...And we're back!

Hello Second Semester!

Returning to school after the vacation is the worst! I sometimes feel as though I'm more depressed about the start of the semester than my students but then I show up to class and see their cute little faces and that sadness disappears.

Like me, the students don't want to be at school so to make the day less painful for all of us I like to kick off the first week with a few ice-breakers and games.  Often times the students get really sucked into the first game that we play so we end up just playing that for the rest of the class.  My co-teachers also get into the spirit of things and join in which is always encouraging.

Today was rather easy for me as I only had one class but I'm certain that the rest of the week will follow suit.  Here's hoping for a great semester and lots of smiles along the way!

Happy Summer!

Today marks the end of the first semester. Like most teachers I am ecstatic.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job but to be effective in the classroom we as teachers deserve a lot of rest and relaxation.  Being an ESL teacher in Korea limits this time to 8 days during the summer vacation (as per our contract) and we are required to teach a summer camp for 2 weeks prior to our vacation.  But, the upside of the camp is that you have complete control of how you use your time.

 Summer in Korea is HOT and HUMID and the last thing the students want is to sit and listen to me lecture on. So, keeping that in mind I have planned a series of interactive games which doesn't require too much prep work and will allow for time to pass swiftly.  


One of my favourite games is "Stop the Bus"  It's excellent to review vocabulary or parts of speech.  

How to play:   Write 5 categories on the board, for example: 

1. Animals

2. Sports/games

3. People

4. Places

5. Food

Then choose a letter. Get them to write one word for each category that starts with the letter. I also place a time limit which makes things a little more competitive but the students have a lot of fun.

You can put the students into teams if you're working with a large group.  

Variation:  Instead of the categories mentioned above you can get the students to write down a noun, verb and adjective beginning with a certain alphabet.  

The first team to fill in all the categories shouts "STOP THE BUS!" and all other teams must stop writing. Points are awarded for every correct answer. 

The students get really into this game and even when I say "game over" they beg to continue.

NB: Take a look at my post on games for more ideas. But, above everything else, have a SUPERB SUMMER!!!

Laugh out Loud

I love to laugh, even in a difficult or awkward situation I will find a reason to crack a joke and laugh.  Being in Korea has certainly contributed to my need to laugh out loud all the time.  My students have a very low grasp of the English language but they try really hard and that brings me a lot of joy as fulfilment. Through their valiant efforts in trying to study English they manage to make me laugh.

I am required to conduct interviews with the students every year and grade them on their speaking ability.  It's usually difficult to keep a straight face because their answers are out of this world funny.

Here are some highlights from my classroom.

Me: What job would you never do and why?

Student: I don't want to do any job that uses my body because I don't want to get tired.

Me: What job would you like to do?

Student: A job that only uses my mind.

Question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Answer:  I want to be a mathematician because I want to have smart brain. My favorite subject is math. Especially I love numbers from zero to nine, numbers can make lots of various problems. So in the future I want to be a mathematician like Euclid.

Task: Write a travel diary about a trip you took with your family or school.

My Travel Diary

Hello, I'm Kim-Dohyun. Now, I'm going Igidae with my family.  The place is very dark at night and a lot's of warm. But it is very funny.  Next time, I'll come again.

My Travel Diary

When I went to Seoul I was very excited but I felt dissopointed because we were going Everland again!  At first night I slept with 'Lee Hyun' I thought he didn't take a shower because he smelled very dirty but I slept because I was tired.

This trip was tied but very exciting! but I didn't want to go Everland again.


The next conversation took place during the 3rd lesson of the day.  It was a Tuesday morning around 11:15 am. So my students shouts from his seat, "Teacher, what time is it?"
I reply, It's 11:15. Why? Do have an appointment?" 
He responds, "No, I'm hungry! My stomach alarm is ringing."


There is never a dull moment in my class.  I could publish a small book if I wrote down every little thing my students say or do.  I love them to bits!^^

Vacation classes

One of the first things I learnt about Korea was that they are passionate about education.  Their passion is so great that you will find students returning from a learning institute at midnight, and getting up early over the weekend to go to school.  As a guest English teacher we are expected to go with the flow and teach during the vacation. As predicted the students don't want to be there and us teachers would much rather be spending our summer at the beach or travelling to some inexpensive yet exotic location.  Thus, to make the 2 longs weeks move as fast as possible I turn my classroom into a cool vacation hang out.  

Day one usually begins with a short introduction lesson.  I also assign nicknames to the students (it makes it easier for me to remember).  To keep the atmosphere light I play a game of pictionary or charades and I dish out candy.  Fortunately we only have to be at school for 3 hours so by the end of it the students are "hypnotized" into believing that the rest of the 2 weeks are going to be just as much fun. And they are not wrong.

