And so, I find myself back at Jungwon University, reminiscing about the weekend and bracing myself for the crazy weeks ahead. Monday, July 18th marked the first day of Camp Fulbright. In the morning, I sat in on the Low Advanced class that I signed up to teach on Tuesday and Friday. I was immediately taken aback by their impressive vocabulary and speaking skills. Frankly, it was a little intimidating to realize that in 24 hours, I'd be up in front of the room, leading the class. After the morning observation, I headed to Korean class and took my second language test. Fortunately, I felt confident about the test and was able move on with my day. If there's anything that Smith has taught me, it's how to function on minimal sleep and retain information after cramming the night before.
In the afternoon, I finally got to meet Dara, a 2009 Smith graduate, 2009-2011 Fulbright Korea Grantee, and bundle of sheer awesomeness. She was visiting to give a supplemental talk on volunteering in Korea, specifically at children's homes: something that I, too hope to pursue during my grant year. Afterwards, Kim (another Smith '11 grad) and I went out to dinner with Dara and got to probe her brain about school placements, homestays, and lesson planning. It was great to hear about her experiences and begin to imagine what mine will be like. Even the other side of the world, it's incredibly comforting to know that the Smith connection ties us all together.
On Tuesday, July 19th, I taught my first English lesson. To my surprise, it went extremely well and the students seemed genuinely interested in my lesson on President Obama and electoral campaigns. They especially enjoyed the Electoral Ballot activity, in which I provided names of fake candidates and their platforms, and asked students whether they would support this candidate and why. For example: "Britney Spears is running for President. She wants to raise the minimum wage. Will you vote for her and why." For this specific example, everyone voted Yes, except one boy. When I asked him why he wouldn't support Britney, he eloquently explained that his parents own three restaurants and have 20 employees. If the minimum wage were increased, he argued, his parents would be forced to bear the burden and pay a greater proportion of their annual income for people who did not rightfully earn this additional salary. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed by the students' critical thinking skills. I am confident that several of these Korean students can verbalize their thoughts better than some native English speakers.
This activity was great because it introduced a ton of new, useful vocabulary; while capturing the students' attention with photos of American celebrities. Several of the girls even asked to keep the picture of Justin Bieber. These kids may be smart, but they're still pre-teens at heart. Following that activity, I had the students write campaign promises, as if they were running for President of the United States. Then, I asked the students to share their campaign promises in small groups and nominate the person with the best campaign promises as their candidate. Lastly, I had all the candidates read their campaign promises out loud and the entire class got to vote who should be the President. As a reward, I gave postcards from Washington, D.C. to the winning candidates. After my lesson, I received constructive feedback from a peer and a Camp Instructor. I need to work on talking slowly and writing on the chalkboard more. But overall, it was a great first teaching experience and definitely boosted my confidence for lessons to come.
On Thursday, July 21st, the Placement Preference form was due. In terms of requesting a location for the upcoming year, there are so many factors to consider: school size, gender ratio, proximity to friends, urban/rural placement, extra-curricular activities, etc. But after much consideration, I realized that my utmost priority is to be placed in a centrally located transportation hub, which will allow me to see as much of Korea as possible. Around August 1st, I can expect to hear back about my placement. Until then, I will be sitting here anxiously, awaiting the big news.
On Friday, July 22nd, I taught my second lesson on how to evaluate the pros and cons of being an everyday hero. Having already taught this class, I struggled to come up with a lesson that would be challenging enough for these students. I eventually settled upon the idea of a classroom debate. I spent a lot of time explaining the logistics of a debate because I knew that this was a concept that was quite foreign to them. However, students still seemed confused at the beginning and needed me to push them to collaborate as a group. After some time, there was a moment of epiphany and students really got into the debate activity. By the end, they were having a full-fledged discussion back-and-forth with one another. They were able to refute the opposing team’s arguments and provide convincing arguments for their side, without having to be prompted to speak. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I had to cut off the debate when it was finally getting good. Nonetheless, I am relieved that both lessons were so well-received.
I will now leave you with very prototypical Korean photo. Say Kimchi, everyone!
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