At my previous school, it was easy to feel satisfaction. Just getting through the day's 9 classes was reason for jubilation. Things are much different now. I have to really look hard to see the job I've done, to critique or praise it. I usually have 2 hour and a half classes in a day. The rest of the time is used preparing for and then analyzing the effectiveness of the classes. Indeed there's too much time to think about it.
But I take this job seriously and, even with all the indifference I hear from my co-workers, I want to do a good job here. Some that have been at PNU for too long see our effort as futile and the English we're trying to teach as impractical. It's true, the amount of in class time is too short to impart any concrete improvements or mend their broken sentences. I'm not bothered much by this. I acknowledge that my students are mainly freshman engineering majors beginning a long road of English study. As they advance in their major, all the textbooks will be in English and their level will have to be quite high. It's for this reason that I've taking responsibility to not nit-pick their minor deficiencies but rather to try and create an awareness of the practicality of English and hopefully inspire an appreciation of how far they've already gone in studying the language. I want them to be aware of this skill and work to refine it. I don't want them to say 'hey baby' and then laugh for 10 minutes like they did in high school.
I get temporary satisfaction when I do my comedy bit about how there's no potatoes in Korea's potatoe soup or how I prefer their pronunciation of 'sau-say-gee' (sausage) as opposed to our own but it's still hard with their limited efficiency to know how well I'm reaching them. Yesterday, however, I got a good sign I'd like to relate.
We are now on the final week of our 7-week course so I'm giving out final examinations I designed myself. Last night, my class finished their test and said a broken but meaningful goodbye. "I'll missing you." They left and I set to marking the test. A fer minutes later, about 15 of the students returned with a cake, candles and some love letters for me. I was shocked and so pleased. I thought about how they came back to speak to me even though most students their age thinking speaking English is so stressful and they loathe it. I could've hugged them and I probably would've communicated my appreciation better than through speech, but I refrained. They sang me some sort of Korean congratulatory song and we ate. We both wanted to say ore than we could but I gathered that they really enjoyed my class and wanted to keep in touch even though they're no longer my students. I told them I agreed and that they can now call me 'hyun-neim' (uncle). They left and I continued checking the tests until I came across one from a rather shy boy that had a note at the bottom. I'll dictate it word for word.
To Daniel,
I have much fun time with you in this class.
When I came to this class, I afraid say English.
But now, I like say English, saying English is very fun.
When I study English, I'll miss you.
And I want to study with you next time.
Goodbye!
(Exactly the words I needed to hear).
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
And 1 Goes Down
So I went to the courts yesterday and put on a show. Nowadays I'm used to the attention I get there. Many students sit in the rafters and just hang out there during breaks, so there's always a crowd. I currently have 250 students so now it's getting hard to go anywhere without spotting my students. I think one finds me and then calls the other students because, within 10 minutes, there's usually over 20 of my students watching me, cheering and boo'ing. It's awkward but fun when someone works up the courage to come play me.
Yesterday a little Korean high school student in proper ghetto gear came up and asked if I wanted to play 1 on 1. "Sure, let's go." Right before the game he asked, "Street Ball OK?" Sure, I'll rock some street ball. I've been known to extend my crossover a bit. But, I had no idea what I was getting into. This kid had all the Hot Sauce moves down. He was the best 'street baller' I'd ever seen in person. So he's dancing around, putting on a show, trying to embarass me. He's got the ball in the air, in his shirt, on the ground and he's dancing, going nowhere. After a few minutes, I'm pleading with him to shoot, but he won't. So I turn my back to him and say "SHOOT!" but he won't. Finally, he tries to drive left on me. I quickly stripped the ball out of bounds, off him.
So he checks the ball to me and the crowd's into the game now. I was a little pissed at him trying to show me up and not trying to score. I decided I would do the absolute opposite- just take the ball and shoot without moving at all. So I drained one 3 in his eye. He checks it again, "BOOM," splashing like a cannon-ball. Now the crowd's on my side. I take one step back...."Rain Dance!" Now he's thrown off, so he's all up in my space. I do a jab-step, back up and Dan Majerle one more to the crowd's delight. We decided to do a 5 pt game, so it was game point. I wanted to kill him with his own game. (any of ya'all that have played p.i.g. with me know that's how I do it). So I crossed him, backed him up, dribbed behind my back, in front of his face, did a fade, yelled "Bank" and finished him off.
He had the streetball game down, I was impressed. He even had the half-hug after the game and dropped a 'respect.' I guess I just wanted to make Bob Cousy proud and win one for fundamentals.
