Jamaican Me Crazy!

Okay, I know I’ve been a little negligent about writing in my blog, but I haven’t had internet at home. As you imagine, blogging at work about my job is a little awkward. I now have internet access at home, so there’s no more excuse.

When I first arrived here, everyone kept asking me if I knew the deal about my job. Those words don’t exactly build confidence. Anyway, the deal is that I have the baby class (that’s what they call it). By baby class, I mean three and four year olds. In Korean culture, you are one year old when you’re born, and then you turn two on January 1st. So if you’re born on December 31st, you are two in January. I’m teaching “five” year olds. But in reality, their ages vary and the maturity levels are drastically different. Teaching three year olds and four year olds is a little different from teaching five year olds. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. I should explain about what I’ve been doing.

Last week, I spent most of my time observing the other teachers. I would sit in their rooms and take notes of what they were doing and how everything worked. Of course, most of what they did couldn’t really be applied to my class (I have the only baby class) so the really helpful information came from just talking to the teachers. The main point stressed: discipline. I don’t want to speak ill of the former teacher, but the fact is that discipline is an issue. Those of you who know me may not have trouble picturing me scaring the bejeezus out of three year olds. Okay, you’re right. But there’s a difference between scaring someone and disciplining them. And I’m a little concerned that I’ll only accomplish the former. That’s not even to mention the fact that I have to somehow balance fear and affection (they’re only three and four for Christ’s sake). So I’ve got a lot of learning to do right now. I also need to make some adjustments to my behaviors for this job.

Aside from doing a lot of smiling and using a “happy” voice, teachers in my school (especially for my students) are expected to give the children a lot of physical affection. There’s no way to say that without sounding a little dirty. It’s a bit of a change to hug etc. the children, and I admit that I’ve had to make a conscious effort to do so. Another thing is watching my mouth. I don’t think swear words are going to pop out any time soon, but that’s not the worry. In Korea, the words “crazy” and “silly” are really bad. Apparently they only carry the negative connotations. You never realize how often you say those words until it’s a big cultural no-no. (You’re driving me crazy. That’s crazy!) I in particular use crazy a lot, and considering one of my fellow teachers got in trouble for saying it, I’ll have to find a new word. I’m leaning towards absurd.

As I mentioned, last week was observation. This week I started teaching. I have the baby class from 9:40 to 2:30 (with an hour for lunch), and then I have a few afternoon classes. Those classes, I’m sorry to say, are a welcome reprieve after my baby class. Despite only being a couple years older, everyone seems so mature. These classes last from 2:40 to 4:10, then from 4:10 to 5:30. After that, I have private lessons with some students who need special help. Three days of the week I work until 7:00, and the other two last until 5:30. It’s an adjustment to go from staying at home and doing yoga and Guitar Hero to teaching small children until seven at night.

Aside from teaching and observing, I’ve done a little exploring and eating Korean, but that is a blog for another day. I fear that this blog is probably already too long to keep your interest. Drop me an email if you have any questions! I have internet!