First Days

Let's back up a bit before I completely forget how it all began. It was really overwhelming meeting so many new people, starting my new job, and being away from my new friends. The first month was by far the hardest. Suddenly I had to figure out how to be a teacher. I had to come up with lesson plans and discipline plans and all sorts of things you never think about unless you're a teacher. I also had to become very organized because I have 12 classes to keep in order, 2 different grades and levels I have to teach, on top of a somewhat complicated schedule. So I really didn't get much sleep or time to even really catch my breath that first month. But I think it paid off because the system I have in place now is working pretty well and is one I can keep using and adapting as need be.

My school being rigorous and all, expected me to teach 2 days immediately after I had moved from Orientation to my homestay. Despite clearly being exhausted, they were pretty firm that they wanted me to start right away. Not only that but they wanted me to teach more than I was expecting to teach. A lot more. Originally, according to my contract at least, I'm only supposed to be teaching a total of 20 hours a week. Most of my fellow teachers teach about this much or less (in some cases, much, much less--damn them). I teach about 24 hours a week, which doesn't sound so bad but factor in that I see all my classes twice a week so that not only am I teaching a lot but I also have a lot of lesson planning to do. And lesson planning does take time. A big part of teaching is being prepared. For anything. You really have to be on top of your game or else the lesson will inevitably fail. And not only that, but I've been trying to make the lessons as creative and interesting as possible so that the students are at least enjoying the lesson while they're learning. Especially for my "first-graders" (this is how they refer to high school freshman in Korea) who I teach using a boring textbook because the school wanted me to use the textbook. At least with my 2nd-graders (sophomores) Advanced classes the school gave me free reign to teach them as I pleased. I ended up agreeing to the extra hours because well, it didn't seem like I had much of a choice. I was also hoping that the school would perhaps be a bit more flexible with me later on in terms of scheduling, and the like if I was initially flexible with them.

Anyway, I was pretty nervous about my first day. I was tired, severely sleep-deprived and feeling wholly inadequate about myself as a teacher. Before this year I had never formally taught in a classroom and the only "teaching" experience I had was tutoring elementary school kids and working at a summer camp. Luckily the students had more than enough energy to make up for my lack--they were very excited about the "new foreign teacher" and would randomly shout "Hi!" to me in the hallway and giggle. In class they were also very excited and actually probably behaved best that first week. I made sure to be more strict than usual just so the students knew who was boss. But since I do teach at the best high school in my city, the students are already highly motivated and well-behaved. And since it's an all girls school, they're a bit easier to control, in my opinion, than boys. Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with high school boys. High school girls, I can tease them about boyfriends (real or make-believe) and boy bands and their hair. Boys? I don't even know what I'd say to them.

The first day was definitely a day of learning for me. I learned that Korean teachers at my school always wear slippers when teaching (in fact, most Korean schools require this) and you're supposed to leave your regular shoes in a cubby by the entrance to the school. The students also wear slippers inside the school which is supposed to cut down on the dirtiness. The thing that doesn't make sense about that, however, is that since my class is in another building, I have to walk outside with my slippers and then back into the school. So it almost seems pointless to change shoes, but I guess it's better than nothing. And honestly, I really wouldn't want to teach in heels anyway. Slippers are much more comfortable. Although it is pretty amusing to see the male teachers all dressed up wearing suits with their slippers. Kind of ruins the whole effect of the suit if you ask me.

I also made two pretty embarassing mistakes that first day. So at one point, trying to perhaps foolishly assert my independence, I didn't ask anyone where the bathroom was--"I should be able to find the stupid bathroom by myself, right?" is how my thinking went. And actually it was pretty easy to find it. But then the bathroom itself is kind of weird because you go through the first open door and then there's 2 connected bathroom with entrances on either side and you choose one. I didn't see the signs so I just guessed and went left but just as I was doing that, one of the old male teachers yelled at me in Korean ("ya---where are you going???"). Oh my god, so embarrassing, I accidentally had started going into the men's bathroom. Which you're probably thinking right now: "so what?" and yeah, it maybe wouldn't have been such a big deal except that my school is super conservative and strict. Did I mention that my principal is a nun? Male and female teachers are always separated. It's really bizarre for me considering how much more fluid gender interactions are in the States. And I mean these are our co-workers and collegues, so it just seems strange to self-segregate all the time. Also, honestly I think guys/men/boys can add a different element to a group. The all-women's table at lunch hardly ever laughs while behind me, at the "men's" table, the guys sound like they're at least enjoying each others' company, talking and joking and laughing. And actually this leads into Mistake #2 that I made that first day....

So this mistake was actually not my fault. My co-teacher took me to the bank to open up an account and then took me to get my cell phone during one of my free periods and by the time we got back it was lunchtime. Not really having met any of the other teachers yet, I just sat with my co-teacher since he was the only person I knew at school. So I sat down next to him and this other young male teacher (who I later found out is very popular among the students) and notice as I'm eating lunch awkwardly that some students are pointing at us and whispering. I finally look around the lunch table and notice that I'm the only female teacher at the entire table. Then in horror, I look to the table behind me and notice that ALL the female teachers are sitting there. I turn and ask my co-teacher if I should in fact, be sitting at the other table. And he said "yes probably" but that for today it'd be okay to sit with him. I really wish, however, he would've told me that because it really was kind of strange for me to be sitting there.

The other thing about lunch is that because we eat in the cafeteria with the students (a few of the tables are reserved for us) there is limited space and definitely not enough tables for all the teachers so everyone rushes through lunch. Like seriously wolfs it down. Also, when you're finished eating, it's considered impolite to just leave. You should wait for everyone to finish eating before you leave. And when you're done eating, you put all your leftovers into your bowl and then when you return the tray, you dump the leftovers into this basket, put your spoon and chopsticks into another basket and then finally put the tray away. It makes it much easier for the kitchen staff to clean. And actually it makes sense because it makes it more efficient if everyone does just a little bit of work rather than leaving it all for the kitchen workers.

Also, because I am the "foreigner" I feel like I'm observed much more carefully than other teachers. If I don't put something on my tray from the hot line because I don't want to eat it, the teacher waiting behind me will almost always comment on it. So now I take everything, even if I don't really want it.

Really though, after the first 2 days or so everyone was so busy that they stopped paying so much attention to me. It was kind of awkward though because my birthday is the first week of September, so during the 2nd week of school really, and I wasn't expecting much because you know, I'd just met everyone. But my co-teacher made sure to tell all my students, and one of my classes surprised me with some choco-pie and cookies and a blackboard decorated with drawings and sayings dedicated to my birthday. It was really sweet and it really made my day. Secretly, it's one of my favorite classes not only because my host sister is in that class but because they did that for my birthday. And when I came home, my host mom and sister (who had to give a bogus excuse to get out of night study--more on that later) surprised me with a cake and candles. So all in all, I had a pretty amazing birthday considering I had just met all these new people. Oh and I had an awesome celebration in Seoul with my other friends that weekend so it really was a great birthday. Except for you know, not being able to celebrate with my friends and family from home. But still good.

Since those first days, I feel much more settled but I still feel like sometimes I'm not a "real" teacher. I really wonder what the other teachers think of me, this foriegner with no education background or training coming into their prestigious school and being called a "teacher." I do feel like I'm constantly having to prove something to them, prove that I'm a real teacher, that I really do care about the students, etc. It's exhausting. And it hasn't always been so great with my students either. Next up, a primer on Korean high school girls...