Yesterday a little Korean high school student in proper ghetto gear came up and asked if I wanted to play 1 on 1. "Sure, let's go." Right before the game he asked, "Street Ball OK?" Sure, I'll rock some street ball. I've been known to extend my crossover a bit. But, I had no idea what I was getting into. This kid had all the Hot Sauce moves down. He was the best 'street baller' I'd ever seen in person. So he's dancing around, putting on a show, trying to embarass me. He's got the ball in the air, in his shirt, on the ground and he's dancing, going nowhere. After a few minutes, I'm pleading with him to shoot, but he won't. So I turn my back to him and say "SHOOT!" but he won't. Finally, he tries to drive left on me. I quickly stripped the ball out of bounds, off him.
So he checks the ball to me and the crowd's into the game now. I was a little pissed at him trying to show me up and not trying to score. I decided I would do the absolute opposite- just take the ball and shoot without moving at all. So I drained one 3 in his eye. He checks it again, "BOOM," splashing like a cannon-ball. Now the crowd's on my side. I take one step back...."Rain Dance!" Now he's thrown off, so he's all up in my space. I do a jab-step, back up and Dan Majerle one more to the crowd's delight. We decided to do a 5 pt game, so it was game point. I wanted to kill him with his own game. (any of ya'all that have played p.i.g. with me know that's how I do it). So I crossed him, backed him up, dribbed behind my back, in front of his face, did a fade, yelled "Bank" and finished him off.
He had the streetball game down, I was impressed. He even had the half-hug after the game and dropped a 'respect.' I guess I just wanted to make Bob Cousy proud and win one for fundamentals.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Oxford Min
It's strange how I meet people here and learn. I've often remarked how this experience is special because it not only allows me to learn about Korea but also about many other countries. I was in my office Monday, getting ready to teach when a Korean guy walked into the office and asked if there was any connection between PNU and Oxford University. We all told them we had no clue and he said he was interested in seeing a class and possibly speaking to the students. It seemed a very general request but I was interested. I'm always looking for some suprise I can offer the students so I invited him to attend my class and speak if he'd like.
We were doing midterm presentations so the class was a bit boring but I thought it was good for him to see exactly how well or badly the students speak English. Min spoke flawless English and told me he went to England during high school and he's been there since. He studies some sort of mathmatics at Oxford. Right there I knew this guy was bright. He watched the students and spoke to them about how exactly he mastered English. His advice was to try thinking in English. At first, he explained, the words won't come, but eventually they will. They cheered and called him Oxford. He's 23, only a couple years older than my freshman students so they bonded quickly.
After class he was treated like a celebrity. They lined up around him asking his cell-phone number and if he'd like to go out with them later. I asked him how long he planned on being in Busan and he said he wasn't sure but a few days at least. I made plans to meet up with him later that night.
Min called me and told me he was at a bar with my students and they were really excited about me meeting them there. We don't have any definite policy about meeting students outside of class. I think it's just up to the teacher's discretion. I was nervous and excited about seeing them in this environment. I told them I'd stop in for a drink and then I had to meet another friend. I walked into a dark, basement bar and found Min surrounded by about 15 students at a large, circular table. They gave me respectful bows after entering and were obviously more nervous than I. I was reluctant to drink, but had a couple beers and just tried to listen to anything they had to tell me. As we drank and spoke I realized I could teach them much more effectively in a situation like this. The bar is informal and I think the students forget their learning and just speak much more freely. Also, it was nice because Min was able to translate their thoughts for me. I stayed about an hour and left with plans to meet Min later.
I took him to one of the more popular foreign bars in the area and started chatting about my students. It's so hard to get any sort of feedback about your teaching here but he was a great resource. After spending the last few hours with my students, he had a lot to say about how they felt towards English and me. Everything was positive and I was top of the world for the rest of the night. At this freshman level, I know I won't be able to rid them of all their grammatical mistakes and we don't meet often enough to make major improvements. Still, my hope is to inspire them a bit and leave them with a refreshing outlook towards English. After years of studying it in public schools, they view it as another tiresome subject they just learned to do well on the College Entrance Exam. Now that they're hear, I want them to think more about the practicality of what they've spent so much time studying. According to Min, I'm acheiving that.
He stayed the night with me and we went to the Beach the next day, my day off. It was a little chilly but sunny enough to bring some people onto the sand. We had a couple beers and talked about our very different but connected lives. He said he was travelling the country for a month before he had to go back to Oxford and finish his degree. He wanted to think alot about what to do after graduation. Korean males are required to do a 2-year military service but, given the excellance of his scholastic acheivements, he could be exempt from that. His family was urging him to avoid the military, but he wasn't so sure. He could graduate and immediately land a good job in some major Korean company. He could make good money and be on the fast track, he explained. But he was worrying about how boring crunching numbers year after year would be and he wanted to look for any other alternatives. (I suggested teaching English and he said he had thought about it.)
