Korea Day 4 (first day of classes)

For the first day of classes we had to wear our camp t-shirts. They are white and very plain. We also could not wear shorts and had to have closed in shoes. Apparently this is more socially accepted here.

We were assigned locations from which to great the students. Joann and I were in the auditorium helping the students find their seats. It was fun to say hi to everyone and hear their English names. Everyone here has a Korean name that is given to them and they choose an English name for English classes. It is cute as they choose names that they have heard but do not know how to spell so I have a Sindy and a Jammy (he pronounces it as Jamie).

The teachers did their little intro to the class, we had class photos taken and we took our students to class. There was an altered schedule due to the morning welcoming so the morning went by quickly. Here are photos of one of my classes and one of Joann's.

We take the students to a university cafeteria for lunch and the food has been quite good. The six daily classes are listed below:

1. We start the day with "Diary Masters". Students are given a topic to write about each day as part of their homework. We give them a little activity to do while we correct the diaries. I then have a few students read their diaries for that day.

2. The second class is Intensive ESL where we read and answer questions and learn new vocabulary. There are sections in the book with topics like Lizards, parts of speech and we do one topic each day.

3. Reading circle is the third class of the day. We read a book with our class and go over new words. We have a CD of the book so we can play it and then discuss the book. My book is a really condensed and modernized (in language) version of "The Merchant of Venice" and Joann has a similarly condensed version of "Treasure Island".

4. We have lunch at 12:30, after these three classes. As I said earlier, the food is good. Sadly, we kept the students outside for a bit after lunch to let them run around (they range in age from about 7 - 14) and play a bit. The Korean leaders at the camp told us that parents pay a lot of money to send their children to English camp and want them learning, not playing. It is also interesting that Korean children are 1 year old at birth so they are (by numerical value) a year older than children from Canada.

The afternoon is called 'Western School' where we are to simulate classes in a Western school.

5. Western School 1 - Wteach a lesson and do questions with the students. Some topics are math literacy, money sense, animal habitats, and the human body.

6. Western School 2 - We teach what skills are needed to give a good speech, we listen to famous speeches (Martin Luther King Jr. - I have a Dream, for example) and teach students how to speak appropriately when giving a speech.

7. Western School 3 - We teach debating skills from choosing a side of a topic to giving a rebuttal for an oponent's comments. On the last day of camp, the parents will come in and watch our class' debate so it needs to be good.

At the end of the day, we got our first allotment of money for meals and we were on our own for dinner. Molly, arrived two weeks before the camp started so she knew some good restaurants. We went for Vietnamese food. It was delicious. It is interesting here, space is at such a premium that buildings are tall and narrow. As a result, a restaurant can be on any floor. This restaurant was on the second floor and I don't think I would have noticed it if we were not taken there!

Joann and I are trying to walk a bit each day so we went for a little walk around our neighbourhood before returning home for the night.