back in the classroom

March has come and with it my second semester of teaching at Galsan Elementary School! After a glorious two month break during which I went home to Montana for a couple of weeks, ran an English camp, traveled in Korea, and participated in a Korean language class, I have come back to a school filled with changes. To begin with, I now have a new principal, vice principal, and coteacher. Approximately fifty percent of the school staff has changed, so while I miss some of the old teachers, it is exciting to see new faces during lunch at the school caf.

I finished last semester a little burnt out on teaching and running low on creativity for my lesson plans. For the last several weeks, however, I have been brainstorming new activities and games and have been antsy to see my students again. This only intensified as the school start date approached. In Korea, students change grades at the beginning of the calendar year instead of in the fall. This means that all of my second graders from last year are now third graders and so on and so forth. My goal for this first week of teaching has been to maintain a firm and strict attitude, keeping a very controlled classroom environment. Now, I had this same goal at the beginning of last semester, but at that point I did not know what to expect from my students (or myself!). Accompanied with my newly enhanced Korean language skills, my confident teaching persona has been met with success.

The greatest teaching change this semester will be working with a coteacher. Last year, the homeroom teachers were occasionally in the classroom to help with discipline, but the responsibility for planning and executing lessons fell to me. Now I will be teaching six classes a week (my fifth and sixth graders) with Mr. Lee. On hearing that I would have to "share" my students, I found out how possessive I am of my teaching time. However, this will ease my lesson planning burden and give me an opportunity to try a new style of teaching. I hope we can teach together successfully.

Even though the administration may have changed, my students have not. Stepping back into the classroom and seeing their faces has reinforced my desire to teach. The first day back, I loved having students run up to give me a hug or shout, "Hello, Miss Joelle" from down the hall. I enjoy the feeling of potential that the start of a semester or a new class of students brings. (Not to mention the excuse to shop for school supplies...) It has also been relieving to find that the whole concept of "teaching" and "teaching in a foreign country" is now a relatively familiar idea. After 239 classes completed, I can anticipate how these classes and this semester will run. Sure, there will be surprises, but I am better equipped to effectively meet them. I can't wait to see what will happen this term!