Saturday, September 4, 2010
Go, Dog, Go
When I first found out I was teaching reading and phonics I was bit overwhelmed. I student taught in 2nd grade and I didn’t have to teach phonics from the beginning stages. I felt this internal stress that if these children couldn’t read it was all my fault. On the flip side I was also told that I would have the most rewarding class because you can see the progress the kids are making. It wasn’t until the end of July, beginning of August when I started to teach vowels that I began to really understand what people had been saying to me. The classes were beginning to take what we had been working on in class, and using it on their own. It is one thing for the students to sound words out with me helping them or doing it as a class, but actually seeing them do it on their own is a whole other experience. One day a few weeks ago I had Cedar class (Toriann’s class and the only class who spoke no English in March) and one of the student’s Ricky, had finished his work early and we only had about 5 minutes in class left, so I told him to get a book from the classroom library. He chose “Go, Dog, Go.’” Growing up this was my favorite book and the first book I read on my own. I have never read this book to the class, but I have it in our classroom library because it has small, simple words to sound out and I enjoy the book. Well Ricky, who is by far one the cutest 6 year old boys we have, started reading this book out loud. This was a boy who for the first month of school said only said a few token phrases he heard from us teachers. His first month at school we called him the “opps, sorry” boy because that’s all the English he knew. We all loved Ricky at this point and he just continued to grow in his use of the English language. Fast forward 6 months later and Ricky is reading “Go, Dog, Go” on his own. I stopped what I was doing and went and sat next to him, and just smiled and listened to him read. Ricky is a smart boy, and so I know not all his reading ability came from our 40 minutes a day in class together, but I do take a little pride in his achievement of reading.
Throughout my 6 months of teaching I have had moments where I doubt that I should really be a teacher. I would get frustrated and feel like I was losing my patience and wasn’t even sure I was teaching them anything. This past month though I can see how the students are using what we have practiced in phonics class and applying it to reading class. I have learned a great deal about what I would do differently if I taught this again, but I am finally feeling at peace with my decision to teach, and in coming to Korea to teach. I also learned a great deal about myself in the process. When it comes to teaching I have these unrealistic expectations where I expect change so quickly with the students. I also expect perfection within myself in teaching. When I finally realized this was my issue and could let go of these thoughts, it made teaching all that much easier and more enjoyable.
My other student who I have seen great change in is Brian. Brian came to school in May and was completely spoiled by his parents. He couldn’t eat on his own and would do everything in the slowest manner possible; mostly I think to annoy me! I quickly learned he is an extremely bright child, which actually made me more upset with him that he wouldn’t do things on his own. Well I was incredibly hard on him these past few months to become more independent and not to throw temper tantrums when he didn’t get his way. Ever since break he has been more independent and listens when I tell him to do something. There are still those times he is told more than once, but he is so much better than he was before. All his little “Brianism” as we call them, are now much more adorable because he actually does his work and follows directions. I never actually thought I would get to the point with Brian where I world miss him on days when he was sick and I never thought Brian would get to the point of being so independent.
I posted a few pictures of my class. Birthdays, swim days, Star of the Week sharing, and random cute moments. Enjoy =)
DMZ- Peace, Beauty and Hope
When I first thought of coming to South Korea I really didn’t know a great deal about South and North Korea. I knew North Korea was dangerous and had poor human rights for its citizens, but I honestly did not too much about its history and why the peninsula of Korea was divided. My only other experience of coming to a place where it was a divided nation was my summer spent in The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. With this past experience, I assumed the two Koreas were similar in their reasons for being divided. Simply put Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland split because the people of both countries deciding they had different religious beliefs and wanted to follow the government that had their similar belief. However, after doing some research before coming to Korea I learned it was a completely different reason for the separation of the countries here. Again, simply put, without going into great detail, it was because a difference in ideologies and beliefs that led Korea to a North and South. However, the people of Korea had no say in what Korea they resided in; it was purely based on where they lived at the time. North Korea today is run by a totalitarian, one party leader, where the government has complete control over every aspect of its people.
Here are a few things I have learned since coming to Korea about North Korea.
• It has been stated that North Korea has the worst human rights in the
world.
• North Korea has the 5th largest Army in the world and the world’s largest
standing Army. North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel
per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 1 enlisted soldier
for every 25 citizens.
• It is the most isolated country in the world. North Koreans have no access
to world news, computers, radios, television, etc.
