A Day in the Life...

My day starts at 6:00am with the merciless alarm of my cellphone. My Fitbit watch is set to buzz as a backup. Join me on a typical day, if there is such a day, as a Native English teacher in Korea.

Today, I'm going to my all-boys middle school, which is further away and starts earlier than my main school, so there is no time to waste in the morning. I need to be at school by 8:10am, but to play it safe, I like to leave the apartment around 7:20am so I arrive by 8:00am. I haven't been late for work yet.

Breakfast is either hot oatmeal with milk and banana or, today's choice, two fried eggs on toast with a piece of crab meat. It's a nice start to the day, and ensures some variety because I know that bread likely won't be served for lunch. Dishes are washed and set to dry before stepping out of the door.

Business casual attire and a face mask are standard for me. Some of the Korean teachers dress more casually, especially in the summer, but I haven't sported a t-shirt to work yet, although it's tempting.

This time of year, I always carry my umbrella and raincoat to school in my Friendly, Joyful Bunny tote bag that I picked up at Daiso. Can't forget my USB drive which contains all of my lessons. USB don't fail me now!

Not many people on the streets at this hour, only the morning commuters on the way to the subway station. Here's a look at my route. It's about a 10-minute walk from my apartment, slightly uphill. There's always someone running to catch the train. I take my time.

The subway fare is determined by distance in Busan. I pay 1,300 won per ride because my school is only two stops away. Through the gates with a tap of my T-Money card. I top it up every so often at the ticket booth in the station. Works for riding the bus and subway.

The subway takes me from my pleasant neighbourhood by the port to a busy roadway in an industrial area. Lots of asphalt, concrete, construction, cars, trucks, and exhaust without trees or shade. When it's hot, I can feel my shoes melting beneath me. I walk this stretch of road for 20 minutes to get to school, but it's not set up for pedestrians. The side of the road is broken and uneven and I'm forced to walk too close to traffic. On the very hot days, I'll pull out my umbrella for some shade. It's uphill and the last stretch up to the school is a severe incline. I slowly lumber up the hill with the students, arriving at the school drenched with sweat. The Korean teachers drive up the hill and park their cars in the lot at school.

Teachers are waiting at the top of the hill each morning to greet the students and, in the age of COVID-19, direct them through the temperature sensors. I pass through and get a handful of hand-sanitizer before climbing the stairs to the teachers' office on the second floor.

I'm scheduled for 5 classes today with grade 1s and 2s, but have first period free. It's the only chance I'll have all day to plan for future lessons so I try to get some work done. I have another free period later in the day, but I know I'll be way too exhausted to do any work.

Since we've completed the textbook lessons for semester 1, I'm free to choose the lesson topics until the summer break. Having just figured out the technology, I decided to try featuring a song in the English lesson. I repeated this lesson several times today because each class is now caught up with the curriculum.

I chose "You'll Never Walk Alone" because I really like the song and I think the students would like it too. It has some useful grammar that I can teach as well. You'll always... contrasted with you'll never..., so the lesson has some learning value as well as hopefully being fun for the students.

I chose the upbeat Dropkick Murphy's version rather than the popular Gerry and the Pacemakers version or the Elvis Presley version. Some classes really seemed to take to the song and were bopping in their seats and even enthusiastically singing along once they learned the words. It was a real sight to see and validated my work as a teacher. Other class didn't go as well. Students made fun of the song, constantly talked through the video or purposely messed up the words and timing, essentially ruining the lesson. Still, you win some and you lose some. I was happy with the lessons and the song was a nice break from the useful textbook lessons.

You never know what to expect when teaching at the boys school. It's best to just go with the flow and don't let the unexpected throw you off or discourage you. Here's a photo of the homeroom teacher interrupting for over 5 minutes at the mid-point of my lesson to give out the students' gym uniforms. Honestly, it is completely unacceptable for a teacher to do this during another teacher's lesson, especially without warning, but I just stood off to the side and laughed to myself about the absurdity of it all.

I worked with three Korean co-teachers today. The first was absent for most of the lesson but eventually showed up only to read her novel at the back of the classroom. The second teacher made use of the lesson to get her own work done. I saw her typing away on her laptop and grading homework at the back of the classroom. The third teacher caught some much-needed ZZZs at the back of the classroom. Not much support from the co-teachers today, but I prefer running my own classes anyway even though the students can get pretty rowdy when the Korean teacher isn't present.

Me after teaching 5 classes at the all-boys school

Ate a decent lunch today. It's a help-yourself, buffet style. I believe the menu is posted somewhere but I never remember to look beforehand, so lunch is always a surprise. I'm mostly accustomed to the Korean cuisine by now. Today was mystery meat (beefsteak, I think) with some kimchi, sprouts, rice, and spicy chicken soup. I sit alone in the teachers' cafeteria and enjoy my lunch in peace. Few teachers dare to sit with me or strike up a conversation in English.

