Pieces
by Keith Malament
Teach in South Korea
Teaching Begins!
August 31, 2009
So as I prepare for my first day of teaching classes in Korea, honestly, I am feeling maybe just a little (A LOT) stressed out. Teaching little kids is a big deal for me and I am sort of afraid that one of my second graders will pop up and knife me if I don't do a good job (that's a joke.) I guess what I am trying to refer to right now is the level of mystery, which is inherent in all beginnings. In other words, we don't know how things are going to work out at the beginning. We hope. But we don't know.
I think my fear is that things won’t work out immediately despite tons and tons planning on my part On the one (usually more dominant) hand, before I came here, I thought about how sick it would be to travel somewhere exotic. On the other hand, I realized that teaching little kids was a pretty intimidating challenge. And that’s ok because no matter what my reasons for immersing myself into a completely new and different culture was, conquering my fears has made the whole experience!
For me it didn't really hit home until I met the kids in my class for the first time because they treated me like an absolute god! I don't even think I am that cool and I've known me for 22 years at this point. And yet, for some crazy reason all these kids want to do is be just like me. For the first time in my life I feel a real sense of ownership and responsibility for what I am doing. And the fact that I am discovering all this while immersed half way across the world in South Korea just makes it all the more special.
Teaching Advice
September 15, 2009
Teaching here is really fun but it’s tricky. You can't just go into your classroom without a plan because if you do the kids will eat you alive. To this, the thing I have found the hardest about teaching so far is the line between being their teacher and being their friend. Ask any person who is just starting out and they'll tell you that they want to be one of two things. Either they'll tell you they want to be the type of teacher that all the kids love or they'll tell you they want to be the type of teacher all the kids fear. In my opinion you shouldn't try to be either one of these things, but a teacher the kids respect.
Kids in Korea are incredibly smart and in some respects advanced for their age. It’s even gotten to the point where a lot of the time I have to actually remind myself that these kids are just kindergartners. Parents expect a lot from their kids in Korea and thus expect a lot from you as their teacher. This is why I think it’s really important whether you've had a lot of teaching experience or just a little to set up your classroom in a manner that gives the kids chances to succeed rather than fail. This could be a sticker system such as I am using or maybe a monthly prize system. Either way, the most important thing is that the classroom is organized in a manner that encourages students to want to impress you as the teacher.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier the other factor is the parents. You do not want parents calling in and complaining about what you’re doing in your classroom. I know this sounds really freaky, but the good thing is its really easy to avoid. The best way to avoid having parents do this is just to try and include them in the learning process.
For instance, for my speech class, every week, I send home a written copy of what the weekly speech is, an audio copy of me saying it, an audio copy of the student presenting it on the day it was supposed to be memorized for, and lastly a teacher assessment rubric for how the student did that week. Now I know that looks like a lot of stuff but its really not. And the important thing about all of it is that it allows the parents to be active in monitoring how their child is doing in your class. For instance, if I was just to send home a report of how they did, some parents honestly might not believe you. This is something that happens all the time because a lot of parents will not want to accept that their kid isn't perfect. This is why it’s important to provide them with a copy of what the child actually performed in class. Parents in Korea are usually more than willing to help their kids, but only if their given the proper means to do so... and it’s the thing I have found the hardest since actually getting is being a good teacher. Teaching is what you make of it and can the best or worst aspect of your entire experience. So plan accordingly!