When there have been North Koreans who make it to South Korea, they are always amazed by how South Korea life actually is. In North Korea they are told living conditions are even worse in the South and they are fortunate to be in North. South Korea has progressed in its economy and way of life at a fast rate since the 50’s and it is nowhere near the same country people would have remembered when it was a unified peninsula.
Knowing all this ahead of time before I actually went to the DMZ was what made the whole experience so surreal and disturbing. Tours of the DMZ include any number of tunnels that the North Koreans built to attack the South. I had a chance to go into two of the tunnels. It is incredible how long and wide these tunnels are and the South Korean government believes there are more tunnels being built and constructed daily. Tours also take you to numerous viewing spots where you can see North Korea and its capital. You can’t take any pictures of the capital or even the closest parts of North Korea, so I have none to show. But I do have a few pictures from another viewing point where you can see North Korea in the distance. North Korea also set up a “town” to show from one of the viewpoints. This town is supposed to show a peaceful, prosperous country where life is good. Although everyone is aware it is a mock town and in actuality it is used for military to sleep in.
The actual area of the DMZ is beautiful. It is about 2 ½ miles wide and 151 miles long. Since no one inhabits this land, it is extremely persevered and absolutely breathtaking to view. There are many endangered animals that are able to be preserved on this land because it hasn’t been touched in over 50 years. This too is part of what is so disturbing about the whole experience. You are looking out onto some of the most amazing landscape you will ever see, and then realize it is only on the other side that people are experiencing the worst human rights in the world and have no freedom at all.
Along with many of the tours you go on you sit through various videos put on by the South Korean side of the DMZ. Again, these videos were surreal. It barely touched on the reason a DMZ was even needed and focused on the beauty of the area instead. And each one ended with the idea that one day it would be a unified peninsula again. The slogan all over the DMZ at each observation deck was “Peace, beauty and hope.” One thing I have learned over my 6 months in Korea is how Koreans don’t always acknowledge the real issues. Instead, much of Koreans pretend everything is just great, without trying to address and change real issues. This experience to the DMZ had that same feeling for me; that one day everything will be peaceful, but to achieve this peace no one is ever going to address the real issues.
While touring the DMZ I felt completely safe. It was quiet and calm, and at every check point the Korean military were happy to see us. They all seemed so young and bored just standing there. They would often wave at us from a distance. This too made you forget why you were there, until you see the constant land mine signs every two minutes, and then you remember why you are there and how it is potentially the scariest and most dangerous place in the world.
Here are a few things I have learned since coming to Korea about North Korea.
• It has been stated that North Korea has the worst human rights in the
world.
• North Korea has the 5th largest Army in the world and the world’s largest
standing Army. North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel
per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 1 enlisted soldier
for every 25 citizens.
• It is the most isolated country in the world. North Koreans have no access
to world news, computers, radios, television, etc.
When there have been North Koreans who make it to South Korea, they are always amazed by how South Korea life actually is. In North Korea they are told living conditions are even worse in the South and they are fortunate to be in North. South Korea has progressed in its economy and way of life at a fast rate since the 50’s and it is nowhere near the same country people would have remembered when it was a unified peninsula.
Knowing all this ahead of time before I actually went to the DMZ was what made the whole experience so surreal and disturbing. Tours of the DMZ include any number of tunnels that the North Koreans built to attack the South. I had a chance to go into two of the tunnels. It is incredible how long and wide these tunnels are and the South Korean government believes there are more tunnels being built and constructed daily. Tours also take you to numerous viewing spots where you can see North Korea and its capital. You can’t take any pictures of the capital or even the closest parts of North Korea, so I have none to show. But I do have a few pictures from another viewing point where you can see North Korea in the distance. North Korea also set up a “town” to show from one of the viewpoints. This town is supposed to show a peaceful, prosperous country where life is good. Although everyone is aware it is a mock town and in actuality it is used for military to sleep in.
The actual area of the DMZ is beautiful. It is about 2 ½ miles wide and 151 miles long. Since no one inhabits this land, it is extremely persevered and absolutely breathtaking to view. There are many endangered animals that are able to be preserved on this land because it hasn’t been touched in over 50 years. This too is part of what is so disturbing about the whole experience. You are looking out onto some of the most amazing landscape you will ever see, and then realize it is only on the other side that people are experiencing the worst human rights in the world and have no freedom at all.
