Monthlies

August has drawn to a close and the cool September air has quietly slipped in, marking my time in Korea to be nearly one month (hard to believe). With the end of this month came several added responsibilities and changes at school.

One added responsibility was report cards. Foreign teachers rotate report card duties every month with the Korean teachers to get a mix of comments for the parents to read. Go figure, this month I just happened to be handed reports cards for nearly all of my 16 classes…totaling a lot of freakin’ grade giving and comment writing. It seemed every time I finished one stack I’d go to class only to find two more stacks on my desk when I returned.

Now report cards are a funny thing because before writing we are gently (but sternly) told to keep in mind that the school is also a business…this means no failing students (nothing below a C) and no harsh or severe comments. It’s frustrating to not even be able to hold a bad grade over a few students’ heads to get them to focus more in class…but it is what it is. As I worked through the stack I was reminded how many really great students I do have. I spend so much time thinking about the few bad ones that it’s easy to forget that the majority are sweet and fun to teach.

The end of the month also brings new books and monthly tests for the students; a big test over all the units covered in that month. That made for a very somber mood among the students towards the end of the week. The somber mood from the students must have wore off on me because by the end of class on Friday I was not my usually TGIF cheery self. I just wanted to go home and sleep.

But I knew I couldn’t because I had been looking forward to Friday all week. To celebrate the opening of our director’s new E.L.C. school in a different district of town all the teachers were invited out to the new school for an after work, late night celebration. From what I have heard about Korean celebrations (more or less Korean drinking habits) I was curious as to what the night would hold.

Nothing can cure a somber mood faster than what was waiting for us at the new school. A huge buffet with Korean, Western, and Japanese food, drinks, cake, friendly co-workers, Korean music videos, toasts, drunken hugs from your director, and karaoke.

Knowing we had to get up early in the morning to catch a bus to Busan with two couples from church, Kristen and I were relieved that the night did not last until daybreak and were able to catch a free ride home with Willy, an employee at the new school who lives in our area of town. Saturday’s trip to Busan (Korea’s 2nd largest city) took only an hour by bus and held an afternoon of browsing the street markets, Krispy Kreme donuts, the world famous fish market (eww), beach, and a delicious traditional dinner.

Sunday I enjoyed the company of friends after church, learned Chinese traditional writing from a woman on the street, and had my first moped scooter tour of the city. Woo!

Coming soon...silly sights in Korea and lessons I am learning (yes, learning) in the classroom...