I Done Is a Teechur

 So I am officially a teacher now. It’s interesting just in terms of what I always thought teachers were and the expectations I had for them. I can remember being in sixth grade and getting a teacher fresh out of college. College and even high school seemed so far away then, that I just assumed that people matured and were functional when they had college degrees and stood in front of the future of a society and taught them mathematics. It never occurred to me that no one really has any idea what they are doing when they get out of college, that no one really knows how to teach anything at that particular juncture…

            My first day was pretty much a train-wreck. I was sweating profusely and really had no idea how to talk to the little people in my class. I went by the book for lesson plans and discovered that going by the book for lesson plans gives you twenty extra minutes of class to sit and sweat and have nothing to say to the little people in your class. Thankfully today went considerably better. I think part of it was the students I had, but I also think part of it was the fact that I am getting comfortable in front of a classroom. It’s actually really enjoyable to have extra time now because I can just talk to the kids—ask them about what they like to do, what kind of music they like, movies, etc. It takes a while, but especially after some prodding, they will open up. It’s much harder with the girls. There seems to be a much larger gender divide in Korea—maybe it’s just because I haven’t hung out in middle school in a long time, but all my classes are split right down the middle—girls on one side, boys on the other. Some of the girls are great and talk a lot, but in terms of the ratio of mute boys to mute girls, the girls far outnumber the boys.

            I’m really looking forward to the year though, I think it will be a lot of fun getting to know the kids and teaching them to communicate.

            My social life has been good too. The “Foreigners” (other teachers in Cheongju) are really friendly and a lot of fun. Usually everyone goes out to a few Western bars on the weekend, so everyone gets together and can visit. I’m also taking Taekwondo. Lucci talked myself and the other teacher at Cornerstone, Haley, into doing it. It’s actually been a lot of fun. I’ve only been two days but I find it very therapeutic to axe kick a little black pad and yell “HIYA!” I get my Gee (the Taekwondo outfit) later this week. I’m pretty much going to where it everywhere. If anyone makes fun of me, they’ll get an axe kick to the face.

            HIYA!

            I think that’s all the information I have that would even be of any minute interest to anyone else. I’ll try to update after this weekend. We’re planning a trip for a mountain hike and a river visit.