amy and i went for a walk in grand park tonight. it was the first fair weathered evening we've had. the air wasn't sticky, and when stepping outside i actually felt refreshed. our walk was really enjoyable, with lots of families out even though it was past dark. there was lots of lights in the park, and they weren't just street lights they were beautiful lights of blue, green and white. they made the park into a really relaxing environment. it was really fun to see friends running together and families walking or biking. there was a few spots for ice cream and lots of areas where people could sit and enjoy the fountains.
the korean people most always stare at us as we walk by. a few smile. I think they dont really mean to stare but they dont know they are doing it. they are really curious. and the children say hello in their excited english voices.
i really enjoyed our walk tonight, i love to see korean friends together. they treat each other with such sincerity and kindness, you can see it in their body language. oh and the dogs here are for sure the cutest dogs you'll ever find. ill probably post one from the beach so you'll believe me :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
End of the first week
hello readers,
its friday evening here and we just finished our first week of class. Amy and I are going to hit the town tonight but before we do I wanted to jot down some thoughts about the week. so, it was pretty awesome. I feel completely comfortable here! well except when my legs get all cramped under the low little tables when we go out to eat because they are too long for the asian style eatery ...haha but the food is soo good, it doesn't matter to me at all...more about that later.
so the classes are small and full sweet children who are all interested in learning. sounds too good to be true right? well its for real. ive told some people that there is no way the kids can stay this perfect all year. :) but of course I hope they do! my littlest ones don't speak a word of english. they are only 4! i have two classes with 12 kids in them that are this age/level. but i dont really find them hard to work with because children that age learn much better visually anyway. So i've found that as soon as I get their attention (usually by banging on the wall, (which is totally kosher)) if i do exactly what i want them to do and then they are perfect little copiers. they are so smart, and good with their hands! mom pointed out that its probably because they use chop sticks. probably very true, i think if i have kids i'll make them use chopsticks :)
Then I have 1 class of elementary students. they are pretty awesome. they are smart and really good at working in their english textbooks. they are way ahead of their schedule, which is okay because we have more books to give them if they finish early... but this allows me a lot of freedom with them. we can basically play the rest of the year! :) my challenge to myself is going to be to get them to speak english conversationally with me; tearing them away from their precious grammar and into real life english. :)
Then I have 2 classes of kindergartners, who are just an amazing mix of both. they can speak english well and aren't timid about it like the older kids. they are always on task, ready in the morning in their seats, saying "good morning Brienna Teacher!" they are easy to teach and ready to learn. :)
and i get to teach an art class everyday! they have a "sketchbook" which is really a textbook with some blank pages to fill in an art assignment. the lesson i taught my classes last week was simple, and may not have had the content I would have been looking for last year during my student teaching, but they covered some basic art elements, let me know what level the kids were at, and produced some pretty successful and some beautiful pieces. needless to say, art is my favorite class of the day, even though it requires a lot more preparation. i just love to see what these kids can do. they are amazing!
okay so back to the food..yum. its so good. with every meal served here there is perfectly cooked white rice and kimchi. if all i ate for the rest of the time i was here was rice with kimchi i think i would be very very happy. but that of course is just the side dishes. the main dishes are full of flavor and their meat is cooked perfectly. the chicken tenders i had the other day were seriously the best chicken tenders i have ever had. and at the korean style restaurants you cook your own beef/pork right there in front of you on the floor. so good, and hot. the first day we were here we cooked pork like this and then stuck it in a piece of lettuce, dipped it in some sauce and about died. today we went out for lunch with all the teachers from our school and we ate something like a beef soup. but beef soup sounds disgusting if you are in the usa. here it was more like ribs sauteed in delicious broth with fresh vegetables, homemade pasta, and buttery potatoes. all served in a beautiful presentation towering at least a foot high when we first got to the table.
yum.
i like food, maybe that is why i am so comfortable here ;)
okay ta ta for now.
its friday evening here and we just finished our first week of class. Amy and I are going to hit the town tonight but before we do I wanted to jot down some thoughts about the week. so, it was pretty awesome. I feel completely comfortable here! well except when my legs get all cramped under the low little tables when we go out to eat because they are too long for the asian style eatery ...haha but the food is soo good, it doesn't matter to me at all...more about that later.
