oh yeah, I'm teaching...

So I realized that I haven't written about teaching yet (you know, the reason I am here). I wanted to wait until I had some photos of my kids - cute ones that make you jealous and want to visit me. Well, I haven't had a moment to take photos in class (and they really aren't that cute once you get to know them....just kidding....sort of) and I always forget my camera.

I work at a hagwon, which is Korean for academy. Its an after school English-only immersion program that focuses on writing and speaking. The foreign teachers do speaking only while the Korean teachers focus on reading and writing. My students are 8-13 years old and have been learning basic English since they were really little. So, (a few people have asked), I am not starting from scratch. They all have relatively strong backgrounds and can read/write, just not necessarily comprehend. I get blank stares hourly.

On MWF we work 2:30-8:30pm. TTH is 4-8:30 but somehow I lucked out and only have one class these days, so I am finished by 6pm. I use the extra time to grade homework and tests and write teacher comments. On MWF, I don't have more than a 5 minute break every 1 1/2 hours. These days are looong. Luckily, my co-workers feel the same and most nights after work we grab dinner/beers.

There are 3 other teachers at my school (2 from Texas, represent!) - Zac, Brandon and Clark (friend who got me the job). They are all very nice guys, super laid back and have been here a while to help me with everything. Brandon is leaving in December and Clara (the branch manager) asked if I had any friends who were interested in coming to teach. I sent out an email and a few people replied back saying they were, but ultimately my friend Helen decided she really wanted to do it. I am SO excited. Helen was my roommate in Barcelona and we have stayed great friends since. I honestly cannot wait. She will get here mid-November!!

I will try to bring my camera tomorrow so you can see some of my favorite kids. They are cute (to the untrained eye).