One nice feature of teaching in Korea is that people tend to leave school the minute the work day is over. At my boys' school, 4:10pm is when everyone clears out. If I'm ready to go at that time and hustle down the hill, I can usually get to the stop just before the 94 bus pulls up to take me home. Other times I'll make the long walk along the busy street amongst the trucks and the construction back to the subway.

I usually get home around 4:45pm and then I head over to one of the many coffee shops in the area. I typically have some studying to do each night. I'm currently enrolled in two online courses: 1) Introduction to Korean Language, and 2) Instructional Design Principles. These courses keep me busy in the evenings and weekends, especially when assignments are due. I need to complete a couple of online modules tonight for Instructional Design Principles. Sitting with a large cafe latte in the coffee shop makes it much more bearable. The owner of the shop recognizes me now and we share a few friendly words before I get down to studying.

Around 6pm I start with dinner. I often eat at a restaurant since it's so affordable, but my go-to meal at home is curry and rice with broccoli. Quick, simple, delicious, and filling.

This evening was reserved mainly for resting and recovering. I did a little planning for my summer vacation (more on that in another blog), messed around on the internet, and read a few pages from the novel I'm reading called American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I try to get to bed around 10pm, and after teaching at the boys school, it doesn't take long to fall asleep.

Writing and Speaking Assessments

Time is taken each term out of the regular curriculum to assess the students' writing and speaking abilities in English class.

Students are given the topic and guidelines one week prior to the test, and practiced writing and memorizing their statements at home. Then, in class, students have 40 minutes to write without any aids. The week after that students recite their submission to me and attempt to answer some simple questions. I evaluate and assign a grade for their writing and speaking.

The 3rd graders were instructed to write a recommendation for a tourist to see and experience a part of Korea's authentic culture. They were to offer a few tips for those travelling to the site for the first time, and I must admit, they clued me into some really neat cultural attractions that I will need to visit someday.

Grade 3 submission. Above average.

The 2nd graders wrote about their favourite movie, including what they liked and didn't like about the movie. Apparently, Frozen and Frozen 2 are pretty big here.

I have 250 students at my main school and everyone one of them participated in the writing and speaking assessment. I had already graded 248 of written submissions when my co-teacher leaned over my desk and said "the most important thing about grading the assessments is..."  Jaw agape, I was stunned into silence. It took all of my willpower not to snarkily explain that that kind of information would've been beneficial before I graded 99% of the tests. I decided to keep quiet and, instead, complain about it in my online blog. Thanks for reading.

What was the most critical thing about grading the assessments? That, unlike the previous English teacher who gave out all As causing untold problems for the school, I should differentiate between the high quality and lower quality submissions. In other words, don't give out too many As. I don't blame the previous teacher because the grading criteria provided were next to useless. For the 2nd graders, essentially the evaluator (me) was asked to count the number of sentences to determine the students' grades. I asked about the quality of the sentences and how mistakes should impact on the grade. Basically, I was told, "It's up to you."

I gave out plenty of As and I suspect the class average is a little higher than expected, but naturally, I also gave out a good share of Bs and Cs, and some Fs if the students submitted blank papers. It's hard to know if I did a good job with the assessments or if the teachers are generally happy with me as an English teacher since they never provide feedback, but based on the reactions of the students when they received their grades, I think they were happy, which makes me happy.

Grade 2. Average.

Grade 2. Above average.

I really enjoyed spending a few minutes with each student, even though it was mostly an exercise in memorization. I tried to be as cheery as possible because I could see that the students were nervous. Several students were visibly shaking during the speaking assessment. Most students looked off into the distance trying to remember their lines. Some had excessive hand and leg jitters or rocked nervously in their seats. Hilariously, students would slap themselves in the face or head if they forgot what they were meant to say. And most students cheered with joy or groaned with agony when they ended their speech.

I felt especially bad for the students who did poorly. There are plenty of slackers, smart asses and trouble-makers in my classes, but for the most part, these students seemed remorseful that they weren't able to complete the assignment. They would often sit in silence for a minute or so, then say something to the effect of "I can't do it" and "sorry" to me then leave the room. They weren't devastated or anything like that, but still, it was touching that they said sorry.

I was impressed by several students who were really amazing and quite proficient in English, so I happily gave some perfect scores. I have some superstars in class and it's incredible what these kids can do.