I try to theme each day and do activities related to that theme.  For example:

Week 1

Monday: Welcome party

·         Introductions

·         Getting to know each other

·      Icebreakers 

Introduction Lesson

Tuesday: All about summer

•  Summer games
•     Crafts

    

  

Wednesday:  Detectives for a day

·         What are detectives?

·         What do they do?

·         Solving mini mysteries

Thursday: Around the world in 3 hours

·         A look at different countries and their culture, food, clothing etc.

Friday: Going to the movies

·         How we buy tickets

·         Movie genres

·         Watch a movie and complete a set of activities related to the movie.

    Vacations are for having fun so have fun with your lessons and make the students eager to come back everyday.  By the end of the vacation classes they will be sad that it's over.

 Happy teaching :)

Learning about each other

Getting to know your students is really important. Finding out their likes and dislikes can be very helpful when you're preparing future lessons.

I like to use the first two lessons of the semester as introductory lessons.  The lesson usually begins with me telling the students about myself, where I come from, hobbies, interests, etc. Then I turn the lesson over to the kids and get them speaking about themselves.  It's usually difficult for them to come up with the right words so I like to provide them with a worksheet which acts as a guideline for their introduction.

One option is to get them to interview each other using the worksheet on the right and then ask the students to introduce their classmates.  Or you can opt for the "traditional" route and ask them to introduce themselves using the worksheet below.

Seeing as we live in the age of Facebook, you can get the students to create a Facebook profile with the help of the worksheet on the left.


Note: This can be adapted to fit the 4 basic learning areas of ESL, i.e: Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening.

Trial and Error

I moved to Korea in August 2009 and I have not looked back. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Sure, it has had its ups and downs but my experience here has been an absolute thrill.

Flag of Korea

Relocating to a new country and one with a language barrier is a huge decision. There are a number of factors to consider, therefore, extensive research is vital. I researched about teaching ESL in Korea for a year before I actually filled out an application. I remember how nervous as I filled out my details on the online application form of a recruitment agency based in Canada. A few days after completing my application I received an email from the agency saying that my application was successful and I qualified for a telephonic interview. I was over the moon (I tend to celebrate every little victory). The interview comprised of three questions which were in the form of case studies. They did not ask me any of the "regular" interview questions. I felt a bit weird after the interview, sort of like a gut feeling that result will not be positive. A week after the interview I received an email from the agency saying that I was not successful and that they could not disclose the reason but they wish me well in my future and they gave me a list of other agencies I could contact. I was disappointed but I got over it, I realised that maybe I needed more time to prepare myself to leave the comfort of home. After the disappointment of my first failed attempt of coming to Korea I stopped trying for a few months. In that time I managed to get a new job in the media field because that was my initial goal; however, my joy was short lived as it was not as fun as I had made out to be in my head. I was there for a week and my Korean dream came back to life. A friend of mine put me in contact with a lady in Cape Town, South Africa who was recruiting people. I contacted her via email and we communicated for a few weeks. I sent her my resume and she managed to find me a position in Korea. Within a few days she had a contract for me to sign, no interview, no requests for a mountain of paper work...it all seemed too good to be true. I flew to Cape Town to meet with her and go over the contract. My aunt who is quite business savvy came along with me. I read the contract about three times and analysed every last word because I had a researched and researched and researched some more about Korea so I was quite aware of scams and ill-practices. And lo and behold I found a huge deal breaker. According to the contract I had pay my ENTIRE first month's salary to this lady as commission . That right there screams SCAM!!!! According to several sources YOU SHOULD NOT PAY ANYONE ANY MONEY in exchange for them finding you a job... Which resulted in me turning down her offer but I got a good weekend in Cape Town at the end of the all the contract drama.

Cape Town, South Africa

My second disappointing attempt did not kill my dream. I was more determined than ever to come to Korea. By this time I was smarter and knew exactly what I wanted. I searched through a number of different agencies and finally I struck gold with an agency based in Seoul, Korea (http://www.worknplay.co.kr/). I communicated with the wonderful people at this agency for about and things were looking very promising. They sent me a list of locations to chose from and an application form. I researched about the different locations before settling on my final destination, filled out the application and within a month of back and forth emails I was successful in qualifying for a telephonic interview. I was filled with such confidence during my interview which resulted me chatting to my interviewer as though he was my long time friend. A week later I received my much anticipated "congratulatory" email. I left home in August 2009 and have not looked back since. The journey here was a long one not counting physical distance...Just the stress and emotion of relocating and not falling prey to a scam. I hope that your move is a smooth one.