Winter Is Intense

I thought winter was over. Last week, I wasn't wearing a coat, but a blazer. Today, it's back to "shivering" (say it w/ a Korean accent and it's a VERY bad word). Oh how the weather changes...
The month of January was one of my busiest and quickest months. I became Head Instructor of a new program for Winter Intensives called Critical Speaking & Writing. During January, students have winter vacation. Although students are getting a much needed vacation from the stress of school, academy, and being "perfect," parents still believe vacation time is prime time for more studying. So, in addition to regular evening classes from 4pm to 10pm, Chungdahm sets up morning classes from 9:30am to 12:30pm. It got very tiring quickly. I ended up sleeping on a silver picnic mat in a classroom with my workout clothes as a pillow and my coat as a blanket. After the nap, I would do yoga with Juliann or abs. Despite the long days, this is a great opportunity for teachers who are paid hourly to earn extra money. It is also Chungdahm's way to market the academy to students who are new to Chungdahm. Intensives are designed to be easy and manageable, yet academically fulfilling for both students and parents. Ultimately, the academy focuses on new students to cushion the next term.

For one month, 3 days a week, I had to wake up by 8am and give a wake-up text message to my team of 6. As head instructor, I took on the highest level (Eagle/Alba/IBT) of elementary school kids. These students had all been out of the country. Their English speaking abilities were so good that they were even sarcastic! The focus of the class is of course speaking and writing. They would have to analyze a passage for the main ideas and major details. Then, we would have a discussion about the essay. We had great topics such as the generation gap, favoritism between siblings from parents, preference of teachers based on age, and exploration of Antarctica, which turned into students dreaming of creating polar bear armies. After discussing the passage, they would answer content questions to help them write a summary. For the next hour, we focused on discussion and debate. I would play the role of mediator or facilitator by playing devil's advocate to the scenarios and responses. Although the 10-13 year old students had such insightful stances, they did come up with very imaginative scenarios whether it be flying to Andromeda if you had one week left to live, using a blanket a fire to cure disease, or recommending bringing kimchee to America if you had to give advice to a friend moving to America to study. The last part of class focused on speedy in-class writing that pushed the students further with the topic by asking them their position on a topic and provide examples for their argument.

Although the class is supposed to be fun and easy, it was one of the best classes I taught this term because I actually taught the students to be better writers and to become more comfortable with speaking. It was also rewarding to be a Head Instructor. Being only a 2nd term instructor, I was really surprised to be rewarded with such an honor. Head instructors are held with high regard because they are supposed to be the experts in the program. We have to watch CCTV multiple times during the term to evaluate, critique, and finally give feedback to the instructors. The best part about it was seeing my peers in the spotlight. You think you know someone, but their whole countenance changes once in the classroom. People transform to completely new people being usually either quirky, boring, or silly. Each head instructor is different in the way they shape their instructors. Some are about substance, others are about style. I am about style. I was never that good at teaching skills, but I am good at being energetic and enthusiastic aka a clown and keeping my kids attention and having a good time. When I evaluated my instructors, I pushed for silliness, creativity, and energy. Overall, it was a tiring, yet rewarding term that made me more critical of how I teach.