So it has been maybe a few months!?!
I'm back in the public computer rooms with the smoke and darkness and a blindingly bright screen to type what has occupied my mind most in a day in South Korea on the beautiful island that is Jeju.
As a small back drop I moved house on the weekend which was MENTAL as everything happened so so quickly but all you need know is that I now have a room double the size of my entire previous living space. There is a huge dining room/ come kitchen, another bedroom (which is under the direction of Paul), two bathrooms and a balcony which runs the entire perimeter of our flat. Also I have me own little balcony attached to my room. We are on the second floor and the view is INCREDIBLE! We are looking right out to the ocean and are now 3mins away from one of the best beaches on Jeju island.....
All this is costing us half the rent of our last place (about 100 pounds per month). I am so happy right now. Also when we moved in I heard a
'Simon teacher!?!'
'Ah Simon teacher!!'
'AHHHHHH SIMON TEACHER SIMON TEACHER!!!!'
and there was 4 kids who I taught during Winter Camp jumping up and down outside our flat. No jokes, they were so chuffed to help us move our stuff into the flat. The last item was a chair which one kid could carry but all four of them were holding it, and if they weren't able to hold it they were at least touching it. They live in the same building as us so there shall definitely be no crack cocaine parties anymore! How I shall miss those parties...
Unfortunately heating is somewhat of an issue as oil is super expensive here and myself and Paul don't really have enough money to heat the floor everyday so we are just living in faith of the summer coming soon. The big room is beautiful but BOY does it get cold. Also today is the first day of my first proper hot hot shower out of the 5 days we have lived there. My mood has been top all day today from that shower. I did not realise how much I missed condensation.
So on the school front and the main reason I am here (:S) this week has been the first proper week back at school for teaching and so many new kids have joined in. I cannot believe the different types of kids we're now teaching. One kid is a HUGE problem in grade 1 as he cannot concentrate ever, and then yesterday I gave him a worsksheet and he was as fluent with a pen on paper as a Japanese man is with a harpoon on a whale. He is soooooooo intelligent and I think he is mostly bored because we are learning proper basic stuff.
I am bragging when I type this, there is no doubt about it but I am proper chuffed about it. I had a list of after-school activities through and the student sign up list and this year English is the most popular by a margin of almost 20 students. GET IN!!!
We're now teaching just under 60 students out of 85 (ish). It's slightly daunting for us (me and Koon, the new co-teacher) but quite exciting. The principal of the school is SO happy though. Also Koon is keeping such good control of the kids... now some of them even bow to me before they leave the classroom.
AND more and more problem children are joining the classes which is actually turning out to be a really good thing as we are somehow (I don't know how!?!) making English more accessible for them. Out of a class of 19 first and second graders yesterday I had only one child who looked bored and whose head was on the table. Compared to my first day there that is miraculous. No exaggeration. Also today a kid came who I have noticed before because of his attitude in school. He is in Grade 5 and has got an attention problem but I found out yesterday he has joined new at the orphanage. So he signed up today and I'm quite looking forward to (not in a good way or bad way) tomorrows lesson to see what happens. However I have two kids in that class with real attitiude problems so I think everything may cancel each other out.... or just add up to a big explosion haha!! I'll tell ya when it happens :P.
Heres to the start of a new term!
Thursday 10 March 2011
Friday 14 January 2011
Sunday 9 January 2011
I'm understanding that I haven't written anything in here for quite some time!!
Also I've noticed it really has been about whats occuring in my day, and as interesting as that may seem to me, it's not so interesting for you AND SO I have now decided to try and document Jeju-do life for you... from as neutral stance as possible, however unfortunately I have been living here now for 5 months so BRING ON THE BIASED OPINIONS!!!!!
This week and last week I have/had winter camp. This is where the kids are on vacaction but if they want, they can come on a special camp to learn English and it is SO MUCH FUN. Last week I was with four different schools but this week I'm at my own school with 20 students and they are Grade's 1, 2 and 3.
Today I had to put 4 hours worth of lessons together so I took a fragile lesson plan in today and it worked so well. We did Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The first hour was the story (with Liz (the Irish Epik teacher) narrating and I had the fortunate part to play of Goldilocks) and then they had to re-write Goldilocks with an alternate ending. Then the second hour was games relating to Goldilocks then for the 3rd and 4th hour we played a few more games and got the kids to act out their alternate endings in the play.
