It's Thursday, I'm home, I'm bored and I'm blogging.
The school year here is set up really differently compared to at home. Next week we finish for winter vacation (I run english camps, I don't get all the vacation time the kiddies do). Then there is almost 2 months off, the students come back for a week to finish their academic year, have about a week off for Spring Break and March 2nd a fresh new year begins. They took their "final exams" about 2 weeks ago, so pretty much everything from now until March is pointless, especially with the grade six's because they graduate to middle school, leaving elementary behind. They are already too big for their britches. I had a day of grade six's today, and wow, what a handful. It is so tough not to take it personal when I am standing in front of 35 kids and only a small selection are paying attention. Sometime I wish I could strangle some of the kids. I think the system is somewhat to blame though because classes are so broken up from here till the end of the school year and in fact, who cares if they pay attention because marks are in. I don't blame them but it still makes it difficult to run a class.
Saying that, I've been trying to do some Christmas fun stuff with them. At the beginning of each of my 22 classes I have shown them a video of my getting "Elfed", and it's been such a hit. I hope this link works:
and this one:
At first they don't really know what to make of it and then questions start coming out, "Is this Alex Teacher?" When I answer yes, it's Alex Teacher, they start convulsing in fits of giggles. Some of the kids believe it's me, but some just think we all look the same, so it can't possibly be me! I love it.
I brought my camera into school today and started taking a few pictures of some of my students. It was only grade five & six today so next week I will take some of the little guys. During winter camp I am teaching grade one & two and I think I will be doing daily photos shoots these kids are going to be so damn cute :)
One more work day till the weekend. Tomorrow should be a pretty easy day. I have a few options for plans tomorrow night, but I haven't decided what to do yet. Saturday afternoon I have a Christmas lunch and Secret Santa with Gezina's friends in Suwon. Then I am off to Seoul on another evening adventure with a different group. I am somehow spending the night in Seoul, but NOT in a DVD bang the way I did last weekend. Worst case scenario I am staying in a jimjilbang, but I will be with Lana, a friend from Toronto who has lived here for over a year, so I am not worried. Sundays' big event is CostCo. I haven't been yet, but it seems like a pretty big event for foreigners here to stock up on delicacies from home. My list consists of cheese and crackers and nutella. Such an easy girl to please.
That's it for today. I'm off to work on more lesson plans for winter camp.
DAD: Hope this post straightened out the time line a little. It was written & posted on thursday evening, my time. And all the plans I am talking about are for this coming wknd, the 18th & 19th. Love ya!
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