Along with many of the tours you go on you sit through various videos put on by the South Korean side of the DMZ. Again, these videos were surreal. It barely touched on the reason a DMZ was even needed and focused on the beauty of the area instead. And each one ended with the idea that one day it would be a unified peninsula again. The slogan all over the DMZ at each observation deck was “Peace, beauty and hope.” One thing I have learned over my 6 months in Korea is how Koreans don’t always acknowledge the real issues. Instead, much of Koreans pretend everything is just great, without trying to address and change real issues. This experience to the DMZ had that same feeling for me; that one day everything will be peaceful, but to achieve this peace no one is ever going to address the real issues.
While touring the DMZ I felt completely safe. It was quiet and calm, and at every check point the Korean military were happy to see us. They all seemed so young and bored just standing there. They would often wave at us from a distance. This too made you forget why you were there, until you see the constant land mine signs every two minutes, and then you remember why you are there and how it is potentially the scariest and most dangerous place in the world.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Beijing
I started a blog about Beijing, but have been struggling to finish it for some reason. I think partly because Beijing itself did not impress me, it was hot, humid and smoggy! We never saw the sky, and it was made me a little depressed. However, seeing all the sights that Beijing had to offer was amazing, and thus I have plenty of pictures to show. So, here are some pictures of my time in Beijing. I spent the majority of my time with Beth, Toriann and Mark. We met up a few times with Will (who teaches in Beijing and who we spent time with in Shanghai).
Sights we saw: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, two duck restaurants, Tienanmen Square and the Beijing Zoo.
If I ever get the motivation to write more about Beijing I will come back and post more!
Sights we saw: Forbidden City, Summer Palace, two duck restaurants, Tienanmen Square and the Beijing Zoo.
If I ever get the motivation to write more about Beijing I will come back and post more!
Being a Christian in Seoul
During my six months in Seoul I have been around the least amount of Christians ever in my life. This fact alone is really not that concerning or alarming to me, but I have also never felt so personally attacked because I am a Christian. I have a good amount of people in my life who I love and respect a great deal, who do not share in my beliefs, yet we both share a mutual respect for each other and it has never once got in the way of our relationships. In fact, quite a few of these people have said on numerous occasions how they admire me more for this belief. During my six months here I have met numerous people who are atheist. This does not bother or make me uncomfortable. However, the outspoken opinions and views of those who are non believers of any faith does bother me. I do not go around saying I think people who don’t believe the way I do is wrong and that they are “irrational” or “unintelligent”. However, I am called both these things. I understand people not respecting organized religion or complaining about how people use religion in a negative way to harm others or to promote their own agendas. However, I don’t do either of those things, yet, I am placed in the same bracket as those who are. Also, most people who get to know me see I am not like this and thus can respect me and my beliefs. My family and friends don’t see my time of pray or at church as a waste of time, they instead respect me and I in turn respect them.
This year so far has taught me a great deal about myself and my own personal relationship with God. I have struggled a lot in my life with maintaining a strong relationship with Christ, and it has faltered a lot over the years. I am surprised with myself that in the face of so much opposition and doubt that is surrounding me, I am actually doing really well and feel a stronger connection to God than I have in a while. Considering I just went to church for the first time since I got here, this is saying a lot for me. I have found in the past I have used and needed church to keep this connection strong, and with the lack of church in my life I thought I would be distance. This first six months has reminded me just how fortunate I am to have the amazing friends and family I have in my life, Christian or not.
