Week 6 marked a new page in our time in Korea. We moved from Jiguchon to Wooridul, and to me, the change was enormous. Migrant children, from 1st to 6th grade, comprised the majority of Jiguchon’s demographic. At Wooridul, the youngest student is 13, the oldest 33. Most of the kids also have some relation to North Korea, either being refugees themselves or having a parent who is North Korean.
The first day of teaching was–well, a bit of a mess. Many of the lesson plans and readings we prepared for class turned out to be way too difficult for the students. Because the students were older, we expected their English proficiency to be better than the kids at Jiguchon. This certainly was not the case.
Lesson planning also evolved into a completely different experience. At Jiguchon, we wanted to teach, but children are children. It would be impossible to stuff their brains with a lot of English learning. With older students, lessons would have to be more “learning” focused and less play, which meant harder lessons and effort.
The class structure of the new school proved to be a roadblock as well. In the past, there were two classes to teach and the teachers were split between these classes. We appointed three to five teachers to each class, and teaching became a group effort. However, like many middle and high schools, Wooridul operates on a period schedule. The classes switch and not all of them are for English, so we had to adjust our system to fit this.
Though the first day was rough, it definitely prepared us for the next day of class. Instead of focusing on logistics, we could finally concentrate on actually teaching and learning about the students. Of course, older students don’t have the same quirks as younger kids. They’re a lot more mature, they don’t get out of their seat to run around and play with scissors, and they listen and participate in class. In that manner, it’s a lot easier. For me, though, it’s always a lot harder to open up to people my age. I don’t have to worry about image with kids; the same doesn’t go for adults.
Nevertheless, being outside my comfort zone is kind of fun! I can already see some friendships blooming, and I’m excited to see what else will happen at Wooridul!
Adventures in Seoul
- We visited Dongdaemun Design Plaza and it was beautifullll! Since we went during the daytime, we couldn’t see the white LED rose garden in its full brightness, but the sight that we saw was beautiful anyways
- Is it weird that the first Shake Shack I’ve been to was in Korea? I’ve heard a lot of buzz around this restaurant back in the States haha
- We also went to Namsan Tower (finallyy)!!! The weather that day was the best that we could have asked for really. Not too hot, not too cold, not too sunny, and not rainy. We saw the sun set over the city and I’m happyyyy, it was great!
- I also explored the World Cup Park (which is kind of near Hongdae) and walked along the Han River. The atmosphere is so calm and peaceful, I strolled there for three hours and didn’t get tired.
DDP Rose Garden
Namsan Night Views
Ticket and Locks
Olympic Park Stream