So there is also this part of moving to a Korea where I have a job and
responsibilities. I am approaching
the halfway mark for the term as midterm exams are being given this week. I guess you could say I am getting the
hang of teaching, although I still feel like I’m learning on the job everyday. Holding my own but still I have
so far to go in becoming a good teacher.
Tomorrow, l have to give a 20 minute lesson to my three bosses who will
act as imaginary Korean students so they can give me some feedback on my
teaching skills. Can you say awkward?
I thoroughly enjoy teaching my Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and on
those days leave school feeling like someone might have possibly have even
learned something. I look forward
to these days and want these kids to be the happiest English students in all of
Korea. However, my
Tuesday/Thursday classes still feel like time wasted…and it can be really
disheartening. I know Korean
students take these language classes in addition to many other classes all day
long, so for this reason I don’t blame them too much for being such rascals.
I prefer teaching higher-level classes, I think. This also happens to correlate almost
perfectly with the fact that my higher-level classes are better behaved. Teaching any class, but particularly
lower-level classes, involves incredible amounts of patience. Just when you think you can’t speak any
slower, in comes a parent complaint that you are speaking too fast. In one of my highest level classes I even
had a couple complaints from parents about speaking too fast. Apparently no new teacher to Korea can
escape this problem and it is something that just takes practice, so I try not
to let myself get down about it.
This particular class seems to have extremely involved parents, which
can be a bit of a nuisance for a teacher who is only getting the hang of
things. One ungraded problem in
the workbook results in a complaint to the main office.
Sometimes students zone out, and I take this personally to a certain
extent. In the course of my own schooling
I considered myself an attentive and fun student to have (must I flatter myself
so shamelessly?) but that’s not to say I have never…passed a note in class. My bigger issue is currently outright
misbehavior and my ability to act as a disciplinarian. The art of teaching at WILS is learning
how to be the perfect balance between educator and entertainer. Technically I’m a teacher but most days
I feel like I am fulfilling a variety of roles: teacher, babysitter, disciplinarian,
entertainer, and hopefully friend. The difficult kids will never disappear, but if I strive for
the harmonious balance between entertainment and learning I think some of the
discipline issues will fall away.
The spelling test of one of my most difficult students. After I got to know him, I realized he was actually very smart, but just pure 7 year old boy with ADHD. Despite a perfect score, he might need to study his name a little bit more! Still hard to reign him in sometimes, but he is the least of my troubles in this particular class now. Did you know a pencil case can make a great imaginary gun?
I was the teacher librarian for a community college class that many students disliked. (Once a student ran for class president on the plank he would get rid of the class.) It was an "intro to college" class, and I taught the "intro to academic libraries" part of it. I met with the students once or twice during the quarter, and I knew that they weren't all that interested in what I had to say even when I told them that every college graduate I talked to about the class said he or she wished she could have taken this class... I never let the students' boredom, disenchantment, anger or whatever they were feeling get me down. The reason? I knew I would never get instant gratification (even when the instructors of the class said to give a hand to the librarian!). I had to think long term. As long as I knew my intent was to help every student in the class, I did my best. I know that many of the students would days, weeks or years later say, "Oh, I get what that lady was saying." I was o.k. with never seeing that moment, but I knew it would happen.
ReplyDeleteI so wish, allie, that you and I could talk about teaching - especially about getting discouraged. There is a wonderful article by Buchmann (an MSU prof!!!) who discusses how important it is to remember the ROLE of the teacher. I have read this article so many times, and I believe it's what kept me from getting burned out teaching.
you know i love you and i think of you often. keep the faith.
Thanks for the wise words! I would love to read that article if you can dig it up. I hope I didn't come off as feeling too discouraged, though! I'm enjoying myself for the most part!
ReplyDeleteI chuckled at your comment that involved parents can be a bit of a nuisance!
ReplyDeleteI go out of my way to be annoying. Good thing that that's not too difficult!