English Camps

At both my boys' school and main school, a small group of students joined me for English camp in the early days of winter vacation. This extra-curricular camp is an opportunity for students to interact with a native English teacher in a fun and informal setting while improving their communication skills. Each camp was three half-days, with the boys studying with me in the morning and my main school students, a mix of boys and girls, studying with me in the afternoons.

The camps are a whirlwind of activities that leave me completely exhausted by the end of the three days. I felt like I had been run over by a truck but was really pleased with how the camps turned out. In previous terms, some of my camps were unfortunately held online, but thankfully we were able to meet in-person for these, my final camps, as a teacher in Korea.

Students voluntarily signed up for the camps, or as I learned later, some joined because of good old-fashioned parental pressure. Still, the students were active and enthusiastic participants and we had a lot of fun together. The theme for the English camp was 'Around the World.' I designed a series of activities and games that I hoped would be interesting for the students. My biggest worry was that I wouldn't have enough material for the three days, but I actually had more than enough tricks up my sleeve to keep the kids busy.

Camps are both great and terrifying for me because I'm all alone with the students in the room. No other teacher has input into my plan so I can do whatever I want. But also, it's all on me to make sure things go well for three full days.

As the theme was 'Around the World', I had the students make little passports and fill in their names and information on the first page. Students were to make notes throughout the camp in the passport on the different activities we did. They could write something like 'I played bingo and it was fun' and I would then give them a sticker for their passport, as if they were getting a real passport stamp for traveling somewhere. One girl wrote, 'I failed to make a bingo.' Truly sad that she didn't win at bingo but she earned herself a passport sticker.

I purchased a stack of real postcards from notable tourist sites around Korea. Students wrote English messages to a person of their choice, usually a parent, along with their home address and I sent the postcards off in the mail. It was the first-time students had ever sent a postcard! Many of the students didn't know how to properly write their mailing address, which was somewhat surprising.

I played other fun games and ended off with a short dance party. I played a YouTube video of traditional dances from around the world and then we watched and tried a hip-hop dance tutorial for one last activity. The boys didn't really dance, too self-conscious I think. But the girls at my main school gave it a good try.

The students at my boys' school filled out a survey on their impressions of the camp, and I was told that everyone was very satisfied and had fun. One student wrote that it was a 'perfect camp'. I handed out certificates of completion to the students at my main school, and we ended the camp with a complimentary take out meal for the students. Everyone received a chicken burger, fries, and a Pepsi from the nearby fast-food place.

I connected really well with the students in this camp. It was extra-special because I told them that I was leaving Korea and this was my last chance to teach them and have a camp together. They were espcially kind and well-behaved. They gave a really good effort in the English activities, and all in all, it was an ideal teaching situation albeit very exhausting.

Some of the regular classes during the school year, because they were so difficult, left a bad taste in my mouth. But to basically end my Korean teaching adventure with these camps and with these kids was an amazing gift because it was such a positive experience. I'll leave on a high note.