This year so far has taught me a great deal about myself and my own personal relationship with God. I have struggled a lot in my life with maintaining a strong relationship with Christ, and it has faltered a lot over the years. I am surprised with myself that in the face of so much opposition and doubt that is surrounding me, I am actually doing really well and feel a stronger connection to God than I have in a while. Considering I just went to church for the first time since I got here, this is saying a lot for me. I have found in the past I have used and needed church to keep this connection strong, and with the lack of church in my life I thought I would be distance. This first six months has reminded me just how fortunate I am to have the amazing friends and family I have in my life, Christian or not.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Great Wall
The Great Wall
The Great Wall is something Toriann and I have been talking about for a few years now. We always said that one day we would make there and hike the Great Wall together. When we both decided to teach in Korea we naturally assumed this would be the time to go to the Great Wall. We began planning our trip to China a few months ago and quickly realized we might not actually get to go together to the Great Wall. I was flying to Shanghai first with my cousin and Toriann was meeting Mark in Beijing. Mark and Torainn were planning on going to a guest house near the Great Wall for two nights, and it was not the part of the Wall the tour buses traveled to. Before leaving Shanghai to go Beijing Beth, Casey and I had decided we would join a tour group and head to the Great Wall on Thursday. When we got to Beijing and begun talking to Toriann and Mark they informed us their plans had changed a bit and thought it would be a good idea for us all to head to the Great Wall together and have lunch with them at their guest house. This idea made both Toriann and I very excited, it meant we were going to experience the Great Wall together after all the years of talking about it. The driver came got us at 8 am and Casey was supposed to meet us, but due to some complications she ended up not coming and it was just the four of us. We were a little unsure exactly where we were going to be dropped off once we got to the Great Wall and how much we were actually going to want to hike of it since it was so ridiculously hot! After about a 3 1/2 hour drive we arrived at the guest house. We stepped out of the van and the first thing I saw was the Great Wall. The weather turned out not to be quiet as hot as excepted and we were excited for the hike in front of us. We all decided where our final destination should be when hiking; it was the highest watch tower we could spot from the guest house. Since we were beginning the hike from the guest house, this meant there was so no one else around. The section of the Great Wall is not usually too crowded to start off with, but it is closed right now to the public unless you are staying at the guest house. They are doing some repairs to that section of the Wall, which at first made me a little nervous, but once on the Wall I realized it was just fine. The first part of the hike was probably the worst part; It had the steepest inclines of that section of the Wall. Once we finally got past this section we were drenched in sweat from head to toe, but there was a cool breeze, so it made the hike bearable. We hiked about 2 hours to get to our final spot, stopping numerous times to take pictures and just take in what we were seeing. Once we reached our final destination, we celebrated with our Oreo cookies we bought at the hostel earlier in the morning. The hike on the Great Wall was probably one of the greatest traveling moments of my life. I feel so blessed to have been able to share that moment with Toriann and my cousin. I could not have asked for better people to hike the wall with or a better experience. Before going to China I imagined I would be on some tour with 1,000s of other people trying to cram for a spot to take a picture on the Great Wall. Instead, I was able to hike the Wall without seeing another person the entire time.
After our hike we went back to the guest house where we had the best Chinese food I have ever tasted in my life. It was the perfect way to end our perfect experience on the Great Wall. Beth and I left after lunch and returned back to Beijing. On our drive back we reflected again on how surreal the whole day was and just how fortunate we were to share this moment together.
Welcome to China!
My journey to China began with my co-worker Casey and my cousin Beth; our first destination was Shanghai. The journey to get to the airport to go to China proved to be more challenging than expected and at times I was even unsure we were going to make it to Shanghai. We had to wake up at 5am to make our 8:40 flight. Between 5 and 8 more things went wrong than I could have planned for. I realized I lost my wallet(I had my passport though), Casey overslept, the first bus to the airport was full, we waited in the wrong line at the airport, and they wanted to see my Alien Registration Card before I boarded, which was in my missing wallet. We finally made it through security a little after 8, grabbed a coffee and boarded the plane! We figured everything that could go wrong on our trip happened in the first 3 hours of our morning, so our trip was bound to be great! (My wallet was returned to me a week after I got back to Seoul, only in Korea would a Taxi driver mail you your wallet)
We arrived in Shanghai around 9:30, where Casey, Beth and I met Casey's friend Will. He is teaching in Beijing and flew over to meet us in Shanghai because he hadn’t been there yet. It was so helpful having someone who understands Chinese culture and can navigate better than we can in China. We started off our trip by taking the Maglev, a fast bullet train, with speeds of 240 miles per hour. I have to admit I actually got a little scared on this! The only other one of these in the world is in Japan, which I think I will be forced to go onto again when I am there next month. We arrived at our hostel, which was one of the best hostels I have stayed at. Part of the reason I choose the hostel was because of its name, the Koala Garden Inn. And I have to say the name proved true. It was an adorable hostel, will very friendly staff members surrounded by the art district of Shanghai.
