새(일)학기

'Tis the start of a new semester here at 상운초든학교 (Songwoon Elementary School). Turns out that break did me real good. I'm kinda pumped about the new semester too! There is no English class today, so 민찬 과 나 (Min Chan & I) are preparing for tomorrow. We even got a shipment in of new classroom materials for 수압 일-십칠 (lessons 1-18). There are even magnets and laminated posters that I can use to during various activities. I typed up some classroom rules, laminated them, and put them in the front of the class: 1.) Listen Carefully 2.) No Cell Phones 3.) Speak English 4.) Have Fun :). I also decided to make number cards that I will laminate and tape on each students table. There are so many students that neither I nor Min Chan know there names. That way, we can quickly pin point and call out the trouble makers, as well as call on students that wish to participate in the class. There can be up to 40 students in each class, and there are 10 classes that I teach twice a week, so I can't keep up with foreign names (not that I ever knew them in the first place). Once the numbers are on the tables, students will have assigned seats and therefore be recognized more easily.

I have told the students in the past that starting September there will be no Korean spoken in the classroom except from Min Chan and I. They have had 3 months with me and should be speaking only in English. From the results of their test last semester, it is apparent that this rule has never been forced upon them. They can speak English; they just don't. So, using the numbers on the tables, each student will be given a check or tally mark when they speak Korean. One student from each class who has the least tally marks at the end of the week will be given a "Star Student" award on the following Monday. I will explain this concept to each class during the course of this week.

Everyday this semester will begin with a general greeting, explanation and title of lesson, reading of simple daily paragraph, and reading of classroom rules. When I worked with Linda Schnepel who is a kindergarten teacher at Callaway Elementary in Florida, Bay County, Callaway, she always began her day with a paragraph about the day's events that the children read with her. So, I stole that idea for my six graders.

Oh, and funny story, that unrelated to the above topic. On the way to Siheung, we stopped at all the rest stops. Emo asked me if I wanted coffee at one of our stops, so we went to get coffee together. Well, they fixed my coffee, and it was disgustingly bitter no matter how much sugar I added. So, I placed in on the other side of the counter near the cashier and said "아니요 ," which means "no." I didn't want Emo to pay for coffee that I wasn't going to drink. So, shocked and surprised, the cashier finally gave Emo her money back. I knew that this wasn't Korean culture. Koreans would just suck it up and drink the coffee or accept bad service from others. But thankfully,. Emo was impressed. She told me "Korean just (folding her head down near her coffee) wah wah wah....미국 (American) say No!...oow good." and I said "마짜요, 이애해사요," which means "Right; I understand." Just thought I'd like to share.