First ending: A hunter comes in the house and starts shooting the bears.
Second ending: Goldilocks apologises and everything is fine.
Third ending: Goldilocks gets eaten by the bears.
Fourth ending: Goldilocks gets eaten by the bears.
I've always been to weary of getting the kids to do drama but it turns out today that they have mines of it. The kids loved it as well.
Also today I completed my second piano book!! I was called 'smart' by my piano teacher (first time I've been called that word in years) AND I'm only on my 8th lesson!!! There's an old Mozart in the making here I tell you.
Watch this space for new and upcoming info on Jeju.... Woooooohoooooo!!
Also I've noticed it really has been about whats occuring in my day, and as interesting as that may seem to me, it's not so interesting for you AND SO I have now decided to try and document Jeju-do life for you... from as neutral stance as possible, however unfortunately I have been living here now for 5 months so BRING ON THE BIASED OPINIONS!!!!!
This week and last week I have/had winter camp. This is where the kids are on vacaction but if they want, they can come on a special camp to learn English and it is SO MUCH FUN. Last week I was with four different schools but this week I'm at my own school with 20 students and they are Grade's 1, 2 and 3.
Today I had to put 4 hours worth of lessons together so I took a fragile lesson plan in today and it worked so well. We did Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The first hour was the story (with Liz (the Irish Epik teacher) narrating and I had the fortunate part to play of Goldilocks) and then they had to re-write Goldilocks with an alternate ending. Then the second hour was games relating to Goldilocks then for the 3rd and 4th hour we played a few more games and got the kids to act out their alternate endings in the play.
First ending: A hunter comes in the house and starts shooting the bears.
Second ending: Goldilocks apologises and everything is fine.
Third ending: Goldilocks gets eaten by the bears.
Fourth ending: Goldilocks gets eaten by the bears.
I've always been to weary of getting the kids to do drama but it turns out today that they have mines of it. The kids loved it as well.
Also today I completed my second piano book!! I was called 'smart' by my piano teacher (first time I've been called that word in years) AND I'm only on my 8th lesson!!! There's an old Mozart in the making here I tell you.
Watch this space for new and upcoming info on Jeju.... Woooooohoooooo!!
Monday 27 December 2010
Today I had my first piano lesson.
I went from school (my hours are different this week; I'm working 9am - 12.30.... no school lunch :() straight to the piano lady's house. It was slightly like an interrogation. She sat me down.
"Why do you want to learn the piano?"
Then her neighbour came in to see what I was like. Her neighbour's English was really good so we could talk really well and afterwards I think they decided I wasn't a bad foreigner and she began teaching me.
When we phoned her yesterday to arrange it, we decided that the lessons would be best from 6pm - 7pm, then 2 hours later she phoned back to tell me that her husband wasn't happy with the arrangement and it would have to be earlier.
The white people they have met or have heard of before did wonders to damage the image of foreigners.
It was a beautiful moment when I began playing though as I forgot how great it is to learn something physical. These last 3 years of reading books have worn down my interest in learning and today, I believe it has been re-ignited.
As this week is a school vacation, over 4 lessons I taught (collectively) maybe 10 students!! We began playing a Spongebob Squarepants boardgame which was too complicated to explain so we made our own rules up. Also we played my new game of 'How long can you stand on one leg for, whilst pulling a stupid face without laughing' which went down a treat. THEN the troublesome fifth graders were demanding 'Simon Says' which they normally hate. Seems that being in school during vacation results in thier wanting more fun, no matter how small it is.
I went from school (my hours are different this week; I'm working 9am - 12.30.... no school lunch :() straight to the piano lady's house. It was slightly like an interrogation. She sat me down.
"Why do you want to learn the piano?"
Then her neighbour came in to see what I was like. Her neighbour's English was really good so we could talk really well and afterwards I think they decided I wasn't a bad foreigner and she began teaching me.
When we phoned her yesterday to arrange it, we decided that the lessons would be best from 6pm - 7pm, then 2 hours later she phoned back to tell me that her husband wasn't happy with the arrangement and it would have to be earlier.
