The completely finished newspaper
The last version of the school newspaper that I posted (here) required a few changes. In addition to the missing photo and a couple typos, the school requested some alterations. First, the article about school violence was cut. Honestly, I expected this would happen. It talked about a tragic incident at a nearby school, in which one student accidentally killed another. I gently suggested that the author of the story choose another topic, but he wanted to write about this one. I figured I’d go along with it. I thought it was a story that actually mattered to the kids, and I’d back it until the administration said otherwise.
Because I no longer have the newspaper class, and the kids are busy with exams, I wrote a brief story about the school festival to fill the hole. I hated to cut the kid’s story, and I certainly don’t need to practice my English, but there wasn’t much I could do.
The second correction involved the soccer team story. Evidently, the new team, Gangwon FC, held their draft in December. Because of this, the information in the article was out of date. Again, I can’t really get a re-write from the kids, so I ended up re-writing one paragraph and making a few other changes to the article. It’s not really something I was comfortable doing, but the school wanted things changed ASAP. My co-teacher seemed fine with me doing the writing.
I emailed both students to explain the changes. I know it’s like a small thing, but it’s their work, and changing it doesn’t seem ethical to me. I suppose I should learn from my own lessons. I taught the kids that one of the first steps in writing should be identifying the audience. You have to be sure that what you write is suitable to the given audience. The class decided that the audience for the newspaper was teachers, students and parents, but that’s not really true. The newspaper is a bragging point for the teachers and administration. More than anything, the goal is advertisement for the school and the people who run it. As such, the stories must reflect positively on the school. Unfortunately, this means that accurate information and “appropriate” content are more important than demonstrating the honest (but sometimes flawed) work of the students.
But ignore my cynicism. I’m still fairly proud of the final copy, and it was (generally) a fun project.
Almost finished with a frustrating project
One of my tasks as a native English teacher has been continuing the English newspaper class started by my predecessor. This has been a fairly frustrating project from the start. On my very first day, I was shown a two-page printed newspaper, and told that I had to edit some things before it could be published. I had to find the file on the hard drive, replace a photo, and make some minor tweaks to the layout. I’d never used Microsoft Publisher before, and couldn’t read the Korean menus, but I’m fairly tech-savvy and managed to get it sorted out.
Then the real fun began. I was told that I would teach a small class 3 days a week, with no co-teacher. The end result of this class should be another issue of the newspaper. The rest was up to me. Along the way, I was given several other assignments. For the first few days, we prepared a script for a skit contest, which was later cancelled. We spent several days in October making decorations for the classroom (because a comittee was coming to inspect the school). In between these projects, I focused on newspaper-related topics. We learned about formal and informal English, the use of statistics, and the writing style expected in a newspaper. This ended up being one of my favorite classes. I was a little unsure of myself, but the kids were hard-working and spoke excellent English. They made things easy.
About half-way through October, we picked topics for the newspaper, and began to work on stories. At this point, I was assuming this was a regularly-scheduled class, and would continue until final exams (the first week in December). I was wrong.
The third week of October, I was told that my class would conclude Oct. 31st. I would then have November/December to assemble the paper and get it printed. This left me only 6 class periods to actually finish the articles. I had planned for 12-18 classes. I recruited Erin to help me work with the kids, and we got busy. In the end, my students did some fairly impressive work. I had 9 stories (1 from each kid). Topics included the local English contest, a new soccer team in the province, the Large Hadron Collider, and the sub-prime mortage crisis. Given the timeframe, it was very impressive.
On the very last day of the class, our co-teacher asked me what topics the students wrote about. I explained that they chose a variety of stories; some were school-related, others dealt with local, national, or international issues. I was told that it is a school newspaper, and as such, it should be about the school. I didn’t say anything at this point, and it hasn’t come up since. The kids did fine work, and the school should be proud of it.
In the last couple weeks, I have typed the articles that were hand-written and fixed typos and minor errors. I contacted the students to approve any changes. I got the text into Publisher, and spent a few hours adjusting the layout. I found a couple photos to use (under Creative Commons licenses, of course). It’s been a surprisingly time-consuming project, but it’s almost done. I’m waiting on a couple photos, and then I’ll need to make some final tweaks to the layout. I was convinced that the end result would be pretty crappy, but I think it looks OK. Next semester will be better, but I’m proud of it. I promise I’ll post a PDF when everything is finished.
Even if the students got nothing out of it, the entire class has been educational for me. I’m starting to realize how difficult it is to plan a cohesive series of lessons. Coming up with ideas that are interesting, useful, and build towards a final product is a hell of a challenge. It’s also been a real eye-opener to learn how time-consuming a small project can be. I’ve certainly got a new respect for good teachers. Effective lessons are rarely easy to execute, and teaching energetic students while meeting the expectations of supervisors is a frustrating and sometimes impossible task.
