Holy Rockstar Batman: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

HOLY CRAP!

I was amazed by the kids energy, but then again…they are kids. I taught 5th and 6th graders today and they were bouncing off the walls about hearing a foreigner speak! It was slightly humorous to me how excited they are to see me, its as if I’m a 'rockstar' (hence the title, mmmm) of some sort. I read about that in the catalog that Canadian Connections had given me, but didn’t believe it. The kids love to see foreigners!

1:15 p.m

I’m in the teacher’s rest room right now that consists of 5 teachers, one of them my co-teacher the other co-teacher is no where to be found. The music teacher a few desks away is a really nice guy, he speaks a little English and just graduated from college. Its right next to the band room and its 6th grade band practice right now. Some girl’s bustin out on a violin, much better than the 3rd grade band practice…for obvious reasons. Think: cats used on a violin, the teacher SCREAMING the notes and the rythym…BAHHHH BA BA BAHHHH BADA BAHHHH….haha wow, can I give it a shot…nevermind

I taught from 9 to 12:30 with 10 minute breaks in-between and a 20 minute break between 10:50 class and the 11:10 class. The computer they gave me is all in Korean so I’m going to have to use my laptop all the time, oh darn, cause my laptop is a mac, annnnnd I hate PCs.

Anyway, the class structure was interesting as there are four parts to a lesson. A song, a game, an activity and then the review.

The song was: ra ra ra, boom boom boom, what’s he doing, what’s he doing? He’s playing soccer, he’s playing soccer. (seriously still have it stuck in my head)

The game was: what’s he doing. 5 groups of 6 students (yes around 30 per class) were given 2 sheets with 7 characters doing something, for instance: ann’s running, and the other sheet she was jumping. The students were SUPPOSED to write down what each character was doing, some did, some had trouble, but that’s why there is a Texan here. Bahaha

The activity was: a word search, then writing numbers to the video that showed someone doing something like playing soccer or basketball, then writing down what it was.

The review: just basically go over everything.

My co-teacher handled most of it, I jumped in where I could but didn’t want to step on her toes. She had me explain the game, so I showed and example and they started, I don’t think they understood exactly what I was saying but they got the jist, not bad for a 5th grader!

The co-teacher and I haven’t seen each other since Thursday and I didn’t even know if she was coming by this morning to pick me up, as she said she would last week. I called my recruiting director finally. I asked him if I should catch a cab or just wait for her and literally before he could respond, the door bell rang. Ahh so convenient. After apologizing greatly, I ran to the door and we bolted.

She told me that the first 5 to 10 minutes are all me as she introduced me as (this is verbatim so stay with me here): we have new comer, he is very handsome (in which I posed), he is from America, this is Micharrrr. (L and R confusion, tee hee).

I walked up and said hello and started my thing: I told them I was from Texas and I showed them this cowboy statue thingey I picked up from a gas station on my way to Houston last week. I said: what is this?? Cowboy, the kids responded well to it and laughed. Then I pulled out my license plate and said this is “Texas license plate, off my old, broken, car” (it was from my Geo). I showed the Astroturf I got from the Dallas Cowboys stadium when I was like 10. I showed them an ESPN magazine with Peyton Manning on it, a really funny picture of 2 NFL players…one’s stiff arming the other guy’s helmet off…and a sprinter with the blurs flying by him. I asked them if they knew what the sprinter was doing (running, kinda goes with the lesson) and what sport they NFL players are playng.

I showed them my red sox hat and asked them what it was, they said it was a baseball cap, “I said yes, cap or hat.” Then I explained the turf a little, as best ya can explain Astroturf to little kids…who are Korean.

ok he's a man, but...thats a funny picutre of the expression my vice prinicpal would have looked like had i told him...anything...he gives me this look when i talk to him

...confused are we???

2:40

Just came back from lunch. It TWAS AMAZING, I ate kimchi (didn’t know it) it was REALLY spicey, I think my keyboard is bitching cause some of the residue is still on my hands.

I don’t teach again until tomorrow. I don’t know with who or what grade, I’ll inquire before I leave, probably to no strait answer, but its worth a shot. I just walked to the bathroom and a bunch of girls, around 6th graders, stopped me and laughed and laughed. They said, hello!!! Hello!!! It was pretty standard treatment the students here give me. Funny kids though, I’ll say that for sure. Dude I’m loving this 7 hour battery, I left with 80% and its been on since 6:30 a.m and its 1:30 now, still at 50%...hell yeah.

My co-teacher asked me if I’m a computer freak cause I know how to use iPhoto and Photo Booth, showing her the pics of Claire and I (see facebook, cutest kid ever) and my England trip (no teeth pics yet, haha, we’ll get there. I just got my “English Time Table” from my co-teacher, looks like I’ll be done at 12:20 everyday except for Tuesday as I’ll be done at 11:30. I go from 9-5 but teach half the day, that’s kinda weird. My co-teacher wants me to alternate weeks with her and the dude co-teacher so each week I work with a new teacher. I assume he teachers the lower grades, or something, no idea.

Shes so damn helpful, she just brought me a cup of coffee as she knows I love the stuff. She picked me up today, she just…like before that coffee just…let me know that today at 4 we’re going to the auditorium to introduce me. Nothing more I love (as you know) than a packed house excited to see me. Shoot last time that happened, it was…uh….on xbox.

Anyway, so far a good day, its only 1:45 and I’ve got plenty of time to kill as I can’t leave til 5. I don’t know why, it’s a 9-5…just gotta stay. Its gonna give me ample time to work on my GREs, once I order the book and get motivated. So I’m thinking I’ll start next April. Haha, naw theres a testing center at a Seoul college and they offer it on Oct. 24th and July 10th. Obviously I can’t make it in a few weeks cause of this teaching gig, but by July I’ll be ready.

4:10 p.m.

Just left a meeting from 3:30 til 4, then was invited to play volleyball in…khakis and a nice shirt/tie. Bring it. Only problem is all I had was sandals so it was impossible for me to play, according to the principal so I just let go of my competition instinct.

Just left the school and grabbed directions on the way home, its going to be quite a hike to school everyday but theres an E-Mart right next to the school so the cabbies know where it is. That way I can just hop down the street. Not hop, walk. Anyway, its been an eventful day. I think I’m going to go to Yudalsan mountain in a bit to check it out, I hear good things.

I have no idea what the plan is tomorrow, then again I had no idea what the plan was today. So we’ll just see. I can be here as early as 8:30, so I’ll prolly catch a cab around 8:15 every morning and just hang out til 9 as that’s when my first class is. Apparently that first class meets once every 2 weeks and it’s the class I’ll be flying solo in. At least so far. That’s how this whole thing is, I have no idea until it happens. Good for those of you who like to plan, but I didn’t apply for this until April last year…so planner? Nay.