It has already been 9 months since I left the states to start my grant year in Korea. I cant believe that time has passed by so quickly. This new semester represents the second half, the conclusion, the finale to my year. Winter break is over and with it my hiatus from responsibility. Here is what is happening / has happened so far.
New semester for school
My old second graders have now become third graders and entered what will be their most intense and demanding year. They are noticeably more serious and responsible than they were before. I'm glad that they realize how important this year is for their futures and are acting accordingly. However, they have been replaced with another bright class of students! They have not yet had their souls crushed by the demands of a Korean high school. They are very active, happy, and maybe a bit naive. The big bosses of middle school have not yet seen the difficulties of their future. Their enthusiasm has been great for me and a great second wind for this semester.
I have realized that these students are my real impact in Korea. As much as I can grow and gain personally, my window for making a difference in their lives is closing. I have been re-energized to really help my students with the time that I have left. I want to have a lasting effect in their lives.
- Book Club -
One new initiative I started with all my students is a book club. We are currently reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. My object with this is two fold: 1) to expose my students to more complex expressions and structures of English, and 2) to empower these students and show that they have the capabilities to read English novels. I think that if they read through this book with some guidance, they will be encouraged to continue after my time with them has passed. Sustainability is the KEY! I want their English to continue to grow! I have challenged my students to articulate complex ideas and they are responding very well!
North Korean Defectors Program
So we have also restarted our North Korean Defectors Program at the Gwangju North HANA center. We have new students, up from 3 to 8! The US Embassy has also provided us with books and teaching tools to really make our classes more effective. For the sake of their privacy, I have decided not to upload their photos without asking for permission first. However, we have a much more grounded curriculum for them now, more volunteer teachers, and a great hope for the rest of this semester. Hopefully, I will be able to share a more photo friendly post with some reflections on this program. I think that it is really good work.
Jeju Spring Conference
Ah! Welcome to the island. All of the ETAs were really looking forward to the spring conference. I wanted to see my friends, have fun, and really energize myself to finish with a bang! We also had some interviews but more on a later date.
I can really see why Jeju is known as the paradise of Korea. The lay of the land was beautiful, the ocean on all sides was astounding, and our 4 star hotel with an international breakfast buffet was phenomenal. I think that I will try to come back here during my off week for exams. We had so much fund together as we shared our experiences and our hopes going forward for the next semester. It really felt that we were all completely different people since our last conference. We really have had so much experience in between and are rolling downhill from here. I'll let the photos really speak for themselves on this.
My MOM
My mom is here, but she is too busy hanging out with her mom. Rejected. Today, we picked the heads off of anchovies for an hour together. Hopefully we do a family outing soon and they will let me take pictures.
New semester for school
My old second graders have now become third graders and entered what will be their most intense and demanding year. They are noticeably more serious and responsible than they were before. I'm glad that they realize how important this year is for their futures and are acting accordingly. However, they have been replaced with another bright class of students! They have not yet had their souls crushed by the demands of a Korean high school. They are very active, happy, and maybe a bit naive. The big bosses of middle school have not yet seen the difficulties of their future. Their enthusiasm has been great for me and a great second wind for this semester.
I have realized that these students are my real impact in Korea. As much as I can grow and gain personally, my window for making a difference in their lives is closing. I have been re-energized to really help my students with the time that I have left. I want to have a lasting effect in their lives.
Good luck~
- Book Club -
One new initiative I started with all my students is a book club. We are currently reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. My object with this is two fold: 1) to expose my students to more complex expressions and structures of English, and 2) to empower these students and show that they have the capabilities to read English novels. I think that if they read through this book with some guidance, they will be encouraged to continue after my time with them has passed. Sustainability is the KEY! I want their English to continue to grow! I have challenged my students to articulate complex ideas and they are responding very well!
North Korean Defectors Program
So we have also restarted our North Korean Defectors Program at the Gwangju North HANA center. We have new students, up from 3 to 8! The US Embassy has also provided us with books and teaching tools to really make our classes more effective. For the sake of their privacy, I have decided not to upload their photos without asking for permission first. However, we have a much more grounded curriculum for them now, more volunteer teachers, and a great hope for the rest of this semester. Hopefully, I will be able to share a more photo friendly post with some reflections on this program. I think that it is really good work.
Jeju Spring Conference
Ah! Welcome to the island. All of the ETAs were really looking forward to the spring conference. I wanted to see my friends, have fun, and really energize myself to finish with a bang! We also had some interviews but more on a later date.
I can really see why Jeju is known as the paradise of Korea. The lay of the land was beautiful, the ocean on all sides was astounding, and our 4 star hotel with an international breakfast buffet was phenomenal. I think that I will try to come back here during my off week for exams. We had so much fund together as we shared our experiences and our hopes going forward for the next semester. It really felt that we were all completely different people since our last conference. We really have had so much experience in between and are rolling downhill from here. I'll let the photos really speak for themselves on this.
The view outside our window
The hotel court yard (back)
Yum
B-A-C-O-N
Don't worry, they still had Kimchi
The bottom of Sunrise Peak
From Sunrise Peak, with Mt. Halla in the background
Friends at the summit
The view below
Chitty chatters
Photo time!
You want a piece of me and my camera?
Lets take pictures of us taking pictures of each other
Some Chinese/Taiwanese guy that was being loud the whole time
Interesting rock formations
Whatcha doin?
Oh you know.. talking to a real-life scientist
Work the camera and the waterfall
I'm sending this one in to get a job with the Bieber Fragrance Campaign
Beautiful, Thousand, Cave?
Newest member of the YMCA: Bourgeois Caver Explorer
Pretty rocks and water
Green in a cave...srsly
Astutely pointing out the lack of pants.
A cave painting. Don't think its too old though...
Aint nobody say there aint no Ostriches in Korea
Ride the mighty tiger to BATTLE
Optical illusion of the tiger's might
Was this inappropriate?
The couple
Having a good time? Gotcha!
Me and my oriental zodiac partner
My MOM
My mom is here, but she is too busy hanging out with her mom. Rejected. Today, we picked the heads off of anchovies for an hour together. Hopefully we do a family outing soon and they will let me take pictures.