I guess that’s why I’m making the big bucks…
A bunch of hiking pictures
I’ve been lazy about uploading pictures lately. Today I don’t have to teach elementary, so here is a big batch of hiking pictures.
The first gallery is from our first real hiking trip. We went to Seoraksan National Park with Ben (a Canadian English teacher) and Mihyun (his girlfriend, also an English teacher). We hiked to Ulsanbawi, a rock formation in the park. When I say hiking, I mostly mean stair climbing. The heavily-traveled trails are pretty tame, for the most part. Certainly strenuous, but not technically difficult.
The giant buddha is a bronze statue near the entrance of the park. The other statues are at a shrine on the beach that we visited on our way home.
These pictures were taken from a hill near our apartment. It’s wooded and there are some trails going up it. It was a hazy day, so you’re not necessarily looking at smog. The city is a bit smoggy, but I think it’s usually a mix of exhaust and smog. It’s not the prettiest city I’ve ever seen, but also not the ugliest. (This is an unattractive angle, however.)
These pictures were taken on our second trip to Seoraksan Nat’l Park. Erin and I went alone, and it was insanely busy. We should have known better than to visit a popular park on a holiday weekend. We hiked a an easy trail up to a cave in the mountains. It was a beautiful walk.
These pictures are from last Sunday. We went to a small mountain near Yongpyeong Ski Resort with Ben, Mihyun, and another teacher. It was a gorgeous walk, but we got a late start and the trail was a lot longer than we anticipated. We turned back about halfway up. I didn’t take many pictures, but the changing leaves are gorgeous. Korea is pretty if you can get out of the cities.
More writing to follow soon…
Apartment Photos
As promised, here are some photos of the apartment. There’s an entire room I don’t show, because it’s currently empty (except for recycling). As soon as we find a use for it, I’ll take a picture.
Enjoy!
Teaching in Korea — a Typical Day
This is a typical day of teaching in Korea:
- 8:20am: Arrive at school.
- 8:30-9:55am: Free time. First period is 9:00-9:45, but I only teach that on Tuesdays. Usually I’m preparing a lesson in the mornings (printing worksheets, etc).
- 9:55-10:40am: Second period. Teach second grade (8th grade in US) for 45 minutes.
- 10:50-11:35am: Third period. Teach first grade (7th) for 45 minutes.
- 11:35am-1:35pm: Free time. Work on lesson plans, write blog posts, eat lunch, etc.
- 1:35-2:20pm: Fifth period. Teach first grade for 45 minutes.
- 2:20-3:45pm: Free time. The internet is a good time-waster.
- 3:45-4:30pm: Seventh period. Teach “English Club”. Today we’re watching an episode of the Simpsons, because I can’t think of a better lesson plan.
- 4:40-5:25pm: Eighth period. Teach the “Teacher’s Class”. This is a conversation class with 7 or 8 Korean teachers. I find this quite stressful, but I only do it on Thursdays.
I’ll be home and drinking a beer by 5:40pm. Actually, this is one of my longer/busier days; most days I’m actually home by 4:40. Unfortunately, Korean beer is officially The Worst Beer in the World®. I’m working on a brewing operation, but it will take time.
A Change of Plans
The national EPIK orientation ended last Friday, and we boarded a bus for Gangwon province. When we got there, we learned that our city placement had changed. Instead of Donghae, we were placed in Gangneung, a larger city 30-40 minutes north (but still on the coast). We sat through another graduation ceremony, and were immediately whisked away by our Korean co-teachers, Mr. Kim and Mrs. Lee. We learned that we will both be teaching at Gangneung middle school, an all-boys school.
We spent two nights in a hotel while the current EPIK teacher vacated the apartment. We moved in on Sunday, and the place was still trashed. The former teacher, Paul, was gross. We managed to get things cleaned up a bit, and we got (mostly) moved in. The apartment is pretty nice. 3 bedrooms, with a screened-in balcony. More than enough space for us.
We started teaching on Monday. We were supposed to observe for a day, but both Erin and I just got thrown into the mix. I’ll write more about teaching later. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think I can manage.
The immigration requirements are still a hassle. We went to the hospital for HIV and drug testing today. They’ll be ready on Friday, but we’re supposed to leave early Friday morning and go to the immigration office in another city. Except the immigration office needs the medical test results. Pain in the ass. Once we get to the immigration office, we’ll have to apply for an Alien Registration Card (ARC), which will tie up our passports for 1-2 weeks. We can’t open a bank account until will the get the ARC. And we can’t get paid until we open a bank account.
