All Boys Middle School

Like many teachers in the EPIK program in Korea, I have lessons at more than one school. My main middle school is a short walk from my apartment and I teach there on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. My other school is an all-boys middle school that is about 30 minutes away by subway and a long walk uphill.

The school sits atop a steep hill.

Under normal circumstances, I would've visited the boys school consistently since March, but as you know, there have been many delays to the start of the school year, plus a 2-month period of online lessons. Since the students weren't going to the school in person, I wasn't required to attend either. Instead, I just emailed my recorded lessons to the teacher to be uploaded for the students. With the coronavirus restrictions gradually being lifted, it was now time to get back onto a regular schedule and I made preparations to attend the boys middle school on Mondays and Tuesdays moving forward.

A day or two before my first day at the boys school, I was informed by the teacher there that the grade 1 and 2 classes alternate attendance at the school each week. The grade that stays home receives online lessons. Apparently, the school cafeteria is too small to accommodate all students safely so alternating attendance is required. They share a cafeteria with an adjacent boys high school.

Lovely coworkers made a welcome sign for me

My desk. Making a lesson about food.

Indoor Shoes

When I arrived at the school I was relieved to learn that I could simply record the lessons, as I had been doing, and they would be uploaded for the students at home at the set time. This was a wonderful development because it dramatically reduced the number of classes I have to teach each week at the boys school. Thankfully, I will have more free time during the day to prepare for the in-person classes.

I stumbled upon more good fortune on Monday. Since it was that was the very first day that the grade 1s came to school, my three morning classes were cancelled. The students had to take care of administrative matters. Also, one class on Tuesday was cancelled as well. Normally I would be scheduled for 10 in-person classes over two days, but I only taught 3 in-person classes this week. Strangely, one of my classes was cancelled after I had already been teaching for 5 minutes. A teacher showed up, called me into the hallway, and explained that I should go take a break. It was an unusual but welcomed start to my time at the school.

Daily School Schedule

The previous native English teacher left me a note about what to expect at the school. It was a warning of sorts, that the students don't prioritize learning English, and there can be some difficulty maintaining order in the class. Also, he gave a heads up that classes are often cancelled, and I have to stay on my toes for schedule changes. True on all counts, I learned almost immediately.

I did notice that there were an unusually high number of boys with various injuries like broken arms, foot casts, sprained wristed, broken fingers, and black eyes. I hope it was because they were really into sports, and not rioting at the school. The boys were friendly enough, and the classes were high energy. Certainly difficult to control. When I asked the class to write something, there was an audible groan from a boy in the first row.

Artwork at the All-Boys Middle School. One can sympathize.

I actually enjoyed teaching at the boys school. I prefer energy and excitement during the lesson rather than awkward silence and boredom. Some of the boys would shout answers, while others were super polite when called upon and stood up out of their chair to answer the question. The English fluency level was rather low, but I did meet one boy who was basically fluent in English. Having a mixed-ability classroom is a common challenge for English teachers in Korean. Still, it's nice to know at least one student understands me.

Week 2 at the boys school is coming up. I'm feeling more confident in my lessons and have at least some sense of how to keep things entertaining and educational for the students. Hopefully, there won't be any more surprises with the schedule.