The crazy and admirable thing is, he really wants to do the military service. You see, Korean men hate it while they're doing it and they look at as a waste of 2 years. But, as they get older, they look back at it as a passage of rights in this country. It's a bond with your fellow countrymen that I think is necessary in ways. Min explained that he didn't want to distance himself from other Koreans more than he already had. He was leaning towards joining the military after graduation and I hope he does it.
He stayed that night as well and left this morning. I really enjoyed my time with him because he was the gap between me and Koreans. He understood the West's view towards things and the absurdity of some of Korea's thinking. He could laugh at many of his countries shortcomings but also agree with me and why this country is so special. I liked the fact that he'd lived abroad so long but still thought of Korea as his home and wanted to spend the majority of his life here. And I think he liked hearing a white-boy's views of his country. He liked hearing me speak Korean and teach him about some of the cultural phenomenons he'd missed in his many years away.
I don't know if I'll meet him again but I sure hope so. Either way, this is a good example of how I learn and grow over here.
We were doing midterm presentations so the class was a bit boring but I thought it was good for him to see exactly how well or badly the students speak English. Min spoke flawless English and told me he went to England during high school and he's been there since. He studies some sort of mathmatics at Oxford. Right there I knew this guy was bright. He watched the students and spoke to them about how exactly he mastered English. His advice was to try thinking in English. At first, he explained, the words won't come, but eventually they will. They cheered and called him Oxford. He's 23, only a couple years older than my freshman students so they bonded quickly.
After class he was treated like a celebrity. They lined up around him asking his cell-phone number and if he'd like to go out with them later. I asked him how long he planned on being in Busan and he said he wasn't sure but a few days at least. I made plans to meet up with him later that night.
Min called me and told me he was at a bar with my students and they were really excited about me meeting them there. We don't have any definite policy about meeting students outside of class. I think it's just up to the teacher's discretion. I was nervous and excited about seeing them in this environment. I told them I'd stop in for a drink and then I had to meet another friend. I walked into a dark, basement bar and found Min surrounded by about 15 students at a large, circular table. They gave me respectful bows after entering and were obviously more nervous than I. I was reluctant to drink, but had a couple beers and just tried to listen to anything they had to tell me. As we drank and spoke I realized I could teach them much more effectively in a situation like this. The bar is informal and I think the students forget their learning and just speak much more freely. Also, it was nice because Min was able to translate their thoughts for me. I stayed about an hour and left with plans to meet Min later.
I took him to one of the more popular foreign bars in the area and started chatting about my students. It's so hard to get any sort of feedback about your teaching here but he was a great resource. After spending the last few hours with my students, he had a lot to say about how they felt towards English and me. Everything was positive and I was top of the world for the rest of the night. At this freshman level, I know I won't be able to rid them of all their grammatical mistakes and we don't meet often enough to make major improvements. Still, my hope is to inspire them a bit and leave them with a refreshing outlook towards English. After years of studying it in public schools, they view it as another tiresome subject they just learned to do well on the College Entrance Exam. Now that they're hear, I want them to think more about the practicality of what they've spent so much time studying. According to Min, I'm acheiving that.
He stayed the night with me and we went to the Beach the next day, my day off. It was a little chilly but sunny enough to bring some people onto the sand. We had a couple beers and talked about our very different but connected lives. He said he was travelling the country for a month before he had to go back to Oxford and finish his degree. He wanted to think alot about what to do after graduation. Korean males are required to do a 2-year military service but, given the excellance of his scholastic acheivements, he could be exempt from that. His family was urging him to avoid the military, but he wasn't so sure. He could graduate and immediately land a good job in some major Korean company. He could make good money and be on the fast track, he explained. But he was worrying about how boring crunching numbers year after year would be and he wanted to look for any other alternatives. (I suggested teaching English and he said he had thought about it.)
The crazy and admirable thing is, he really wants to do the military service. You see, Korean men hate it while they're doing it and they look at as a waste of 2 years. But, as they get older, they look back at it as a passage of rights in this country. It's a bond with your fellow countrymen that I think is necessary in ways. Min explained that he didn't want to distance himself from other Koreans more than he already had. He was leaning towards joining the military after graduation and I hope he does it.
He stayed that night as well and left this morning. I really enjoyed my time with him because he was the gap between me and Koreans. He understood the West's view towards things and the absurdity of some of Korea's thinking. He could laugh at many of his countries shortcomings but also agree with me and why this country is so special. I liked the fact that he'd lived abroad so long but still thought of Korea as his home and wanted to spend the majority of his life here. And I think he liked hearing a white-boy's views of his country. He liked hearing me speak Korean and teach him about some of the cultural phenomenons he'd missed in his many years away.
I don't know if I'll meet him again but I sure hope so. Either way, this is a good example of how I learn and grow over here.
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