After refreshing a bit, we headed to Renmin Park, where we found a nice restaurant that over looked the pond at the park. We sat back, enjoyed a beer, and took in the scenery. Next, we headed to Park hotel, right across the street from Renmin park. We read this hotel had some amazing views of Shanghai so we figured we would see for ourselves. The hotel was beautiful and the views were just as breathtaking as the book described. After this we headed to the Bund to see more views of the city. Our goal was to go on a boat cruise since it was sunny and clear out, but we accidentally bought tickets for a ferry instead. The ferry was crowded and all in doors, we quickly bailed and deiced it was ok to lose the 40 cents the ticket cost us. We headed back to Renmin Park, where we had seen Happy hour signs for a restaurant attached to the Art Museum. Taking taxis in China is an experience in itself. First, the drivers speak no English at all, and even when you show them on a map., written in Mandarin, they still can’t figure out where you want to go. I am very thankful for Will being there and having some experience with taxi drivers. Also, everything in China is cheap, including taxi rides. The average cost for a taxi ride was about $1.50. When we arrived at the Art Museum we had a little trouble finding the actual restaurant but once we did, we understood what all the hype was about. The restaurant was on roof top of the museum with an amazing view of the city. They weren’t really too eager to serve us the happy hour menu, but after some convincing on our parts, they finally gave in! Although extremely overpriced and snobby, the view made up for everything else.
Our second day in Shanghai was the definitely the highlight of our time in Shangahi. We started off going to the Bazaar. Here we learned the art of negotiation. It was a game to see how low we could make the shop owners go to get what we wanted. Beth and I definitely bought our share of goods that day. We learned what happens when you insult them with too low of a price and how when you walk away 9 times out of 10 they follow you and give you the price you want! After the Bazaar we went to Yuyuan Gardens and feed the fish in the ponds. We then headed to the Bund again to take the sightseeing tour. This was the most ridiculous experience ever! The book described it as such, but to actually go on it is like nothing I can even explain accurately. It is an underground gondola that transports you to one side the river to the other. You go through numerous psychedelic light rooms, some of the ones I remember are: “The Magma Room” and my favorite “Paradise and Hell.” When they said this last one everyone on the gondola stopped and became silent and then just burst out in laughter. Other highlights included blow up Santa dolls. It was a mind blowing experience, and well worth every penny! Once on the other side of the river we walked to Jin Mao tower, China’s second largest building. The plan was head to the observation deck on the 88th floor, but the line was too long and we were tired and hungry. Instead we headed to the 87th floor at the Cloud 9 bar. We enjoyed an experience drink and took in the views. I recently decided that I am skyline snob and really appreciate pretty skylines. I compare most to Seattle, but Shanghai may outrank Seattle in the most breathtaking category. At the end of the day we all agreed this was a perfect day and we couldn’t have asked for a better day together.
Day three in Shanghai, also out last day, was a bit more of a culture shock experience. We went to the Jade Buddha temple. I have never been to a Buddhist temple before, but I have been to other religious temples and thought I knew what to expect. I can usually find some sort of peace and spiritual experience at any religious building despite it not being Christian. However, at the Jade Buddha temple I had an uneasy feeling the whole time we were there. From the moment we walked in all it was a shopping experience and the workers of the temple trying to push merchandise on us. There was nothing spiritual about this place at all. Even in the various rooms where people were supposed to pray to Buddha, they were selling items and taking really loudly. I saw some people who I am assuming were Buddhist kneeling and doing their ritual practices, but even so it seemed like such a production and show. Then, to see the actual Jade Buddha we had to be extra money. I didn’t want to out of principal for how sacrilegious the whole experience was, but I chose to only to say I went there and no one should waste their money. The Jade Buddha was a sigh to see, but not worth the rest of the experience. I left feeling like I had lost something in myself by how corrupt the whole experience was. I want to go to another Buddha temple because I can’t imagine them all being this disrespectful to Buddhism.
After this experience we found a local Chinese restaurant where Will ordered us some amazing Chinese food! We enjoyed a long lunch and then headed back to the hostel before we left for our over night train to Beijing. I was sad to leave Shanghai, but excited to meet up with Toriann and Mark in Beijing!
We arrived in Shanghai around 9:30, where Casey, Beth and I met Casey's friend Will. He is teaching in Beijing and flew over to meet us in Shanghai because he hadn’t been there yet. It was so helpful having someone who understands Chinese culture and can navigate better than we can in China. We started off our trip by taking the Maglev, a fast bullet train, with speeds of 240 miles per hour. I have to admit I actually got a little scared on this! The only other one of these in the world is in Japan, which I think I will be forced to go onto again when I am there next month. We arrived at our hostel, which was one of the best hostels I have stayed at. Part of the reason I choose the hostel was because of its name, the Koala Garden Inn. And I have to say the name proved true. It was an adorable hostel, will very friendly staff members surrounded by the art district of Shanghai.
