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Monday, November 30, 2009

Smooth Sailing

I got through my first day of teaching without a hitch, for the most part. Training really built the classroom experience up to be something that it is not. I was under the impression that if I didn’t prepare, I would be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. No. Turns out, not surprisingly, I overprepared. Somewhere between Chicago and here I forgot how comfortable I feel around kids. I decided to put my foot down at the beginning to ensure no problem kids. Let me tell you, I really know how to lay down the law.
In my first class, the kids began to warm up toward the end and really became responsive and enthusiastic. My second class, I had no such luck. Apparently, the older the kids, the more difficult it becomes. We’re talking 6th graders, here...yea, what a pain. In their defense, I would not be too keen on sitting through more class in addition to public school from 740-1040 pm. Students in Korea usually go to 4 or 5 academies (such as CDI--my employer) after school. Their schedule runs something similar to this: wake up at 6am, go to public school at 7am-230pm, return home for lunch, then go to academy or institute classes (like English class, math and science class, etc.) until 10 or 1030 pm. They then return home and do homework. The average grammar school Korean student gets around 4 hours of sleep! Oh and by the way, this is 6-7 days a week. If I don’t get 8 hours of sleep I am a miserable waste of life. So, I am trying to keep their stressful and exhausting lives in mind when in the classroom.
The branch that I am working at seems great so far. My two bosses are extremely kind and laid back. The first thing my branch manager said to me was “do you drink? good, do you eat meat? good.” Sounds like my kind of man. They are throwing me a welcome party on Friday so I will be able to get to know my coworkers a little better. Also, most branches work on the weekends, but Mark, my boss, vetoed that. So no weekend work, plus I don’t have an evening class on Fridays, meaning I am off early. Things are really looking up for me....I’m making millions, remember.
I do not currently have internet in my apartment, so this is being written from a nearby coffee shop where I get a wireless connection. I have gone to a coffee shop every day since I’ve been here to get my internet fix and maintain my sanity. I am a fiend for the world wide web. I will write and post pictures about the city I am in, Incheon, and my apartment soon.

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