Free Talking with Derek

One of my responsibilities at my main school is to host a short, free-talking session with any students interested in practicing English conversation in an informal setting. This weekly, lunch-time gathering was cancelled for the duration of my first year at the school because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic is still a concern in Korea. Nonetheless, things are getting back to normal and we started "Free Talking with Derek" this week. It's a 30-minute gathering after the students finish their lunch. 

I eagerly awaited the students in the English room. I much prefer free talking with students to formal lessons, and I'm always happy to interact with the students in a fun way.

At first, only 3 students came, but after a few minutes, the numbers swelled to 12, all from the first grade (middle school). I don't teach first grade at this school, so this is my only chance to talk with these students, besides occasionally meeting them in the hallways.

We sat in a circle, and did simple introductions, "My name is..." At the first-grade level, English is very basic, so I couldn't expect in-depth conversations, but we went around the circle answering a few different questions like, "What subject/food/drink/ do you like?" Students responded with, "I like...". Simple enough.

I played a little game where we went around the circle naming "sports" and if a person hesitated or couldn't name a sport, then they were out, and we continued until only one person remained. It was pretty fun, but the students spoke so quietly under their masks that I was having trouble hearing them. Before long, our time was up, we concluded the first session of "Free Talking with Derek", and the students went to their afternoon classes.

I supplement the textbook material with free topic lessons in my regular classes, and this week I did an April Fools' Day lesson with my third graders. I started the class by asking the students about their pets and I tried to play a little trick by saying my pet was a "Canadian House Hippo." I played this old video in class on House Hippos which is actually a promotion to get people to be more critical in their media consumption. This transitioned into my lesson on April Fools Day and some key vocabulary, such as "tricked, fooled, gotcha, and straight face."  It was a good lesson to get students talking and be a little creative with language.

They liked "gotcha" the best. I taught them that you say "gotcha" after you trick someone. Almost immediately, a boy in class said to a girl, "You are so pretty... Gotcha!" Laughs all around.

The main activity was for the students to tell a simple story, which could either be true or false, and other students would have to ask three questions before guessing if the story was true or false. It was really fun overall, but some students weren't very creative in their stories.  Most students had simple stories like "I have a younger brother" or "My favourite food is pizza."

One boy's story was that he went to Paris. The students asked him, "Who did you go with?" and "When did you go there?" I asked the boy, "What did you eat in Paris?"  He answered slowly, "Fish and Chips". I was laughing so hard I almost fell over in the class. Somewhere along the way, he learned about London and people eating fish and chips, then confused it with Paris. It was just perfect - an obviously false story.

I guess this qualifies as another instance of "free talking" but I met someone in a cafe who was not grounded in this reality (i.e., someone with a mental health issue). I was reading my book when I noticed a hard stare from him. Then he approached, asked where I was from. "Canada," I responded, then he asked if we could have an English conversation while he waited for his coffee drink to be made. I said, "Sure." He had in his hand a packet of English and American short stories, clearly something he was reading for university, and he showed it to me as some sort of proof that he knew English. I hoped that we would talk about literature, but the conversation quickly moved into the realm of the insane.

This interaction reminded me of living in downtown Toronto where it's not uncommon to be approached by someone in a cafe, often mentally unstable, who'd like to get money from you after launching into their weird-ass story. This Korean guy didn't ask for money and he looked fairly normal, although he kept taking off and putting on his mask while I remained masked the whole time.

He said that he hated his country (South Korea) and he hated its president. His diatribe, which lasted 15 minutes, covered various crazy conspiracy theories about how COVID-19 got into Korea (it was planned, apparently) and he went off on the religious sect that was at the centre of the first outbreak, along with some "unnamed German man", the Chinese in Wuhan, and the South Korean president. 

I sat silently and in shock while he eventually worked himself into an angry state and dropped a few f-bombs about how angry he was. He proceeded to talk about some religious nonsense about war and needing to destroy the religious cult. He needed help from the "Justice League" of USA, Canada, and Europe for this battle. Angels were on his side and would help him win. Apparently, he had experienced a miraculous event at one point, but he "didn't care what the f*** people believed" as long as we destroyed the religious cult. He wouldn't forgive them for what they've done to Korea. 

