First day jitters...

So I'm actually officially on my second day of classes, but I just had a "moment"... Not sure what kind of "moment" it was, but it was entertaining. This week I don't have to teach classes. I'm just "shadowing" which I think my co-teacher thinks it means I just hang out and work on the computer. LOL. But I've been insisting on sitting in on their classes. So, back to my moment... I was working on an introduction powerpoint, my co-teacher stepped out for a moment, and suddenly... dun-du-dun!!! Students starting walking in and looking at me curiously. Not because I was sitting there, or that I'm technically a foreigner. I think it's because they weren't sure how I wanted them to sit (as in sitting arrangement). I asked them (in English) to sit (because I didn't know what else to do). So I had all these kids sitting in front of me, staring at me... and no idea what to do with them. Turns out they were in the wrong classroom. We (my coteacher and I) were waiting for 5th graders. But what showed up were 6th graders. LOL. I heard a loud protest from the students (Unni!!). LOL.

The actual first day was actually kind of fun. I wasn't sure in the beginning but it turned out well. I tried taking the bus, but the buses here are very odd. I can't figure them out, probably mostly because I can't read Korean. The signs aren't always accurate I've found though... Anyway, I arrived at school and made eye contact with the guard and told him "Good Morning." He looked very confused for a moment, and then realized who I was and responded with "Good morning." He seems very sweet.

Then I went to the English classroom, but the door was locked. Not sure what to do, since it was my first day after all, I went to the teachers room. They saw me and told me to sit down. No further instruction was given. So I sat there for about 15 minutes before my coteacher texted me asking if I had run into trouble and couldn't make it. Evidentally she had arrived 5 minutes after me.

 

So she came down and found me and took me back to "our classroom" where she did some stuff while I played on the computer. Now this computer is a school laptop designated for the NET. So, when I say "played on the computer" I really mean "played on the computer". Without being able to read any menus, programs or get on the internet, "playing" is the only word that can really describe what I had been doing. LOL

 

Eventually they called me down to give a self-introduction to the entire school by video broadcast. I had been told by the previous NET and my head coteacher that I would have to do this. They advised me to speak very simply, loudly, clearly as I could. So I thought of an introduction exactly like that. Then it was time to introduce myself to the entire school on broadcast. They had a professional broadcasting room and some of the students were operating it. I stood there awkwardly while they talked a bit in Korean, then a confused few seconds when I didn't know what to do and they motioned for a collective bow, so I bowed and left. The end. No speaking involved. LOL.

 

Then we left the school to update my visa address and set up a new bank account.

 

Turns out the self-introduction was at the weekly all-school teacher's meeting. LOL. There are probably between 30-40 teachers at my school. And no broadcasting system. Yay! Everything was in Korean... until I started talking. LOL. Right before they wanted me to speak (and yet again, I stood in the front awkwardly waiting until someone motioned me to do otherwise), they asked my coteacher to come down to translate. But because I had "prepared" such a simple introduction, she didn't bother translating it. LOL. I was really nervous, but when I said "Hello" at the very beginning, there was a couple of people to the side who shouted "HI!!!" and that made me feel so much better. I wish I knew who they were...

 

My coteacher just wrote on the board "Hello! Everyone!" LOL. She then asked me if it was right, but it was in front of the class... No way I would say it was wrong, especially since the 5th graders are NOT likely to know the punctuation was wrong.

 

Fast forward another day, since I didn't finish this (yesterday's) post. So today was Wednesday, my third day. I got to sit on the 3rd and 4th grade English teacher. The kids were good and she had some good ideas that I'm going to hijack. My original intention was to watch how they teach on their own and therefore perhaps discover how we were going to coteach together. Turns out that they want to handle the reading and writing portions of the classes (they see the kids 1 or 2 more days a week than me) and I will teach the listening and speaking portions. They'll be in the same classroom for backup, but not really any involved coteaching. Which will be fine, but I had just been hoping for some more interaction. This will probably be good for my lesson planning though.

 

Another thing that has been a little... um... irritating... bothering... well, those aren't the right words, but I'm not sure what I should say. It's just something that I find... interesting. It has to do with my face not matching my name nor my "culture". When I'm just walking around Korea, all people know is my face. So, they speak to me in Korean. They also expect me to behave as a Korean, like bowing for example. I've been here a while, so now I bow mostly out of habit. But NOW, because of my... unique circumstances... which means the fact that I'm a fake Korean teaching English without knowing Korean... My coteacher has told me not to speak any Korean and not to bow, since I am an American... Which is also exactly opposite which normal foreigners are told... I feel like I am being pulled in different directions... What am I supposed to do? I don't want to seem rude by not adjusting to the culture, but I also want everyone to know that I DON'T speak Korean and that I am really underneath, just an average American... It's also awkward when I'm eating lunch with all the other teachers. I really want them to speak to me, but I think most of them are very scared of talking to me... So I just sit there eat my meal silently... But I'm not supposed to speak Korean to them... So now what... I just want to get along with everyone! :(