Teaching Motto: Less is More & Don't Assume Anything (No Really, Don't)

Students shyly hiding behind the door as I snap this photo on my way in

The E-Zone, I was [sort of, not really] quick to realize, stands for English-Zone.

What else could it stand for, Mimi?!

WHERE TEACHERS RECHARGE
It's the homeroom class of an English teacher - my Fulbright co-teacher, Sookhee, to be exact.

Behind a glass window in the back of the room (a-la Big Brother-style) is a room full of snacks and English teachers in various states of repose - some with their slippers off, rubbing their feet back to life, some with grapes half stuffed in their faces, and some with handkerchiefs draped over their heads as they nap.

The E-Zone itself has posters of English translations and conjugations of Korean words and concepts passively offering knowledge on every corner of the room - not to mention English essays written and illustrated by students plastered all over the walls .

The essays are pretty polished and likely written by older students, but they still made me hope. Maybe some of my classes - or some of my students in those classes - will be a bit more advanced than the ones I have encountered so far and I can assign essay-writing of the same caliber as the ones posted up!

No such luck.

Passing out very exciting "Introduce Yourself to Teacher" WSs! 

BREAKING AWAY FROM THE BREAKUP 

Tuesday is my "Friday" as far as lesson planning goes, so I gave my self-introduction and induced the same responses as last Thursday one last time. This was a bit of a relief as I could now tackle other, more important things other than how to carefully orchestrate a massively downplayed account of my recent break-up. 

NEW TEACHING MOTTO: DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING

I gave my students worksheets that allowed me to eyeball their language level, confidence level in the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, as well as gather some biographical data that would hopefully aid in my effort to remember students. 

I modified this "Introduce Yourself to Teacher" worksheet for every class - with each version becoming more simple and less wordy. 

The "Less is More" motto I have adopted has now been joined by a "Don't Assume Anything" mentality. 

The importance of the second one was impressed upon me when I created what I thought were very convenient and matter-of-fact headers for my worksheets. 

VERSION 1:

Name: ____________________________

Date:   ____________________________

Class:  ____________________________

VERSION 1: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: _이름_______________________ - Students wrote their names in Korean, which is still hard for me to read. Must modify

Date:   _2013/27/8 or 27/8____________ - Students came up with all manner of writing the date, confusing me. Must also modify

Class:  _1__________________________ - Students wrote "1," which tells me their grade but not their class. Must modify!

VERSION 2:

Name: __(Korean)___/___(English)______

Date:   ___________/____/____________

Class:  _____________-______________

VERSION 2: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: __(Korean)___/___(English)_____ - Because of the parenthetical notes, students wrote their names microscopically

Date:   _________2013/27/_8__________ - Produced the same variety of date-writing, except this time, there are backslashes... -_-

Class:  __(insert student ID here)________  - Umm...? Why??

VERSION 3: 

Name: (Korean)_______/(English)_______ 

Date:   ________8/____/2013___________

Class:  __________1 - ________________

VERSION 3: HOW STUDENTS FILLED IT OUT

Name: (Korean)_주현_/(English)_Juhyeon_ - Yes!

Date:   ________8/_27___/2013_________  - Yes!

Class:  __________1 - 8________________ - and YES! 

Okay, so I actually skipped a few other versions for time's sake, but I was pleased with how the headers eventually elicited uniform and consistent responses. Though worksheet headers may be a small-enough detail, it's crucial at the moment, especially as I am just meeting my students and learning to organize class materials.

A student's motivation to learn English 

A student's father is a "salaryman"?

 And now, to the teacher's office...

 WELCOME TO MY [MESSY, OVERFLOWING, & INCREASINGLY HOMEY] DESK SPACE!

Check out my sweet name tag! (It really is the little things...)

TWO THINGS DEAR TO MY HEART: PHOTOGRAPHY, THE PHILIPPINES
It took a while for other teachers in the office to understand that I personally took the photos gracing my office space. They thought I was merely sharing someone else's work out of my love for landscape photography and for the Philippines. They would not be incorrect about those two loves, but why would I ever display someone else's photos when I am perfectly capable of capturing and re-producing the world through my own perspective?

Name placard no longer empty!

Shareena's lovely Christmas card

My fourth Husky Kick-Off

Name tags, and all the worksheet responses I have to read this weekend from my eight classes

THE TREES WE SACRIFICE AS TEACHERS

I have been a teacher for less than a week, and I already feel incredibly convicted by the amount of paper - and trees! - I am using! I know this is done in the name of education, but I am unused to and even uncomfortable with this kind of luxurious printing powers. I will change the way I teach class so as to require the least amount of paper without shortchanging my students. 

I left this afternoon with a part of the school awash in golden light. It was mesmerizing!

NAPS ARE TAKING OVER MY LIFE IN KOREA!
I function perfectly at school - albeit a bit sleepy the whole day - but, once I get home, it's all over. Some days, I don't even recall changing, or crawling into bed for what has become a pretty regular three-hour afternoon nap.

This evening, I slept so late that my host father had already come home from work. He greeted me cheerfully and presented me with this:

HOST PARENTS' GIFT: PORTABLE HARD DRIVE
He refused to let me pay him back, insisting this was his and host mom's gift to me. This was definitely not part of the agreement we made last time we were at Costco, but he was resolute. And I was a bit unsure if there was a cultural code I was breaking by not accepting a[nother] gift from my host parents.

The model I wanted to buy from Costco!

I was very pleased that host dad had gotten me exactly what I had been looking for just last week, but was beginning to understand why the OCs had given us phrases in Korean containing the English word "burden" as in - "I am burdened by this [gift]." I am racking my brain even more now on ways to, not repay, but reciprocate my host family's incredible generosity.

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
How do you handle the art of receiving gifts? What kind of gifts (specific items) would you recommend I buy/make/prepare for my Korean host family?