides that we learned together, and they would tell me what the images translated to in English. Some students breezed through the exam. Others really struggled, which was painful to watch on my last day on the job!

I took pictures with my 3 classes that day. The youngest ones told me not to go and hugged me tightly. My grade 3-4's wrote me letters during class. The 6th grade class also brought me letters. Many wrote that they would always remember me and hoped that I would do the same.

1st grade

1st grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

Grades 3-4

Grades 3-4

Grades 3-4

Ok time to get my camera back

I prepared for my departure from Daebul Elementary School. I brought a mocha cake for the teachers and staff to share. I also wrote cards (translated into Korean) and gifted rice cakes for my co-teacher and the teacher who drives me home everyday.

After school, the teachers and staff threw me a farewell party in the teachers' lounge. I walked in to the smell of pizza and fried chicken accompanied by the mocha cake I brought, a tray of fresh cut watermelon slices, and liter bottles of Coca Cola. We all sat down. The vice principal read my card and everyone seemed pleased. There was more than enough food and the pizza was great. You know you've been in Korea for too long when you think that the pizza -- fake cheese and all -- tastes amazing. 

nom nom time

Pizza with cheese-stuffed crust. Yes!

Afterwards, I went back to my classroom to clean up once and for all. So many worksheets, copies of homework packets, lined paper templates just floating around needing to be sorted or thrown away. My co-teacher helped me put supplies away. The classroom will be in disuse until the next scholar comes in early September. It didn't feel like my last day, but it was finally time to close the door for good. 15 classes per week. 60 classes per month. ~660 classes in 11 months -- not including the extra hour of kindergarten every week. Can't believe that I survived a year in Korea. Can't believe I survived a year of teaching! That chapter is finally over and now it is time to say good-bye to all of the friends that I have gotten to know in Jeollanam-do. Next stop: Gwangju!

Good-bye, Happy English Town

Good-bye, ABCs!

Good-bye, Daebul

Good-bye, Yeongam

Last Day in Jochiwon

Today is my last day in Jochiwon! Woke up early to finish packing and had 8:40am briefing as usual. We received our TaLK Scholar identification cards & certificates for completing orientation. Shortly, we will be attending the closing ceremony in the main auditorium followed by lunch in the cafeteria. Then we will all be going our separate ways in South Korea. I'm going to Jeollanam-do (or Jeonnam), which is south west. I think my bus ride will take at least 2 hours. It sort of sucks to be so far south because everyone else is either north or centralized, you know? My Jeonnam orientation will last 6 days and 5 nights in Gwangju, the 6th largest city in South Korea. Not sure where we are staying yet, hopefully in a hotel! I heard that some people in other provinces are staying in a temple for their first night and then relocating to a hotel. We'll see how we go.

Yesterday, we had a taste of what teaching English was like. We paired off and taught two 45-minute lessons and one 30-minute lesson at an English camp not far from here. My partner and I worked with 4 kids, who were 13 years old and mostly played games to encourage them to speak English. I think that the kids know a bit, but can't pronounce the words very well. All we taught them were emotions (i.e., "I feel happy" / "I feel tired") and likes/dislikes (i.e., "I like candy" / "I don't like homework"). It was exhausting, but pretty fun. I wish we could team-teach out in our individual schools!

I'm no longer dying of sickness. I sort of recovered from the worst of it in a day, and now I have a cough. But at this point, everyone has a cough, so it's all the same.

Oh yeah, and it's my birthday today! Two years ago, I celebrated my 20th on a rainy day in Melbourne. Last year, I celebrated my 21st with my Oxy friends (and helped with Oxy's international orientation). And now I'm headed to Gwangju for my 22nd! Exciting times ahead.

Cheers mates!