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| Kitchen Window |
This year, I'm teaching two sections of after-school "Book Reading Class" twice a week. As the holder of a degree in Literature, I'm ecstatic at the prospect of introducing my students to treasures of the written word. When it comes to after-school clubs, I have free reign about what and how to teach, so long as it fulfills the promise of "book reading." I thought back to what I had read as a middle school student and recalled Ray Bradbury's short story "All Summer in a Day." Unfortunately, it was too advanced and difficult to comprehend for even my most advanced students. Taking that into consideration, I went further back to other stories I remember from elementary school. The second week of class, I opted to use picture books with simpler words alongside vivid illustrations. This method succeeded in piquing the curiosity of most of the class, so I've adopted it indefinitely.
During the harsh winter, when the days dragged on relentlessly, teaching felt like a chore. Students affect teachers more than they probably realize, when it comes to attitude; I wasn't excited to go to work and looked at the clock more than I care to admit. However, the spring and the new school year have burst in with energy and passion. I'm remembering what I love about this job and I'm more than happy to put in more work and effort to give my students the best lessons I have to offer.
This renewed passion I feel for teaching is accompanied by more energy and enthusiasm for other aspects of my life. The most immediate and obvious example I can offer is this blog post. I can't remember the last time I felt like blogging without having guilt about how much I had neglected to write and a sense of urgency to "catch up." That mindset sucked the joy out of blogging for me--yet, now I find myself excited to share the good things that are happening right now in a blog entry, and that sense of obligation is happily absent. I hope this feeling bleeds over into my other writing. I've missed the satisfaction of writing poetry and mapping out stories for the sheer fun of it.
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| Yeh-Shen by Ai-Ling Louie and Ed Young |
When it comes to picture books, the content available online is limited. I got lucky and found some titles formatted for PowerPoint, but it didn't take long to exhaust those resources. Thankfully, Korea's English-language bookstore has just about everything I could ask for, so on Friday I put together a lesson using Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China. I realized that the language in the text was a little archaic; I simplified the text for easier reading aloud, photographed each page and compiled it into a PowerPoint so we could read it together. (I might be bragging, but I'm proud of my efforts!).
Anyway, my after-school kids responded well to Yeh-Shen; even the few who emanate apathy most of the time showed a little interest in the illustrations. To my surprise, though, the class best enjoyed If You Give a Moose a Muffin. I'd initially thought that that book would be too childish for the teenagers in my Friday class, but even two of the girls who usually ignore what I'm saying and text under their desks when they think I can't see them volunteered to read a few pages!
Anyway, my after-school kids responded well to Yeh-Shen; even the few who emanate apathy most of the time showed a little interest in the illustrations. To my surprise, though, the class best enjoyed If You Give a Moose a Muffin. I'd initially thought that that book would be too childish for the teenagers in my Friday class, but even two of the girls who usually ignore what I'm saying and text under their desks when they think I can't see them volunteered to read a few pages!
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| A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams |
This is what I love about teaching. I love when my students surprise me. I love when my students ask questions or answer questions or react to something we're reading. I love to hear their voices in English. I love to see their faces light up with comprehension or interest. One of my favorite things about teaching in Korea is Korean paralanguage; when I explain something and it clicks, and the students say, in unison and with enthusiasm: "Aaahh!" (And this isn't just students. My colleagues, the ajummani in my dance class, even Jun; everyone does it).
This renewed passion I feel for teaching is accompanied by more energy and enthusiasm for other aspects of my life. The most immediate and obvious example I can offer is this blog post. I can't remember the last time I felt like blogging without having guilt about how much I had neglected to write and a sense of urgency to "catch up." That mindset sucked the joy out of blogging for me--yet, now I find myself excited to share the good things that are happening right now in a blog entry, and that sense of obligation is happily absent. I hope this feeling bleeds over into my other writing. I've missed the satisfaction of writing poetry and mapping out stories for the sheer fun of it.
It's hard not to love being alive when there's so much beauty everywhere. I love my neighborhood: the cherry blossom and magnolia trees, the Taehwa River, the walking trails. I love running into my students and their parents and the people whose faces I recognize. I love that my church is a five minute walk away from me, and that the cafe I frequent has the best chocolate in Ulsan and that the owner who knows me by name and gave me a piece of cake on my birthday. I love that Jun and I can sit up on the roof of my building and stare at the sky. I love that buses and public transportation are safe, frequent, and inexpensive. I realize that, like the spring, this part of my life won't always exist in this way, but I love that I have what I have right now.
I really love how you approach your teaching ... I'm sure those students will always think--"Gosh, my Rosa-teacher was by far the most interesting thing going on that year." And also, your dedication to going the extra EXTRA mile is inspiring. These choices are the opposite of dull. (Tho, I totally get the "wait, that's the story you liked best?" moment)
답글삭제Thank you; that means a lot, especially coming from you! I've been fortunate to have colleagues who are supportive of my efforts and even created a budget for me to buy more books for materials--I want to write an entry about that happy turn of events soon.
답글삭제To be honest, though, it's the students in the class who are enthusiastic and engaged that really make the experience for me. If I was faced with only apathy, it would be a lot harder to go that extra mile.