Intergenerational ethnic animosity

Gamcheon Culture Village

Before I knew anything about Busan, I had seen pictures of some of its iconic places, such as Haeundae and Gwangalli Beach and the colourful Gamcheon Culture Village. These images were, in large part, was why I chose Busan as my top choice destination in Korea without knowing much else about the city or country.

Gamcheon Culture Village had been closed for months due to the corona-virus pandemic and the website asked tourists to avoid the area. After nearly five months in Korea, I finally had the opportunity to visit the colourful streets of Gamcheon Culture Village.

Originally built in the 1920s and 1930s as a residence for labourers in the nearby port, Gamcheon became a hub for refugees of the Korean War in the 1950s. Busan was the only major city not to fall to the North Korean forces. Desperate Koreans from all over the South came to Busan and Gamcheon for sanctuary.

Built on a steep hill with narrow alleyways and lacking basic amenities, the area fell into disarray until it was converted into a cultural hub and centre of art. There is art displayed throughout the village with many artists' residences as well as cafes, restaurants, small museums and community centres. The homes are painted in bright pastel colours. Gamcheon Culture Village is sometimes called "The Macchu Picchu of Busan".

Wandering through the streets of Gamcheon Culture Village, I purchased a map that leads you around a course. At various notable points of interest, you can stamp your map to show that you visited the site and completed your course. The stamp stations are not always obvious, and I think I walked past one or two.

The course takes you directly into the neighbourhood where people actually live. There are signs throughout that say "this is a private house, don't open this door". You walk past hanging laundry and mail sticking out of the front door. You are asked to speak softly and keep your noise level down to avoid disturbing the residents.

I arrived shortly after 9am on Saturday morning, just as the Tourist Information Office was opening for the day. I only saw a handful of other tourists during my two-hour walk through the village. Going later in the day risks large crowds, especially on the weekend, but I would recommend going after 9am because many of the cafes, restaurants, and shops did not open until later in the morning. My walk was peaceful and quiet and I didn't have to mind other people when taking my photos or enjoying the views. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day. Otherwise, the port and sea are more easily viewed.

Gamcheon Culture Village is a must-see in Busan. Finally, I've seen it.

Rice Cakes with the 4H Club

After a long hiatus due to the corona-virus, school clubs are in full swing at the middle school. On select Friday afternoons each month, students gather with their friends and participate in various activities. There is a basketball club, soccer club, movie club, music club, and many others. English conversation club was axed this year due to low interest, I'm told.

I was initially disappointed that I wouldn't have the opportunity to lead the English club at school because it would've been a fun way to connect with students in a more informal way.  But things worked out for the best as I am free to attend another club as a guest member without worrying about any of the organization. I still get to have fun with the kids without any of the work.

A friendly math teacher invited me to attend the 4H club since they were preparing rice cakes that day. Just say "rice cakes" and I'm there. Some of the students were surprised to see me in the club, but it was a fun atmosphere. They chatted with me in English and helped me make some rice cakes.

There were three guests from the city office who ran the session and taught the students how to make the rice cakes. The math teacher walked me into the room to introduce me to the guest teachers, they had their heads down since they were preparing the ingredients and supplies for the class. When they looked up at me, one of them got startled and dropped everything on the floor. She seemed a bit annoyed at me after that, but soon everything was happy again and the 4H Club came to order.

The guest teachers introduced themselves to the students and then, what seemed like an incredible test of concentration for the students, the teachers covered the history and cultural significance of rice cakes in Korean society over the next 30 minutes. I would've dozed off it it wasn't for the math teacher diligently translating the rice cake facts into English.

With the lecture out of the way, it was time for the demonstration.

I didn't understand much of what was being said, but I was familiar with rice cakes from living in Japan. The outer part of the rice cake is rice that has been thoroughly smushed into a sticky past. Natural colouring is added for the yellow and green cakes. The inner part of the rice cake is a delicious red bean paste, which is my favourite from Japan. I thought I heard the teacher use the Japanese word for red bean paste "anko". But one of the students explained to me that "anko" is Japanese. In Korean, it's called "anggeum". Same stuff. Just as tasty.

I don't have the skill to make beautiful rice cakes, but I did well enough to fill a plastic container to take home. We were snacking on them as we made the rice cakes, so that cut into our supply.

We cleaned up, thanked our guest teachers, and took some pictures. But an activity like this wouldn't be complete without paperwork. Each member of the 4H Club filled out a survey of their impressions of the experience. A 2nd Grader translated for me and helped me complete the form. I knew he was a strong student in my class but the ease at which he translated the survey for me was amazing. All of the students were really impressed too. I asked him to give top marks on the survey on my behalf. I really enjoyed making rice cakes with the 4H Club and spending time with the students. This is truly why I came to Korea.