so the big day has
finally arrived. Many things led up to this day: deciding to come to
South Korea, finding a recruiter, filling out a gigantic application,
gathering documents, waiting for the interview, waiting for the
interview results, applying for the E2 visa, waiting for the visa,
getting the visa, booking the flight. And now, you are here and your
first day of teaching has arrived. What to do?
You may be a little
confused about what the expectations are regarding your first week of
teaching. Luckily for me, my first day was very easy: there were no
classes. After being introduced to my co-teachers and given a tour of
the school and my classroom I was told to go back to my officetel and “take a rest”. I asked what I should prepare for classes the
following day, and I was simply told “Just introduce yourself. Very
easy.”
Hmmm. Introducing
myself takes 5 minutes (at best). Saying my name, where I'm from and
some of my hobbies certainly wouldn't fill the 50 minute time slot
for each of my 5 classes. I considered teaching a simple lesson and
doing icebreakers until I did a bit of research.
I discovered that
introducing yourself in Korean culture is different and, perhaps, a
bit more elaborate than a typical Western World introduction. If you
want your students to talk to you and feel comfortable around you,
you must introduce yourself to them in a way that corresponds to the
Korean standard. This means divulging more information than you may
consider necessary (such as your age, relationship status, and sometimes religious beliefs).
I am fortunate
enough to have a classroom with 2 computers, a projector, access to
power-point and the internet. I will outline what I did for my
introduction class. This is the lesson I taught to each of my 24
classes during my first week in South Korea. It went over very well
with my co-teachers and students. Feel free to use this as a template
for your first day.
Slide
1: Welcome to English Class:
I LOVE English!
This is the slide my
students saw when they entered the classroom. I wanted them to feel
welcome and create a positive mood in the classroom.
Slide
2: My name is ________.
Your new students
may be nervous to meet you and find it difficult to understand you if
you speak quickly. However, their reading skills are usually very
high. If they can't understand what you are saying they will
certainly be able to read this easy introduction. You should tell
your students your name and age. By this point, you have, very
likely, already been asked your age by your co-teachers. If you
don't tell your students how old you are, they will soon ask you. In
Korean culture, you must know someone's age in order to know how to
address them. This is a very normal question and they do not mean to
offend you!
Slide
3-4-5: I am from ____________.
Tell them your
home-country, show your country's flag, a map, your home
province/state, city/town.
Slide
6-7-8: This is my family.
Show pictures of
your parents, siblings, gf/bf, husband/wife. Students want to know
about you and your background. Take note: Your co-teachers and
students WILL ask about your relationship status. Whether you are
single or in a relationship you might as well let them know on your
own terms.
When introducing
your family you can add language value to your lesson by helping them
brush up on vocabulary words: mother, father, sister, brother,
grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, etc.. When I showed a picture of my
grandmother I asked: "Who do you think this is? How old do you
think she is?"
Your co-teachers and
students may also ask you about your religious beliefs. Be prepared!!
I decided against
discussing my religious beliefs in my class. However,
many of my co-teachers and students have asked me about my beliefs
and I have discussed this with them privately.
***Side Note*** Ultra-personal questions: During my
first week of school I was approached by two fellow-teachers. They
asked me how much money my husband made.
Slide
9-10-11: Your hobbies
I like playing
music, travelling, eating delicious food, and teaching. I showed them
pictures of me doing all of the above. Once again, take this
opportunity to interact with your students. I had a picture of me
playing the ukulele. I asked them: “What is the name of this
instrument?” Most students didn't know. This is a great way to add
learning and language value to your introduction lesson. Same thing
goes for travelling pictures. I showed my students a picture of me in
Paris standing in front of the Eiffel tower. I asked them “Where
was this picture taken? What is the name of this tower?"
Slide
12: Getting to know your students
In the last part of
my introduction I told my students how excited I was to meet them and
have the opportunity to teach them English. Then, I told them it was
now their turn to introduce themselves. Make this activity fun and
interactive by choosing an out-going student to start the
introduction. I told them to say their name and one of their hobbies.
Give them an example first (they may be VERY nervous to speak English
in front of you and their classmates). Ex: My name is ____ and I love
playing the ukulele.
After the first
student has introduced herself/himself ask him/her to choose the next
person. This keeps the students on their toes and gives them another
chance to speak English (they can gesture to the student they wish to
be introduced next and say “Please stand up and introduce
yourself.”
Depending on the
size of your class, you may have time left over once this
introduction activity is finished. I prepared a very simple survey
for my students to do if there was time left at the end of class.
They were asked to simply interview 2 other students and ask them 8 easy questions. Ex: how many brothers do you have, what is your favourite
food?
Make sure to
instruct them to write full sentences and to be prepared to share
their answers with the class once they have completed the survey. While they are doing this activity, it is a great opportunity for you to walk around and interact with your students individually.
By introducing
yourself thoroughly you will engage your co-teachers and students.
The people at your new school will, very likely, be curious about you
and eager for information. Having an interesting, informative, and
educational first lesson is a great way to kick-start your school year.
***Side Note*** You may or may not be fortunate enough to have power-point and a projector in your classroom. Packing pictures of your family, travels, and hobbies is a good idea.
For further reading, check out this highly informative and amusing blog: Kimchi Icecream
After
causing a significant amount of damage in China and Japan, the
long awaited typhoon Bolaven finally hit the Korean Peninsula. In Hongseong, a town on the Western side of the country we are being hit hard - but
not as hard as we had expected. In the days leading up to the the
typhoon my co-teachers and students insisted that school would
not be
canceled. In fact, some of my students assured me that school
is never canceled
in Korea. However, there has been a significant amount of attention
from the media and, contrary to predictions, schools all over the country have been closed. When this announcement
was made yesterday, cheers of surprise and joy erupted from the 600+
students at my school and, undoubtedly, millions of other students
across the country.