The white people they have met or have heard of before did wonders to damage the image of foreigners.
It was a beautiful moment when I began playing though as I forgot how great it is to learn something physical. These last 3 years of reading books have worn down my interest in learning and today, I believe it has been re-ignited.
As this week is a school vacation, over 4 lessons I taught (collectively) maybe 10 students!! We began playing a Spongebob Squarepants boardgame which was too complicated to explain so we made our own rules up. Also we played my new game of 'How long can you stand on one leg for, whilst pulling a stupid face without laughing' which went down a treat. THEN the troublesome fifth graders were demanding 'Simon Says' which they normally hate. Seems that being in school during vacation results in thier wanting more fun, no matter how small it is.
Thursday 23 December 2010
This morning I'm sat in me room with the heating on, me double doors BOTH closed, wearing a hoody, two pairs of socks, a jacket and me hood up and its still cold. The wind is so desperate to get into my room this morning... I think it really wants to be my friend.
The sea is in turmoil with waves jumping over the harbour wall and the seagulls are having difficulty trying to fly anywhere; at the moment they are just hovvering around the place looking like they are in control, but I know they're not.
Today all of my lessons have been cancelled (WooHoo!!) but I've still gotta go into school. I promised all the kids a party today so I think they are going to hunt me down and eat me alive in school today when it occurs to them that no English = no party.
Tonight is going to be something quite special. We're going out in the city and with our boss. Also, one of the teachers from school has asked me to phone her when I get in because her and her sister want to go drinking aswell. On top of this it's Christmas Eve. I cannot wait.
Then tomorrow we have Christmas day in Hallim and we have maybe 5 other people coming to join us from other places so it should be a proper good day. AND the Aussie who is leaving is being replaced by a chap called Ben who has been living on the mainland for the past 6 months. May not seem that interesting but he is a top chap. We got to know him in orientation and he came to visit us for one weekend and managed to fall in love with Jeju in two days and asked to be transferred. Gotta trust those feelings eh?
At Winter Camp, for sports day, I told my Mentor Teacher about British Bull Dogs. She was delighted and wants to use it with 120 kids. I've began grooming them and yesterday we played it for the first time and it was AMAZING!! One girl dropped out from exhaustion and then two other kids were chasin each other around the playground because one of em pulled the others hair tooo tooo hard but they LOVED it!! Those kids are gonna win on the day we play it.
After I wrote this I popped out for 5 mins to get some milk wearing all me jackets and hat and my hands and face were numb and my face was wet from secret tears!! All this cold and no snow.
The sea is in turmoil with waves jumping over the harbour wall and the seagulls are having difficulty trying to fly anywhere; at the moment they are just hovvering around the place looking like they are in control, but I know they're not.
Today all of my lessons have been cancelled (WooHoo!!) but I've still gotta go into school. I promised all the kids a party today so I think they are going to hunt me down and eat me alive in school today when it occurs to them that no English = no party.
Tonight is going to be something quite special. We're going out in the city and with our boss. Also, one of the teachers from school has asked me to phone her when I get in because her and her sister want to go drinking aswell. On top of this it's Christmas Eve. I cannot wait.
Then tomorrow we have Christmas day in Hallim and we have maybe 5 other people coming to join us from other places so it should be a proper good day. AND the Aussie who is leaving is being replaced by a chap called Ben who has been living on the mainland for the past 6 months. May not seem that interesting but he is a top chap. We got to know him in orientation and he came to visit us for one weekend and managed to fall in love with Jeju in two days and asked to be transferred. Gotta trust those feelings eh?
At Winter Camp, for sports day, I told my Mentor Teacher about British Bull Dogs. She was delighted and wants to use it with 120 kids. I've began grooming them and yesterday we played it for the first time and it was AMAZING!! One girl dropped out from exhaustion and then two other kids were chasin each other around the playground because one of em pulled the others hair tooo tooo hard but they LOVED it!! Those kids are gonna win on the day we play it.
After I wrote this I popped out for 5 mins to get some milk wearing all me jackets and hat and my hands and face were numb and my face was wet from secret tears!! All this cold and no snow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)