Comments | samedi: "Valuable Teaching Advice"?

samedi

"Valuable Teaching Advice"?

Mar 14, 2009 23:34

Even though I have been teaching English in Korea for the past nineteen months - and tutored Korean students in the United States prior to that - there are still plenty of times when I feel very reluctant to call myself a "teacher". Having an anthropology degree probably makes it easier to "fit in" and understand what's happening in the culture ( Read more... )

teaching

Comments 14

i_phianassa March 14 2009, 19:32:54 UTC

19 months already? It seems like I just saw you. I'm getting old. :P

You should update more! I like reading what you write.

Here's hoping you stay ddong chim-free!

samedi March 15 2009, 14:25:52 UTC

I was thinking the same thing. It wasn't that long ago we were hanging out in Vancouver.

There's a bunch of stuff that I want to write about but I never have the motivation to start any of it. Being sick for the past week probably doesn't help things, either. ;)

If I do end up getting a ddong-chim you'll no doubt be hearing about it.

i_phianassa March 15 2009, 14:45:52 UTC

I hope you feel better soon! It's no fun being sick. :( Have you tried any Asian medicine yet? I forget if you've blogged about it in the past.

samedi March 15 2009, 14:51:35 UTC

I spent all but 20 minutes of this past weekend in my apartment with the heating on, which seems to have helped a lot. The only Asian 'medicine' that I can say I've tried is tea but I'm not sure if that's what you were thinking of. Stuff like Tylenol isn't an over-the-counter drug like it is in the States, but I did pick up something for a sore throat last spring that didn't require a prescription -- seemed to be a pharmaceutical though.

Thread 6

samuraibutterfl March 15 2009, 03:02:02 UTC

My Korean co-teachers will wear the same thing for a few days. I remember people doing it in Europe as well. I just assumed that Americans were more germaphobic and image conscious.

Best teaching advice I ever got? Anything can be taught with the word "dung" ;)

samedi March 15 2009, 14:32:38 UTC

I hadn't thought about the germaphobic aspect of it, but considering how important it is to wear deodorant in the United States that does make sense. Actually, I find it humorous how Arctic branding has become so popular in deodorants and anti-antiperspirants these days.

How would one use "dung" to teach about plurals?

samuraibutterfl March 15 2009, 15:13:08 UTC

Dung beetles. ;)

samedi March 16 2009, 16:53:02 UTC

Awesome! I guess dung really is an all-purpose educational tool.

laynamarya March 15 2009, 04:30:48 UTC

Ah! One of my honor's club students tried to do that to me and I got so mad that her FRIENDS gave her a lecture.

Also, I ALWAYS erase the board top-to-bottom. My glee club director told us all to do that, should we ever become teachers. At the time I was still planning to be an entomologist but here I am, after all.

samedi March 15 2009, 14:35:42 UTC

Picturing you mad is still something that I'm having trouble with. Glad that everything got sorted out in the end concerning that issue.

Did your glee club director give any reasons on why it's better to erase a board that way?

ext_137656 March 15 2009, 19:51:15 UTC

Hmmm, I notice Korean coworkers frequently wear the same thing twice in a row. This was a big no-no---well, a big embarrassing no-no---back in the US, but I sometimes did in my hagwon b/c I figured no one would notice. It was easy to see coworkers doing it because the Korean teachers were such garish outfits that they stuck in my mind.

samedi March 16 2009, 17:13:04 UTC

I don't think I've noticed any of my hagwon coworkers wearing the same thing twice in a row, apart from maybe bringing the same sweater to work a few times in the same week. For non-Korean teachers here it is a little more understandable considering how we have to fit a year's worth of clothing into two suitcases. Granted, it is possible to buy clothes here, but I have to yet find anything that looked appealing and fit me properly.