Time is just a'flyin'! I cannot believe it's almost winter break. Where has the time gone? Oh yeah, teaching three classes, two special reading classes, planning, performance practice, etc. etc.etc. lol I knew that this wouldn't be a cakewalk, but wow! Constantly doing things, never a dull moment.
The kids did awesome at their performance, even though the sound guy completely dropped the ball. Boo at him. :( At least the parents were pleased, and since my ability as a teacher is judged almost solely on how the kids performed...I'm super proud of them though. One of the songs was prematurely cut off and they kept going. I even got "thank you" flowers from the parents. :D
Last week a ton of things were due all on the same day; report cards (for all classes), class summaries, and open class lesson plans. Doesn't sound like much, which it really wasn't but very time consuming. Some stress and frustration resulted from that, some complaining/negativity from other teachers, and not a lot of sleep. It made it a not fun week, but I came to the conclusion I need to walk away from the negativity. I cannot let other people's inability to put their big girl panties on and deal with their problems get to me. I did talk to my VP and supervisor and it definitely cleared up a ton of confusion. My frustration/stress level went done incredibly.
This week is parent-teacher conferences. I had my first one this evening and it went fairly well. My afternoon supervisor interpreted for me, so I basically sat and smiled and nodded. lol It was a bit amusing to me, but I hope that the parents got what I was trying to convey. Not sure how much was lost in translation. Then it was one-on-one with the parents that actually showed up, only parents for 2 kids. I wish more had come, but for time's sake I'm glad they didn't. I think the meetings went well, one parent was even pleased saying this was the best report card her son has received. I do love my BC boys, they are awesome.
Tomorrow is a meeting with only one of my BC girl's parents. Again, I wish the other parents would come just so I can meet them. I understand though why most aren't coming. Apparently the owner of the school repeats the same thing and most parents want to avoid hearing it...again. lol Plus I figure if there was an issue I'd hear about it. Most of these parents aren't shy about complaining to the Korean teachers. lol
Super, super excited about Friday. Not only is it the Christmas party for the whole school, but my honey is coming!!! I get to take a long trip (about 1 1/2 hours) by subway and train to pick him up. Crossing my fingers that I don't get lost and we find each other quickly at the airport. :)
So much to do before Friday! Still need to Christmas shop and then mail it all. I know it won't get to my family by Christmas...sorry!! Just been so busy, again where has the time gone?? Early day tomorrow so early to bed for me. Which means about midnight. lol
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Been too long!
I cannot believe I've been here for almost 2 months! The time has totally flown by. Mostly working all day and enjoying a few evenings out. The weekends so far have been busy going out and seeing a few places in Seoul or meeting new friends.
Completely love my classes! My kindergarten class is the 7 year olds(6 really) that have been coming to CIS for 3 years, and my two BC grade 3 classes are definitely hard work, but the kids are great. I only have 4 kids in my kindergarten class, yes envy me, and they are wicked smart. They pick things up so quickly that sometimes I forget I'm working with 7 year olds. M-W-F I work with 6 boys in 3rd grade. They are a hoot most of the time, they do get off track VERY easily. However I absolutely adore them. T-Th I work with 2 girls also in 3rd grade which are a bit more of a challenge. I like them just fine, but they really don't like working. Which I can understand, these kids are in school all day then they go to more school, music lessons, math tutoring, etc. I don't know how they don't break down on a daily basis. I suppose it's because this type of schooling is all they've known.
The ladies I work with, both foreign and Korean, are just plain awesome. I've gotten fairly close to a few and nights out are usually spent with them. The night life on the weekend is crazy, but fun. Koreans work hard, but they party harder.
Food here is different, but I've enjoyed the majority. Still cannot get behind the seaweed soup, and kimchi on a daily basis has taken some getting used to. I really like the cucumber kimchi and radish kimchi. Korean barbeque is delicious too!
Sad news on the photo front. Flickr has decided to be a jerk and not let me on my account. So I had to create a new one. Perhaps tomorrow I'll find the energy to repost and add more pictures. lol
I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas! I'm sad I won't be able to bake, but maybe I can keep the tradition of making chocolate covered pretzels. Crossing fingers on that one. :)
Completely love my classes! My kindergarten class is the 7 year olds(6 really) that have been coming to CIS for 3 years, and my two BC grade 3 classes are definitely hard work, but the kids are great. I only have 4 kids in my kindergarten class, yes envy me, and they are wicked smart. They pick things up so quickly that sometimes I forget I'm working with 7 year olds. M-W-F I work with 6 boys in 3rd grade. They are a hoot most of the time, they do get off track VERY easily. However I absolutely adore them. T-Th I work with 2 girls also in 3rd grade which are a bit more of a challenge. I like them just fine, but they really don't like working. Which I can understand, these kids are in school all day then they go to more school, music lessons, math tutoring, etc. I don't know how they don't break down on a daily basis. I suppose it's because this type of schooling is all they've known.
The ladies I work with, both foreign and Korean, are just plain awesome. I've gotten fairly close to a few and nights out are usually spent with them. The night life on the weekend is crazy, but fun. Koreans work hard, but they party harder.
Food here is different, but I've enjoyed the majority. Still cannot get behind the seaweed soup, and kimchi on a daily basis has taken some getting used to. I really like the cucumber kimchi and radish kimchi. Korean barbeque is delicious too!
Sad news on the photo front. Flickr has decided to be a jerk and not let me on my account. So I had to create a new one. Perhaps tomorrow I'll find the energy to repost and add more pictures. lol
I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas! I'm sad I won't be able to bake, but maybe I can keep the tradition of making chocolate covered pretzels. Crossing fingers on that one. :)
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