After refreshing a bit, we headed to Renmin Park, where we found a nice restaurant that over looked the pond at the park. We sat back, enjoyed a beer, and took in the scenery. Next, we headed to Park hotel, right across the street from Renmin park. We read this hotel had some amazing views of Shanghai so we figured we would see for ourselves. The hotel was beautiful and the views were just as breathtaking as the book described. After this we headed to the Bund to see more views of the city. Our goal was to go on a boat cruise since it was sunny and clear out, but we accidentally bought tickets for a ferry instead. The ferry was crowded and all in doors, we quickly bailed and deiced it was ok to lose the 40 cents the ticket cost us. We headed back to Renmin Park, where we had seen Happy hour signs for a restaurant attached to the Art Museum. Taking taxis in China is an experience in itself. First, the drivers speak no English at all, and even when you show them on a map., written in Mandarin, they still can’t figure out where you want to go. I am very thankful for Will being there and having some experience with taxi drivers. Also, everything in China is cheap, including taxi rides. The average cost for a taxi ride was about $1.50. When we arrived at the Art Museum we had a little trouble finding the actual restaurant but once we did, we understood what all the hype was about. The restaurant was on roof top of the museum with an amazing view of the city. They weren’t really too eager to serve us the happy hour menu, but after some convincing on our parts, they finally gave in! Although extremely overpriced and snobby, the view made up for everything else.
Our second day in Shanghai was the definitely the highlight of our time in Shangahi. We started off going to the Bazaar. Here we learned the art of negotiation. It was a game to see how low we could make the shop owners go to get what we wanted. Beth and I definitely bought our share of goods that day. We learned what happens when you insult them with too low of a price and how when you walk away 9 times out of 10 they follow you and give you the price you want! After the Bazaar we went to Yuyuan Gardens and feed the fish in the ponds. We then headed to the Bund again to take the sightseeing tour. This was the most ridiculous experience ever! The book described it as such, but to actually go on it is like nothing I can even explain accurately. It is an underground gondola that transports you to one side the river to the other. You go through numerous psychedelic light rooms, some of the ones I remember are: “The Magma Room” and my favorite “Paradise and Hell.” When they said this last one everyone on the gondola stopped and became silent and then just burst out in laughter. Other highlights included blow up Santa dolls. It was a mind blowing experience, and well worth every penny! Once on the other side of the river we walked to Jin Mao tower, China’s second largest building. The plan was head to the observation deck on the 88th floor, but the line was too long and we were tired and hungry. Instead we headed to the 87th floor at the Cloud 9 bar. We enjoyed an experience drink and took in the views. I recently decided that I am skyline snob and really appreciate pretty skylines. I compare most to Seattle, but Shanghai may outrank Seattle in the most breathtaking category. At the end of the day we all agreed this was a perfect day and we couldn’t have asked for a better day together.
Day three in Shanghai, also out last day, was a bit more of a culture shock experience. We went to the Jade Buddha temple. I have never been to a Buddhist temple before, but I have been to other religious temples and thought I knew what to expect. I can usually find some sort of peace and spiritual experience at any religious building despite it not being Christian. However, at the Jade Buddha temple I had an uneasy feeling the whole time we were there. From the moment we walked in all it was a shopping experience and the workers of the temple trying to push merchandise on us. There was nothing spiritual about this place at all. Even in the various rooms where people were supposed to pray to Buddha, they were selling items and taking really loudly. I saw some people who I am assuming were Buddhist kneeling and doing their ritual practices, but even so it seemed like such a production and show. Then, to see the actual Jade Buddha we had to be extra money. I didn’t want to out of principal for how sacrilegious the whole experience was, but I chose to only to say I went there and no one should waste their money. The Jade Buddha was a sigh to see, but not worth the rest of the experience. I left feeling like I had lost something in myself by how corrupt the whole experience was. I want to go to another Buddha temple because I can’t imagine them all being this disrespectful to Buddhism.