Trying to end the conversation, I wished him luck. He said that good luck wasn't needed. The victory was inevitable, according to the bible. He only needed time, but time was irrelevant because he believed in time travel, and he was really into Marvel comic book movies. 

He reassured me that he wasn't a crazy person. By the way, when someone feels the need to reassure you that they aren't crazy, they most definitely are crazy. To all my non-crazy readers, when was the last time you felt the need to say "I'm not crazy" to a complete stranger?

While I was in shock because nothing like this has ever happened to me in Korea, I was able to keep calm. I didn't really feel in danger, just very uncomfortable. Generally speaking, it's best not to give these kinds of people any stimuli to feed off of, and they'll finish what they have to say and leave. That's basically what I did. I just nodded my head and offered one-word responses. 

In my mind, I had two scenarios, should they be needed, but I guess that was a little dramatic. First, it so happened that the manager of the cafe was sitting behind me with a group. I would have gotten her attention, even though she doesn't speak English, if I needed her. Second, I was ready to throw my lukewarm latte in his face and smash his head into the table, but like I said, that was overly dramatic. No harm in having a plan, though.

I do feel sorry for him, but I'm actually worried that he will hurt someone someday. I say that based on how easily and unprovoked he got angry and how detached from reality he was. I suspect most of his human interactions, apart from his university classes, are online where extreme views can go unchecked. I hope he gets help and I would prefer never to see him again.

The week ended more positively when I had a video call with two friends and former adult students in Japan. I hadn't seen them in years and I didn't expect them to be interested in a Zoom call, but they initiated it and I was happy to oblige. For one friend, it was her first-time using Zoom. We spoke in English but they occasionally spoke Japanese to each other, and it brought back warm memories hearing their voices.

Seoul City Government Mandates Coronavirus Tests for All Foreign Workers

When it comes to COVID-19 in South Korea, the results are mixed. After China, South Korea was one of the first countries to be severely infected by the virus. It was a hotspot and life here was very uncertain. I had just arrived and there were reports of foreigners deciding to leave the country, or at least considering the idea. 

South Korea was soon applauded for gaining control of the outbreak and the numbers dropped. South Korea, along with Taiwan and Singapore, became a model for the world. There was much praise and back-patting amongst Korean leaders in the press.

A year later, South Korea has managed to keep the virus infection rates low, except for a few spikes throughout the year. However, the Korean government has been heavily criticized for its inability to secure vaccines for the population when other countries are much further ahead in vaccinating their people. For instance, South Korea was at least one month behind Canada in starting to vaccinate frontline health workers. I don't know when I will receive a vaccine in South Korea, but estimates are for the late summer/early fall. It seems that if I were living in Canada, I could reasonably expect to be vaccinated several months sooner, in June.

Apart from the delay in securing vaccines, there have been some reactionary and nonsensical policies directed at South Korea's foreign population during the pandemic.

In an attempt to prevent a new outbreak in Seoul, which has by far the most cases in Korea, the city government has mandated that all foreign workers in that city be tested for COVID-19. It goes without saying that the virus does not discriminate between Koreans and foreigners, but apparently the city government of Seoul does.

The objective of the mandate is to prevent the spread of the virus amongst foreign factory workers who work and live in close quarters. I'm sure it's unnecessary to point out that Koreans in Seoul also work in factories, and are likewise situated in close working and living quarters - yet only the foreign workers are mandated to get tested. According to the Korea Herald, foreigners account for only 6.3% of all COVID-19 cases in Seoul.

This policy has been criticized as "lacking a scientific basis" and "impinging on the human rights" of the foreign population in Seoul, many of whom have lived in the country for years. The mandate was chastised by the foreign population, including the diplomatic missions and ambassadors from Britain and France, and there are early reports that the policy may be modified.

Likewise, I received a communication from the Canadian Embassy in Seoul about their response to the mandate, which they worried would further contribute to the "social stigmatization of foreigners in South Korea." Canadians in the Seoul area are advised to follow the mandate as it is, but the embassy is hopeful that the policy will be changed.

Dear Canadian citizen,

You are receiving this email because you are registered with the Government of Canada’s Registration of Canadians Abroad service. 

