I had an amazing time teaching at Osu Elementary School located in Imsil County near Jeonju! The transit to school was one hour everyday, but seeing my wonderful students was totally worth it! For this post, I will also be including some excerpts from my transfer of duties documents.
I taught curriculum and afterschool English classes to grade one to grade 6 students. In the beginning, I thought it would be very difficult to teach because of our language barrier, but we all put in tremendous effort to try and communicate with each other. I am very grateful for my Korean co-teachers who taught with me and helped with translating English to Korean!
My Class Schedule
School Environment
The school environment was very lively and exciting. The staff and students were always so welcoming and kind. Understanding seniority is very important in Korea. We must bow to our seniors and staff at school. Every morning after I arrive to school, I would first go to the principalβs office to greet her βGood morning principal! β in Korean and bow. This is a great sign of respect in their culture. My mentor teacher is the head teacher of the grade 4 class and I would often participate in activities and field trips with her students. During lunchtime, I would sit and eat with my grade 4 students. I really enjoyed eating at the cafeteria because the food was delicious! My students always made an effort to include and talk with me. After lunch was my one-hour break before my next lesson started, and often my students would visit my classroom to listen to music and communicate with me. Another surprising thing to note is that Koreans brush their teeth right after eating lunch , so I would see many of my kids heading to the washroom to brush their teeth.
I remember during the later half of the year, I got close to my super cute kindergarten students! I didnβt teach kindergarten, but they really loved to bring me to play in their foundation building, which was their own mini school area that was separate from the older kids building. They would take my hand after lunch and lead me to their building! It was great seeing them show me their play area. I would play puzzles and blocks with them and draw and paint.
Preparation for Classes
My Sweet Kids
Korea was so amazing because I had the opportunity to work with the sweetest and kindest kids! They were always so cheerful and happy, and treated me with the utmost respect. Korean culture includes having students bow to the seniors and teachers, so I was taken aback in the beginning when so many of my kids bowed to me. I thought it was adorable! Sometimes if I was teaching class alone without a co-teacher, it can be a bit tough as the students can get noisy and may not pay attention. I learned to be able to control the classes by being very patient and doing my best to calm them down. My tip is to never yell at your kids, but instead raise your voice slightly with assertiveness. I am usually very friendly with them, so if they see my tone and volume changed, they know to be quiet. I only had to break up a small argument once when two of my grade 2 boys were taking a ball away from each other. I spoke to them in an assertive voice, saying no, you cannot do that!
Preparation for first day of school:
Before I travelled to Korea, I heard that buying souvenirs and gifts for the teachers, vice principal and principal was respectful. It is not required, but it is a great way to show appreciation to them! The principal also receives the biggest gift because of seniority level. I bought lots of Canadian goodies such as maple syrup, candies, and nougats to give to my school. I also bought Canada pencils and made little goodie bags for my students.
When I left Korea:
I was so grateful for everyone being so kind and caring to me that I made each class a handwritten card in Korean and English and goodie bags filled with treats and candies for the students. I also bought a thank you cake for all the staff! I miss Korea so, so much and hope I will have the opportunity to visit my school and students again!
Pictures π
What type of school environment do you want to create for your students? π