After this experience we found a local Chinese restaurant where Will ordered us some amazing Chinese food! We enjoyed a long lunch and then headed back to the hostel before we left for our over night train to Beijing. I was sad to leave Shanghai, but excited to meet up with Toriann and Mark in Beijing!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Open Class
Two weeks ago we had a day called, “Open Class.” This is a day when the parents come in and watch their child for a few hours. We found out about open class a month and a half before the actual day. The fact that we found out about this so far in advance led me to believe this must be important. It is a common trait for my school, along with most Korean schools, to not give much advance notice of events or deadlines. We had to come up with a lesson plan a month before open class and meet with the director to discuss it. Since the 6 year old teachers rotate classes throughout the day, we would be teaching our lesson 4 times to all four of our classes, and four sets of parents. With the little interaction I have had with Korean Moms I knew this could potentially be disastrous. One problem I have with the Korean culture is that no one ever takes responsible or excepts blame for a given problem. The fault is always directed at someone else .Knowing this made me a little apprehensive about how any potential problem with a child would be with placed on us teachers.
The atmosphere in our school the weeks leading up open class was one of stress. The Korean teachers got the brunt of the stress and I felt bad for them. I felt confident with my lesson and my only worry was how the students would react with their Mom’s watching them. The kids act different with the foreigner teachers than they do with the Korean teachers, so already I was expecting a difference in their behavior.
The day of open class finally came and I have to say overall the day went pretty well. My first two classes were a little quieter than normal, but after a little while they began to speak up and did really well. The last two classes, who are the two lower level classes, acted the same as they normally do. My only problem came in Toriann’s class, which is my last class. One of the boys has been acting up more than normal in all of our classes and he did the same in front of his Mom. Being that I was their last class and they normally have lunch before my class, but the schedule was all messed up due to the parents being at school, may have lead to part of the problem too. I think the kids were a little tired at this point, and Kevin was no different. From the moment Kevin walked into my classroom he was bothering someone. He started with Ricky, poking him, hitting him, just annoying him. His Mom stepped in right away, which I thought would stop his behavior. It didn’t though. He kept bothering Ricky, so I stepped in and told him to stop. He did, but then moved on to the next person to bother. By this point his Mom had stopped trying and so I had to step in again. I finally gave him a warning that maybe he couldn’t finish the activity if he couldn’t leave his friends alone. That worked, but Kevin’s Mom didn’t appreciate that too much. The Mom ended up complaining about me claiming I said Kevin’s name too much during the classroom. I didn’t really have a lot to say to that because I did say his name a lot, he was hitting other children so I told him to stop! Although, Ricky’s Mom liked me a lot and thought I was a great teacher. I laughed a little because at least the Mom of the child who I was helping not get hurt by Kevin liked me.
Another result of working in a Korean school is that no matter what parents say, regardless of the reason why, the director will make someone come and talk to the teacher about it. So, this meant Claire, my direct supervisor had to come and speak to me about Kevin and the amount of times I said his name. Claire is amazing and knows how ridiculous all of this is and has seen Kevin in action before, so knows his behavior. She came and told me what happened and really didn’t say anything else because she knew I didn’t do anything wrong. It bothered me a lot mostly because I like people to like me, and if they chose not to, I want it to be for a real reason, and not because their son was acting up and I wouldn’t let him. Claire had said the director was going to talk to me about it, but I knew she never would because everyone knew I didn’t do anything wrong. And I was right; she never spoke to me about it. However, Gordon, who I appreciate more than he realizes, defended me in our staff meeting. The director wanted us to go around and discuss how open class went. Well, Gordon likes to defend us in his own little way, slipping in little comments here and there in meetings. This time it was me he defended. He talked about how the students that act up normally for us did just that when their parents were there. He then went on to list names of the students who acted up in his class, one being Kevin, and went on to say that he used Kevin’s name often during class because he was misbehaving. It meant a lot to me to have Gordon do this because the director respects him a lot and listens and trusts Gordon a great deal.
Open class is over and work has been a lot less stressful ever since! A little update on my class. Brian, my new boy who didn’t even know how to use utensils when he first came to school has grown a great deal in the last two months. He still needs a great deal of attention, but he is becoming more and more independent everyday, and it’s been great to see how all the work we have been doing with him is paying off. My other semi-new boy, Jayden, is great. He was a little handful at first, but I truly love this kid. I sometimes look at my students and think how much I will miss them, and Jayden is one I will definitely miss the most. He is a very sweet natured child and really does try and help others, he just has too much energy at times. Today we had a field trip and yesterday at lunch the kids took it upon themselves to decide who everyone’s partner should be on the field trip. Jayden decided he should be my partner and all the kids agreed. It was really cute to see everyone’s reasoning for why each child was to be paired with whom. It is amazing how much they have grown up in the past 4 months. My other new girl, Julie, who cried for the first month and a half of school, is doing really well now. Her English is not as great as the other’s in my class, and I think that makes her quieter than she really is, but she is gaining confidence everyday and speaks up more and more.