Mandatory PCR testing of foreigners working in Korea

You are all very aware that, in response to recent COVID-19 outbreaks, Korean authorities have implemented mandatory PCR testing of foreigners working in a number of provinces and municipalities.

Since first learning about these policies on March 8th, the Embassy has made numerous representations to the appropriate authorities in Korea, expressing our concerns and cautioning against measures that could contribute to the social stigmatization of the foreign community. We have adjusted the Travel Advisory to reflect any changes as they have been reported to us.

Specifically related to the administrative order issued in Seoul, recent commentary from a variety of sources has referenced the possibility of changes to these measures.  While further amendments may indeed occur, in an effort to increase clarity you will find attached an FAQ provided to the Embassy by Seoul City on March 18th.

Thankfully this policy does not apply to me as I live in Busan, but foreign English Teachers in Seoul are scrambling to get tested.

Last year, there was an outbreak in Itaewon in Seoul, an area with many foreign shops, restaurants, and nightclubs. Naturally, Itaewon is a popular destination for foreigners and Koreans alike. Upon word of the outbreak, there was a nation-wide mini panic targeted at foreigners. Employers needed to know if their foreign teachers had been to Itaewon during that timeframe. 

Itaewon is on the opposite side of the country, but I received calls and emails from my employer, after hours, urgently needing to know if I had been to Itaewon. It wasn't just that they "needed to know" if I had visited Itaewon, it was official business and I had to complete paperwork attesting to my movements and whereabouts. Korean teachers were not subjected to the same scrutiny even though they could've just as easily visited Itaewon.

Viewing foreigners as a single entity seems to be the default and often when the Koreans make policy, it is directed at "the foreigners" even if it doesn't make scientific or logical sense. They have it in their mind that foreigners are more responsible for this pandemic and are prone to irresponsible behaviour, even though there are ample examples of Korean misdeeds that have led to outbreaks (recall Churches violating social distancing rules and failing to provide information on their membership, making it more difficult to track and combat virus spread).

UPDATE:

Seoul has withdrawn the mandate to test all foreign workers because of criticism from "foreigners, medical workers, and the human rights commission." As often happens with these ridiculous, unjustifiable policies, there is some backtracking after sufficient uproar. However, it is only a matter of time before some Korean official gets nervous and decides, despite all evidence to the contrary, that "foreigners" are the problem and concocts a similar nonsensical response. 

Having Fun in English Class

Teaching in Korea can be awkward and exhausting. There are plenty of uncomfortable silences and blank stares when the students don't understand or don't feel like participating. My Korean co-teachers sometimes interfere in the most frustrating ways during the lessons. There are unexpected interruptions, like today, when half the class needed to leave early for lunch-serving duty in the cafeteria. Still, I try to find simple ways to have fun as a teacher.

I start every lesson with a few basic questions for the students to get the conversation going like "How is the weather? What did you do last night? What food do you like?"  Whenever I ask "What drink do you like?" I pull the same gag. Students respond, "I like tea, I like milk, I like cola," then I pretend to mishear a student and say "Oh my god, you like soju!!!" Soju is an alcoholic drink here in Korea. The student gets all embarrassed and everyone laughs. It's fun. Most recently, I did this and the co-teacher, who isn't in on the gag, comes rushing over and says "She said juice. Juice! Not soju!" Okay lady, thanks for the correction. I didn't really believe the kid's favourite drink was liquid fire.

I give out participation points during the lesson. Each time a student raises their hand and gives an answer, I award one point. At the end of the class, whichever team has the most points wins and gets a prize, usually stickers and sometimes chocolate. I ask the students, "What subject do you like?" They answer, "I like PE. I like art. I like science." I award one point. When a student says, "I like English." I enthusiastically give two points. It usually gets a good reaction from the class. Some students think it's not fair and others love it. The problem becomes that every student tries to get those extra points by answering "I like English."

Whenever I meet a class for the first time, it's customary that I do a self-introduction lesson. I put together a PowerPoint presentation on myself, my family, hobbies, and Canadian culture. It's disappointing when this lesson is online or recorded because the students' first interaction with me is through a screen. But when it's in-person, I have some fun with it by showing my family photo and each family member. Then I point to myself and say, "That's me, your handsome teacher." It's usually good for a few laughs. I reinforce it during a later lesson on nicknames. I tell the students that my nickname is "Handsome Man." Sometimes the students will call me "Handsome Teacher" when they see me. Why not pump up my ego when I can? You know they could call me much worse things. Remember, this is middle school.

