Maybe it was I started teaching in September, near the end of the Korean school year, and students were too bored or comfortable or tired to make much of an effort in my classes. But I'm seeing a lot of improvement in my class' noise level and participation. Plus, since they've only been in school for a few weeks, no one is really exhausted now! I've only caught two students sleeping in class so far, and I didn't care, because at least they were being quiet!
A really big change for me is that now I teach the first grade of middle school. I meet each second and third grade class once a week, and each first grade class every other week. I was terrified at first because I'd never taught students so young. I imagined myself standing in front of a class who couldn't understand a word I said. Or, I imagined myself standing in front of class showing animal pictures and saying very slowly and loudly "This is a cat. CAT." But teaching first grade has actually been a really pleasant surprise. They just started middle school and they are really excited to learn. They are by far the quietest students of all the grades, and they LOVE to participate in class. Their English levels really surprised me, and they all seem to want to communicate with me (even if it is just to ask how tall my boyfriend is, where my boyfriend lives, how I met my boyfriend, what my boyfriend's blood type is, etc.... hahaha!) I had them do a worksheet-based game this week that I used in a grade 3 class last semester. The grade 3 students didn't understand and almost all of them did it wrong, but the grade 1 students did it PERFECTLY! So, grade 1 is the bomb. Plus, they are only 12 and they are really adorable! And teaching them has given me two new co-teachers who are really great to work with. One is a new teacher at our school, and she is really nice. She even put a ton of chocolate on my desk for me when I returned after my stomach virus along with a penguin-shaped get well note. The other teacher, who I've known since September, really didn't like me at first; or at least, that's how I felt. I think she might have had a bad experience with a NSET in the past, or maybe thought I decided to come to Korea to teach because I couldn't get a better job in my own country because I'm a stupid lazy failure (which is apparently what a lot of Koreans think of foreign English teachers.) Anyway, right after the first class I had with her, I noticed she immediately started reacting more warmly to me and has been really friendly since. #WINNING.
One of my second grade co-teachers told me I've improved a lot since I started, and that is definitely true. I clearly told my co-teachers I wanted them to handle all the classroom discipline, since students never listen to me when I tell them to wake up or be quiet or stop throwing things at each other. I think my relationships with them have improved, and it's not difficult to imagine them asking me to renew my contract. Even if I didn't take the job, it would mean a lot to me if they asked me to re-sign.
But the best part is really the students. They seem better at English this year, especially the new grade 2 students, who I hadn't taught before (except some really smart ones in winter English camp) and the fabulous first graders. And even though I've been at my school for seven months (I can't believe it!), every day every single student shouts "HELLO!" at me or screams "I LOVE YOU MELISSA!" from an open window or tells me how beautiful my body/hair/eyes/whatever are. Come to South Korea if you have bad self esteem. Seriously. It's also nice seeing students I had in grade 3 last year who go to our high school now. Sometimes they run up to me and hug me (and I never remember them so it's really awkward for me!) and today I was literally encircle and swarmed by former students all screaming "WE MISS YOU" at me. Hmm. If they missed me so much, they shouldn't have talked so much in my class : )
Anyway, I know it just began, but this year started great, and with warm weather coming soon, I think it can only get better!
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