The atmosphere in our school the weeks leading up open class was one of stress. The Korean teachers got the brunt of the stress and I felt bad for them. I felt confident with my lesson and my only worry was how the students would react with their Mom’s watching them. The kids act different with the foreigner teachers than they do with the Korean teachers, so already I was expecting a difference in their behavior.
The day of open class finally came and I have to say overall the day went pretty well. My first two classes were a little quieter than normal, but after a little while they began to speak up and did really well. The last two classes, who are the two lower level classes, acted the same as they normally do. My only problem came in Toriann’s class, which is my last class. One of the boys has been acting up more than normal in all of our classes and he did the same in front of his Mom. Being that I was their last class and they normally have lunch before my class, but the schedule was all messed up due to the parents being at school, may have lead to part of the problem too. I think the kids were a little tired at this point, and Kevin was no different. From the moment Kevin walked into my classroom he was bothering someone. He started with Ricky, poking him, hitting him, just annoying him. His Mom stepped in right away, which I thought would stop his behavior. It didn’t though. He kept bothering Ricky, so I stepped in and told him to stop. He did, but then moved on to the next person to bother. By this point his Mom had stopped trying and so I had to step in again. I finally gave him a warning that maybe he couldn’t finish the activity if he couldn’t leave his friends alone. That worked, but Kevin’s Mom didn’t appreciate that too much. The Mom ended up complaining about me claiming I said Kevin’s name too much during the classroom. I didn’t really have a lot to say to that because I did say his name a lot, he was hitting other children so I told him to stop! Although, Ricky’s Mom liked me a lot and thought I was a great teacher. I laughed a little because at least the Mom of the child who I was helping not get hurt by Kevin liked me.
Another result of working in a Korean school is that no matter what parents say, regardless of the reason why, the director will make someone come and talk to the teacher about it. So, this meant Claire, my direct supervisor had to come and speak to me about Kevin and the amount of times I said his name. Claire is amazing and knows how ridiculous all of this is and has seen Kevin in action before, so knows his behavior. She came and told me what happened and really didn’t say anything else because she knew I didn’t do anything wrong. It bothered me a lot mostly because I like people to like me, and if they chose not to, I want it to be for a real reason, and not because their son was acting up and I wouldn’t let him. Claire had said the director was going to talk to me about it, but I knew she never would because everyone knew I didn’t do anything wrong. And I was right; she never spoke to me about it. However, Gordon, who I appreciate more than he realizes, defended me in our staff meeting. The director wanted us to go around and discuss how open class went. Well, Gordon likes to defend us in his own little way, slipping in little comments here and there in meetings. This time it was me he defended. He talked about how the students that act up normally for us did just that when their parents were there. He then went on to list names of the students who acted up in his class, one being Kevin, and went on to say that he used Kevin’s name often during class because he was misbehaving. It meant a lot to me to have Gordon do this because the director respects him a lot and listens and trusts Gordon a great deal.
Open class is over and work has been a lot less stressful ever since! A little update on my class. Brian, my new boy who didn’t even know how to use utensils when he first came to school has grown a great deal in the last two months. He still needs a great deal of attention, but he is becoming more and more independent everyday, and it’s been great to see how all the work we have been doing with him is paying off. My other semi-new boy, Jayden, is great. He was a little handful at first, but I truly love this kid. I sometimes look at my students and think how much I will miss them, and Jayden is one I will definitely miss the most. He is a very sweet natured child and really does try and help others, he just has too much energy at times. Today we had a field trip and yesterday at lunch the kids took it upon themselves to decide who everyone’s partner should be on the field trip. Jayden decided he should be my partner and all the kids agreed. It was really cute to see everyone’s reasoning for why each child was to be paired with whom. It is amazing how much they have grown up in the past 4 months. My other new girl, Julie, who cried for the first month and a half of school, is doing really well now. Her English is not as great as the other’s in my class, and I think that makes her quieter than she really is, but she is gaining confidence everyday and speaks up more and more.
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