Also frustrating: We learned today that the cost of the hotel will be deducted from the $300 settlement allowance coming to each of us. Hopefully it won’t be too expensive. They asked if we wanted to stay by the beach or in the city. I sure wouldn’t have said by the beach if I knew I was paying for it.
On a more positive note, we’re going on a class hiking trip tomorrow. I would have done it for nothing, but we actually get paid extra for it. I’m also getting paid extra for teaching at the elementary school once a week, and for an extra credit class that I’m teaching by myself.
Heading Out
Today we wrap up the EPIK orientation and head out to our province, Gangwon-do. I’m glad to be done with training, but there was a lot of useful info presented. Still a bit nervous about the placement. Evidently the placements we were told on Monday are not set in stone. The coordinator with whom we interviewed is not really the boss, and nothing is certain. We were told that couples would “almost certainly” get placed where they were told, as there are not many couples placements in Gangwon-do.
I won’t breathe easy until Erin and I arrive at the same apartment, however. Some couples (in other provinces) have been finding out that they are housed separately. That one would be a deal-breaker for me.
Anyways, I won’t have internet atmy apartment until I can obtain my Alien Registration Card (ARC), which will take a week or two. I’ll be checking in from school or internet cafes, but there may be fewer updates in the next couple weeks.
Wish us luck!
A Post About Money
It might be rather rude to write about my finances in Korea, but I’m sure people are curious. I know I would have liked to have more information when planning.
Keep in mind that I’m still at orientation and haven’t actually received or spent any real money. I have learned a few things from talking to returning teachers, however.
The lowest level salary for provincial EPIK teachers is 2.0 million won/month, or about $2000. Doesn’t sound like much, but included with the contract is airfare both ways and housing. Depending on where you live and how frugally you spend, I’ve heard that you can spend all of that, or save half of it. Maybe even more if you’re really tight. Erin and I are housed as a couple, and one of the EPIK coordinators said that should save us a lot of money.
Also, in rural provinces, you may end up teaching at multiple schools, in which case you are paid slightly more.
US citizens get a better deal than most. All teachers are exempt from Korean taxes for the first 2 years of their employment. Most other teachers have to pay taxes in their home country (or may opt to pay Korean taxes). US citizens, provided they make less than some large figure (I think 75K/year) are also exempt from US taxes.
Total annual payment (including severance pay, settlement allowance, and rural bonuses) should be between $26,000 and $28,000. Doesn’t sound like much, but with the tax benefits, provided housing, and a (seemingly) lower cost of living than the US, this isn’t a bad financial move for me.
This ends my discussion of money. Enjoy some photos:
Jet Lag sucks
Well, it’s 3:45 in the morning, and I’m wide awake. I managed to get a fair bit of sleep, but I expect I’ll be tired tomorrow. Probably shouldn’t have started reading. Finished Ender’s Game, which was a lot of fun. I should know better than to pick up a tacky sci-fi novel in the middle of the night.
Yesterday Erin and I (and a couple other friends) met a Korean businessman in the hall at the University. He was finishing some business course here, and asked about our pink t-shirts. He was really friendly. He spent 6 months in Texas on business, and drove around half the country. Gave us his card and said we could contact him if we were ever in Busan. Erin e-mailed him, and he responded. He seems like a good guy. People have been really friendly, which makes things easier.
We picked the right province when we chose Gangwon. Not only is the vacation time amazing, but we also get to interview with the regional office of education to express preferences for our placement. Other locations get placed more or less at random. The other teachers going to Gangwon seem like a good bunch as well.
I’ve met a few returning teachers, who have been helpful. I’ve been able to get some questions answered about paperwork and money. All-in-all, things are going well.
General Updates
So I’ve done very little writing on here lately, and lots has happened. There have been plenty of important events in international relations in the past month, from the collapse of the Doha round to the Russian intervention in Georgia. My (few) readers can expect more posts on topics like these in the future.
In personal news, my girlfriend and I are getting ready to move to Korea for a year. We’ve signed a contract with EPIK, and will be teaching English in Korean public schools for the next year. Expect updates and photos about this adventure.
I’m looking forward to a sweet Korean internet connection; the last few weeks at home (and on dial-up) have been frustrating. I think we’ll be pretty grateful for the internet over there. Given that we don’t speak a word of Korean, and we’ll likely be in a small town somewhere in Gangwon-do, I expect we’ll be spending lots of time with our computers. I’ll be using it as an opportunity to make this blog a higher priority. I miss writing, and even this informal BS is enjoyable.
Check back soon for more info, and if you’re privileged enough to have my Skype info, please give me a call now and then.
