Radio Interview

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by three students from my school. We mainly spoke about online lessons and my advice for students. As with most things in Korea, especially at my job, I was given very few details and I just went with the flow.

These students had applied and were selected to participate in a radio broadcast in the city of Busan. I believe at least some of the students were members of the broadcast club at school, so this may have been part of their responsibilities. I was told that my interview with the students would be played on a local radio station at some point, but I basically put it out of my mind, and several weeks had passed.

The students provided me with a shortlist of questions that they had prepared in advance, and I was given some time to type out my answers for them. I believe that they were supposed to transcribe my responses from the recording, but the Korean English teacher rightly decided that that would be too difficult for the students. So, I typed up my answers and gave a copy to the students, who were relieved that they wouldn't have to do the extra work.

We recorded the interview on a cellphone in an empty classroom during the lunch break. On our first try, the students held the cellphone too far away, so the sound quality was poor. We tried it again, and I held the cellphone close to my face. I was given a time limit to complete my portion of the interview, and my answers were a little long, so I think I spoke too fast. I simply read my responses and I had the feeling that my students didn't understand what I was saying. 

They asked me about my advice for students regarding online lessons, and my advice on how to approach these lessons while being at home. As it turned out, much of my interview was cut for time, but I think that was fine given that I was too wordy anyway.

Today, out of the blue, the Korean English teacher sent me a copy of the radio broadcast of my interview with the students. Actually, it was a 20-minute segment with a radio host in Busan. The students were interviewed on various topics concerning their school, and they even made song recommendations that the disc jockey played on air. I believe the original plan was for the students to visit the radio station and complete the interview in person. Instead, the students' responses were all pre-recorded and spliced together to form a conversation. Of course, my interview recording was inserted into the conversation as well.

Take a listen. My interview begins at 12:29 but I recommend listening to the full interview if you have the time. You'll get a sense of modern Korean pop music, but more importantly, I think my students did a really great job describing the various activities at the school and their goals for the future. It provides a glimpse into Korean school life.

Normally, I hate the sound of my own voice on recordings, but this one wasn't too bad. Actually, I'm very, very proud of the students and the final product. They spoke really well and it's obvious that they put a lot of time into their preparations. I'm sure they got a thrill listening to themselves on the radio. Remember, they are middle school students speaking in their second language. I hope it gives them the motivation to continue studying and seeking out interesting opportunities to use the English that they learn at school.