so the classes are small and full sweet children who are all interested in learning. sounds too good to be true right? well its for real. ive told some people that there is no way the kids can stay this perfect all year. :) but of course I hope they do! my littlest ones don't speak a word of english. they are only 4! i have two classes with 12 kids in them that are this age/level. but i dont really find them hard to work with because children that age learn much better visually anyway. So i've found that as soon as I get their attention (usually by banging on the wall, (which is totally kosher)) if i do exactly what i want them to do and then they are perfect little copiers. they are so smart, and good with their hands! mom pointed out that its probably because they use chop sticks. probably very true, i think if i have kids i'll make them use chopsticks :)
Then I have 1 class of elementary students. they are pretty awesome. they are smart and really good at working in their english textbooks. they are way ahead of their schedule, which is okay because we have more books to give them if they finish early... but this allows me a lot of freedom with them. we can basically play the rest of the year! :) my challenge to myself is going to be to get them to speak english conversationally with me; tearing them away from their precious grammar and into real life english. :)
Then I have 2 classes of kindergartners, who are just an amazing mix of both. they can speak english well and aren't timid about it like the older kids. they are always on task, ready in the morning in their seats, saying "good morning Brienna Teacher!" they are easy to teach and ready to learn. :)
and i get to teach an art class everyday! they have a "sketchbook" which is really a textbook with some blank pages to fill in an art assignment. the lesson i taught my classes last week was simple, and may not have had the content I would have been looking for last year during my student teaching, but they covered some basic art elements, let me know what level the kids were at, and produced some pretty successful and some beautiful pieces. needless to say, art is my favorite class of the day, even though it requires a lot more preparation. i just love to see what these kids can do. they are amazing!
okay so back to the food..yum. its so good. with every meal served here there is perfectly cooked white rice and kimchi. if all i ate for the rest of the time i was here was rice with kimchi i think i would be very very happy. but that of course is just the side dishes. the main dishes are full of flavor and their meat is cooked perfectly. the chicken tenders i had the other day were seriously the best chicken tenders i have ever had. and at the korean style restaurants you cook your own beef/pork right there in front of you on the floor. so good, and hot. the first day we were here we cooked pork like this and then stuck it in a piece of lettuce, dipped it in some sauce and about died. today we went out for lunch with all the teachers from our school and we ate something like a beef soup. but beef soup sounds disgusting if you are in the usa. here it was more like ribs sauteed in delicious broth with fresh vegetables, homemade pasta, and buttery potatoes. all served in a beautiful presentation towering at least a foot high when we first got to the table.
yum.
i like food, maybe that is why i am so comfortable here ;)
okay ta ta for now.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Brienna Teacher
Wow. Today was a big day. It was our first day at Sunflower Language School. We had a nice introduction to the school, with all the morning kindergarten saying hello to us. Then we watched Shawn Teacher, teach two periods. He is extremely high energy and keeps the kids laughing, screaming or speaking the entire period. Then we were on our own for the rest of the day! I felt comfortable in front of the classes right away. The class sizes are small and the children are really sweet, interested and well behaved. Yet, one of my favorite quotes about teaching I read off of an environmental camp T-shirt says, "Learning Thrives on the Edge of Chaos." Whether sunflower language school knows this or not, I definitely think they follow this principal. It does take some stress off when you don't have to worry about your students making too much noise (even at a screaming level) and that if the director walks by and all of your students are running around the room, she will not be alarmed.
Regardless, I think I really had some successful classes today. The first class I taught was art class. These kindergartners did an amazing job coloring a colorful geometric drawing using squares, circles and colors of their choosing. I was really impressed with how well they listened to directions, colored carefully and neatly, and really seemed to care about the outcome of the picture.
I also had success with the 4 year olds that 'Shawn Teacher' described as pretty much "unteachable." They must have been interested in having a new teacher because we were able to finish our worksheets and read a book all in one period. And they were really pretty quiet the entire time!
I'm happy that I made it this far, but I know this is just the beginning. This year is definitely going to be a challenge! I hope tomorrow we find out when our vacations are. haha. kidding, kind of. :)
Regardless, I think I really had some successful classes today. The first class I taught was art class. These kindergartners did an amazing job coloring a colorful geometric drawing using squares, circles and colors of their choosing. I was really impressed with how well they listened to directions, colored carefully and neatly, and really seemed to care about the outcome of the picture.
I also had success with the 4 year olds that 'Shawn Teacher' described as pretty much "unteachable." They must have been interested in having a new teacher because we were able to finish our worksheets and read a book all in one period. And they were really pretty quiet the entire time!
I'm happy that I made it this far, but I know this is just the beginning. This year is definitely going to be a challenge! I hope tomorrow we find out when our vacations are. haha. kidding, kind of. :)
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