Sometimes, if I get to the classroom a little early, I like to mess around by moving the students' stuff. I might take a pencil case from one desk and then put it on another. Then I sit back and enjoy the chaos when students accuse each other of shenanigans. I usually make sure that another student sees me do it, so they can set the record straight after a while.

Another running gag is that a few minutes before class starts, I ask the kids if they are ready for the big English test today. Of course, there isn't a big English test, but the reaction is priceless - gasps, stunned and confused faces. "What? What? Teacher? A big test?" The poor girl in the front row today was stupefied until I told her I was just joking. Then I ask the kids "Don't you like tests?" and they respond "NO! We don't like tests!" There's always a smart ass who wants the test.

I teach 21 different classes per week, so thankfully I can reuse my same gags over and over again, especially when the classes are in-person. It's really just me having fun and hopefully building a good rapport with the students. Also, as one of the few foreigners that they've been exposed to in their young lives, I hope to show them that school doesn't have to be serious and stressful all of the time. Ultimately, I would love them to have a positive impression of me and Canada and hope that they would travel someday and experience other cultures. Learning to enjoy speaking English will hopefully help in that regard. 

First Day at a New School

My second school year in South Korea has officially begun, and I spent the first day at my new school. On Mondays and Tuesdays, I now teach at Y******* Boys Middle School. 

Last week, my co-teacher and I took the bus to the school so I would know how to get there on my own. It takes about 30 minutes by bus and a gruelling walk up a steep hill. My previous school was 50 minutes plus a walk up a ridiculous hill, so this is a slight improvement. I look forward to occasionally walking home (and downhill) when I don't need to rush anywhere. Also, the new school is in a residential neighbourhood with shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings. Much nicer than the industrial area with busy streets full of speeding trucks, cars, exhaust, and uneven sidewalks at the previous school.

While I am confident now on how to get to school, my visit last week wasn't very helpful in preparing me for my first day. Only the vice-principal was at the school since it was still winter vacation, so all of the other teachers, including the English teachers I'll be working with, were at home and unavailable to meet with me. All I learned was where my desk was and how to get to the English classroom.

My co-teacher reached out to the school for some information for me, and I found out the night before what time the school day begins, and what grades I'll be teaching (middle school grades 1 and 3), but that's all the information I received. I didn't know how many classes I would teach on my first day, whether they'd be in-person or online, and if online, what platform. I didn't know for sure if they'd have a computer for me to use, if there was internet available in the classroom for lessons, etc. Basically, anything that a teacher would need to know on the first day, I was clueless.

As it turned out, the first day at the school was a little rough. It was the opening of the school year for everyone, so teachers were buzzing around the whole day getting themselves organized. I learned some more details about teaching there, and the differences between my other schools are significant enough to make things uncomfortable for me until I get adjusted. I have a lot of work to do to plan and prepare my lessons.

I am scheduled to teach 5 classes per day on Monday and Tuesday, and that doesn't leave much downtime to prepare lessons during the day. Anyhow, teaching that many classes is exhausting so I normally just want to rest during any breaks that I get. Thankfully, on that first day, I only needed to teach two online classes since the other classes were cancelled for the opening ceremony and other special meetings for the incoming students.

The teachers seem friendly enough, but I have no idea about their expectations for me. Communication was lacking that first day. I had some computer problems with the school-provided laptop that had yet to be resolved when I left on Tuesday afternoon. I hope that the school I.T. person can fix it, otherwise, I won't be able to do any work on the computer next week.

My impressions after only one day were that the school was very old, supplies were lacking, classrooms were run-down, and saving money was a considerable priority at this school. I saw some students in-person and they seemed like good kids. And my online classes went as well as could be expected given the format and the fact that it was my first lessons at the school. 

My biggest worry is that I will be working with 4 English teachers and I don't know what to expect from them. I hope that I'm given the freedom to plan and run the lessons as I want, but it seems like at least some of the teachers are highly engaged, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to get used to.

This weekend I'm gearing up for my next week at school, after which I should have a much better idea of what teaching at this boys middle school will be like.